Stolen by my Dad best friend
ContemporaryPossessiveProtectiveAge GapBetrayal
At twenty-one, Tessa Hale is tired of being betrayed. After catching her boyfriend, Blake Monroe, cheating yet again, she finally walks away from the relationship she once believed would last forever. But moving on becomes complicated when her father sends his longtime best friend, Daven Morgan, to bring her home during a storm.
Daven is thirty-eight, successful, protective, and everything Blake never was. He is also the one man Tessa should never want—the best friend of her father and a man seventeen years older than her. What begins as an innocent ride home soon becomes a dangerous attraction neither of them can ignore. Lingering looks, unexpected jealousy, and stolen moments slowly blur the line between friendship and desire.
Then Tessa meets Rose, Daven’s twenty-year-old daughter, and an unexpected friendship draws the two families even closer. But there is more beneath the surface than either family realizes. While Tessa struggles with her growing feelings for Daven, Blake refuses to accept that she has moved on. When he publicly humiliates her at their class reunion by revealing a deeply personal secret, Daven steps in to defend her—and Blake decides revenge is the only way to get her back.
Jake Hayes, Tessa’s charming classmate, also enters the picture, offering her the genuine affection she deserves. Suddenly, Tessa is caught between the man from her past, the man who wants her future, and the man she was never supposed to love.
As jealousy turns dangerous and hidden family secrets begin surfacing, Tessa must finally choose for herself. Will she return to the love that betrayed her, choose the safe path with Jake, or risk everything for Daven—the one man who could cost her family, her future, and her heart?
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Chapter: chapter Nine:The Truth Has a priceTessa's POVDaven was still on the phone when I slipped past him toward the door, his back turned slightly away. I caught fragments of the conversation—enough to know this wasn't a casual check-in."No, Victor. She doesn't know."I stopped cold.*She doesn't know.*What didn't I know?He lowered his voice further. "I told you, I haven't said anything to her."I took a step back, my mind racing through possibilities. My mother. The photograph. Me. All of it tangled together in the space of those four words.Then Daven turned and saw me.He ended the call immediately. "Who were you talking to?""Your father.""What did he want?"Daven closed the distance between us slowly. "He's worried about you.""That's not what I asked."He stopped, and for a moment we were just two people standing in the gathering dark of my room. Then he sighed. "Your father and I have known each other a long time. There are things from back then that aren't easy to explain.""My mother.""Yes."The single word la
最後更新: 2026-08-26
Chapter: chapter Eight: Don't Trust Him**Tessa's POV**I sat in my car, staring at the words on my screen.*Now ask Daven what happened the night your mother disappeared.*My mother didn't leave. She disappeared.For twenty-one years, Dad had crafted this careful narrative about her walking away—a story with no details, no depth, nothing I could hold onto and examine. But I had a photograph of her with him and Daven, smiling at some hotel I'd never heard of.And someone was watching.When I looked back at the house, the upstairs curtain moved. Just barely. Just enough.I started the car and drove.---I was barely through the front door when Daven called.I stared at his name on the screen for a long moment before answering. "Hello?""Tessa. Are you okay?"Something about his voice—that careful gentleness—made the knot in my chest tighten rather than loosen. "I'm home.""Did something happen?"I looked at the photograph still clutched in my hand. "Why didn't you tell me you knew my mother?"Silence. The kind that confirms
最後更新: 2026-08-26
Chapter: Chapter Seven:The QuestionsTessa's POVI didn't sleep.Every time my eyes closed, I saw Dad standing on the porch as Daven drove away—the weight in his shoulders, the defeated angle of his spine. There was something about that image that wouldn't release me.He hadn't looked angry. Not even disappointed. Just... afraid.And that frightened me far more than anything else could.By first light, I was already sitting on the edge of my bed with my phone in hand, scrolling through empty message threads. Nothing from Dad. Nothing from Daven. 7:12 a.m., and I was desperate enough to call my father.He answered on the second ring. "Good morning, sweetheart."His voice sounded hollowed out."Dad, what happened last night?""What do you mean?""You were with Daven until one in the morning.""Tessa...""Don't tell me it's nothing. I know you." I surprised myself with the firmness in my voice. "Something happened."He sighed. "Can we talk about this later?""No." The word came out stronger than I felt. "I've been asking ab
最後更新: 2026-08-26
Chapter: Chapter six: My Dad knowsTessa's POV I couldn't sleep.I'd been staring at the ceiling for almost an hour, replaying Blake's voice on that microphone, hearing the laughter, feeling the weight of every eye in that hall.But then I thought of Daven stepping forward. The way his voice changed—low, dangerous, controlled. The way he made Blake shrink without raising his voice.My stomach fluttered.I picked up my phone and read Jake's message again.*I like you, Tessa. Can I see you sometime, just us?*Jake was safe. Uncomplicated. My age.I was typing a reply when another message landed.My heart stopped.*You really think I'm going to let you replace me with your own father's friend?*I read it twice. My fingers trembled as I scrolled to the next one.*I know something is going on between you and Daven.*"What?" I whispered to the empty room.My hands shook as I typed back: *What are you talking about?*Delivered. No response.I called Blake. Nothing.Called again. Still nothing.Then I tried Daven.The phone r
最後更新: 2026-08-25
Chapter: Chapter five: A promise"Tessa, wait," Jake called after me as I hurried in behind Blake, my heart hammering with dread.By the time I stepped back into the hall, Blake had already snatched the microphone right out of the MC's hand, ignoring the man's protest. He stood in the middle of the circle, chest heaving, eyes locked on me from across the room."Everybody, I have an announcement," Blake said, his voice booming through the speakers, silencing every conversation at once."Blake, don't," I said, walking toward him, panic rising in my throat."Tell them, Tessa. Tell everyone what you promised me." His smile widened as he looked around the room, feeding off the sudden attention.My blood ran cold."Blake, shut up," I hissed, close enough now to reach for the microphone, but he pulled it just out of reach."Why? Are you suddenly ashamed of your little birthday gift?" he asked, and a few people around us started laughing, unsure if this was some kind of joke or not."She promised me her virginity for my birt
最後更新: 2026-08-14
Chapter: Chapter four : A kissTessa's POVWe got inside the hall, and Daven chose a spot by the window for us to sit at the moment.After a few minutes of sitting and taking small sips from our glasses, the MC called everybody to arrange their chairs into a circle, insisting it would help us bond and catch up properly."Tessa, I'll go wait for you at the end of the hall. Call on me if anything goes wrong, okay?" Daven leaned in and said it low enough that only I could hear."Okay, Daven." I nodded and watched him rise, cross the room, and settle into a seat at the far end. The moment I stood up to join the circle, Monalisa and her crew burst out laughing."Do you do older men now?" one of them called out, covering her mouth like it was the funniest thing she'd heard all week."Did you ever even love Blake? You moved on so fast," another added, rolling her eyes at me."You look pale, Tessa. Is it because you have no mum?" a third one threw in, and the whole group cackled again.Their voices filled the hall, bouncing
最後更新: 2026-08-14
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