Bill felt himself stiffen when she heard the boy didn't want her. Who could not want his daughter? It was to him incomprehensible. "If he doesn't want you then he's not right for you," he said firmly. "And you'll talk to Patrick and find out all the information you need."
He hugged her tightly. "Why did he spend this much time with you if he didn't want you?" he asked. "You said the bond formed from spending time together, surely he must have had some interest if he's been around you this much?"