Crossing Lines

Chapter 38 - Hayden

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."