I don't remember the last time I was this angry.

No one talks to the love of my life like that, especially not this poor excuse of a woman.

I already spoke to Sheila and Mike, who were more than willing to help us in this matter. We prepared a statement we'll post tonight, regarding Mila's father and the injustice of his fate, but I wanted to speak to him first.

And so we're now stepping out of the jet in L.A., Mila's hand firmly placed in mine as we enter the car waiting for us.

"You okay, love?" I ask, watching her nervously bite her bottom lip when we swerve onto the freeway.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just...excited, I guess?" She shoots me a warm smile.

"You afraid he won't like me?"

Her laugh resonates through the car when she shakes her head, and I swear simply by looking at her this way, laughing at something I said, I'm hit with such a wave of affection that I feel my heart race again.

"He'll love you. I'm pretty sure of that," she answers, and I can't help but grin widely before I wrap my arm around her shoulders, letting her rest against it as I press a kiss on her head.

"Well, that's good. We'll see what he says, then."

We spend the rest of the ride in silence, both of us caught up in our own thoughts.

Soon enough we're escorted into the prison, and I can't deny I'm getting just a little nervous. Oddly enough, it's not the large number of criminals in my vicinity I'm worried about. I know Mila believes her dad will love me, but I know how much her father means to her, and I don't even want to imagine the disaster that would arise if he didn't approve of me.

After a thorough security check, I now study the gray walls behind the plexiglass separating visitors and inmates. The frigid atmosphere makes me shiver, and I suddenly understand just how gruesome this place must be. Being a visitor is bad enough; I can't imagine what it must be like for Mila's father.

Right on time, a tall, dark-haired man dressed in orange walks through the door to our right, a wide smile spreading across his face as soon as he sees Mila next to me. The guards relieve him of the handcuffs, and he takes a seat opposite to us, that smile growing even wider now.

"Buttercup."

"Hey, Dad," Mila whispers. She glances up at me as I interlace our fingers, and this time she's the one squeezing my hand before she looks back at her father with a smile on her lips. "Dad, this is Hayden Cross. My boyfriend."

Her father's eyes flick between his daughter and me, blatantly reading us before he leans back and smiles. "I see. Good to finally meet you, son."

I'm baffled by the genuine smile on his face; everything about him seems so sincere and kind, I can't believe they put someone like him in a place as hostile as this. "Nice to meet you, sir. I've heard a hell of a lot about you."

His laugh roars through the room, and I instantly know where Mila got her whole-heartedness from. She smiles brightly while looking at him, that happy glimmer in her eyes tainted with a smidge of sadness. "I hope it was mostly good." He quirks an eyebrow.

"Definitely all good, sir."

"Ah, stop that 'sir' crap. We're not in the military, and you're family already. Just call me Sam, please."

I'm taken aback by his words. I've never met anyone so nice and friendly, especially considering I'm here with his daughter. "Alright then, Sam. Thank you."

He nods and leans forward, his elbows resting on the table as he redirects his attention to his daughter. "How are you holding up, pup?"

"I'm fine, Dad. It's just been a lot these past weeks."

"I can imagine. I saw a picture of the two of you on the TV in the canteen. How has it been with the vultures?" he asks, and Mila sighs in response, her hand holding mine while I draw circles on her palm with my thumb.

"You know them. Nothing too bad. Although there is this thing with Meredith..."

My blood boils the second she mentions that snake's name.

Sam seems to feel the same way, because he furrows his brows, this irritated look crossing his face. "I thought you stopped talking to that witch."

His statement makes me stifle a laugh. I mean, damn, if that woman isn't a witch, then I don't know who is.

"I have. She just..." Mila sighs. "Honestly, I don't know what her deal is, but she's hellbent on smearing my name, and yours for that matter."

"Why would she do that?" he asks, and Mila regards me, the hesitation visible in her eyes.

I know she'd never want to lie to her dad, and it seems like she doesn't know how to break the news to him. "My guess is she wants to make her career by getting a scandal story out there. She wants to make Mila look bad and paint me as the Samaritan who fell for her."

Sam seems surprised by my honesty, his arms crossed in front of his chest when he answers, "I see. That sounds like something she'd do."

"I didn't think she'd go to such lengths," Mila admits, but Sam shakes his head.

"I did, honestly. That girl is pure poison. I'm glad you're away from her now." On that note, he looks back at me, and I immediately know this is the moment of truth. His daughter is in a compromising position solely because of her relationship with me, and I can absolutely understand he's not too happy about that. "What's the plan?" he asks, and I glance over to Mila, who shoots me a reassuring smile.

"We discredit her. Get the news out before she can so people won't believe her when she publishes whatever story she's trying to spin."

He thinks for a second before he answers. "Smart idea. So, you're going to run the story tonight?"

"That's the plan. It's also just one of the reasons we're here," I admit.

"Oh, really? This isn't just a meet-and-greet with my daughter's VIP boyfriend?"

I chuckle when I see the smirk on his face, and he joins right in. Again, I notice the similarities to the woman sitting next to me, the same dimples when they smile or laugh that are so prominent, it's almost impossible not to connect them. "We'll have that meet-and-greet as soon as you're out of here."

"Well, that sounds promising." He smiles, but I can see the hesitation in his eyes. Not that I can blame him. Being in here, getting your hopes up just to have them destroyed again, must be fucking exhausting.

"A lot of people are rooting for you. And if you let us, we want the world to know what happened to you, before they can tell a story that's not only a lie, but could also potentially hurt your case. And your daughter."

"But Dad, it's fine if you don't want to. We'll figure something out."

"We probably won't, though," I correct Mila, and she immediately looks up at me with wide eyes. "We can't sugarcoat this, love. He needs to know the reality of this mess."

"We're not going to do something he doesn't want," she insists.

"Nobody said that. He should make his own decisions, based on the facts. And the facts are there are people out there who are trying to hurt us, trying to hurt you. We need to pull every string we have to avoid that."

I turn to look at Sam again, who just watches us with narrowed eyes before they land on me, studying me with interest.

"Sam, the reality is, for some reason, your daughter thinks I'm good enough to be with her, and that leads to a lot of attention. We've dealt with it as best as we could, but it's not just about us anymore, it's about you too. We can get you out of here—I'm sure of that." I try to sound as convincing as I can, and it's honestly not that hard, considering I believe we're on the right track. "I know you have that appointment with Mike next week, and believe me when I say the guy knows what he's talking about. He also thinks releasing your story to the world can only help us and your case. There are thousands of people like you out there. They need to be heard too. I know this will put you in the spotlight, and I know you don't want to be there. I get it. Believe me... But I love your daughter, and I can see how much she's hurting from you being in here. And I swear to God, the last thing I ever want to witness is Mila being hurt."

He studies me for a minute, narrowed eyes directly aimed at me until he says, "You're very protective of her."

"I am. But don't get me wrong. Mila is a strong-ass woman who doesn't need protection. What she needs is her father, being able to see him, hug him when she wants...and you might be able to give that to her."

Sam observes at me for a moment, but then a smirk plays on his lips as he shakes his head in amusement. "Damn, you're good with words, son."

Mila laughs before she glances up at me, her big eyes sparkling with appreciation when I chortle as well. "I guess she must be rubbing off on me."

"That's not true," she chimes in. "He was like that when I met him. There's no off button on him—believe me, I looked."

She giggles when I widen my eyes in mock dismay, and with the way she stares at me right now, so full of love and happiness, it becomes harder and harder not to just kiss the ever-living hell out of her, again, and again, and again.

"You're cute together. I'll give you that," Sam admits, and Mila turns crimson, the act making me laugh when she hides her face on my shoulder. "I like you, Hayden," he adds. "So does my daughter, apparently. It seems like she trusts you, and in my book that's a good enough reason for me to trust you. Go ahead and publish whatever it is you guys have prepared. I'm intrigued to hear what Mike has to say when I meet him in person next week, but I have to admit, I'm impressed. You seem to have thoroughly thought about this, and it makes me believe what you said. That you love my daughter."

"I do," I say before he finishes the sentence.

"Good. because I'll make your life a living hell if you ever try to hurt her."

And again, I can't help but smile, knowing full well he'll come true on his promise. "Noted. I wouldn't expect anything else."