Kayden looked at him, heart pounding. The playful air melted for a second as emotions flickered across his face. Then, he stepped forward, chest to chest, and whispered, "Yes, I'll leave you."
Thaddeus froze.
Kayden added with a shrug, "He's my father anyway. If he doesn't approve of you, I won't fight it."
Thaddeus stared at him, stunned. "You won't fight for us at all?" he asked quietly, as if afraid of the answer.
Kayden nodded, lips pressing into a thin line. "No. I won't fight."
The hand resting on Kayden's waist dropped slowly as Thaddeus exhaled a heavy sigh, pain threading through his expression.
Then Kayden burst into laughter, head thrown back in dramatic flair.
"Daddy," he said with a teasing drawl, "do you really think, after everything we've been through, I'd just dump you because my father said so?"
Thaddeus blinked.
But Kayden's voice shifted, serious now, low and sincere.
