Written with Regret (Regret #1)

by Aly Martinez

I’d sworn to myself I’d never have a child.

Then you should of had a vasectomy

And the first time she’d said “I love you, Daddy,” I’d frozen, my chest so tight that I thought there was a solid chance I was having a heart attack. Once I’d felt comfortable that I didn’t need to call an ambulance, I’d immediately gone to the bathroom, gotten in the shower, and fought back manly fucking tears in private. Well, until she had come looking for me, thrown the shower curtain back, and asked why she didn’t have a penis.

“If you objectively look at life as a whole, it’s a daunting and impossible process. There are just far too many obstacles for one person alone to conquer. The world sucks. People are judged rather than accepted. Hate spreads far more easily than love. Power and money are valued more than morality. Insecurities are preyed upon rather than quelled.” His intense gaze never left mine when he asked, “Why would any of us want to live like that?”

Her smile vanished, and her already creamy white skin paled. “I was eight when it happened.” She aimed her gaze over my shoulder to the door of the diner, the streetlights casting a shadow over her face. “I, uh…hid under the counter at the Chinese restaurant. Alone.” Her eyes came back to mine, nervous and guarded.

Fucking liar

“She looks at me like that?” “Yep. When you look at your computer, she looks at you. And when you look at her, she looks at me. And then, when you both look at each other, her cheeks get pink and she looks down at the table and smiles. Jacob told me at snack that she probably loves you.” My jaw slacked open. “You were talking to Jacob about me and Hadley?” She gave me a duh side-eye that did not bode well for me during her teenage years and replied, “He’s a love expert, Daddy.”

She rolled her eyes. “Please just let me set you up with a guy. A few orgasms and a big dick would go a long way in diluting the case of the sexual insanity you’ve currently got going on.” “You know what? I changed my mind. Go home. I need a better best friend.” “No. What you need is a dick…and not the fictional one that belongs to Caven Hunt in your secret little fantasies.” “He produced a child. I’m ninety-nine percent sure his dick is not fictional.”