And to watch it all melt away because of some loud mouth punks?

Yup. It pissed him off.

"Yes, Daddy. We're the best." Lucien gave a tiny smile. Then, opening his mouth hesitantly, cheeks setting ablaze, he said, "I love you, Daddy."

When Lucien had dropped that bomb earlier, it had blossomed a slow-burn panic that had clogged up his airways. Had him standing there staring like an idiot before sense had kicked in.

And it hadn't been until that sensation had passed, leaving behind a honey-glow warmth, that he realised how much those words had meant to him. How much he had craved to hear them.

It had been...