McKennaI was ecstatic when Hunter phoned me, asking me to dinner - until he added my mother to the invitation! I could practically feel my enthusiasm deflating and her scowl intensifying. I could already feel the heat of her anger radiating off me, knowing she would not be too pleased when I told her about it.But I had to be brave and do it. It was nice of Hunter to invite me to dinner at his house to celebrate our newfound relationship. This meant he was wholeheartedly accepting me as his daughter. I couldn't be happier!As the day of the dinner got closer, my excitement mingled with a growing sense of dread. I tried to shake off the unease, telling myself it was just a casual dinner, nothing to worry about. Yet, the prospect of facing my mother's disapproval loomed over me like a dark cloud.Finally, unable to stall the inevitable any longer, I mustered the courage to tell her."Mom," I began carefully, "there's something I need to talk to you about." Her gaze shifted from her boo
TatianaThe satin and lace of my thigh-highs clung to my legs, and my dress felt snug.No, I didn't have a habit of dressing sexy and showing off my body. But today was a special occasion, and I figured I'd dress extra special for Hunter. Show him what he had been missing all these years.I looked down at my low-cut black dress and adjusted the scooped neckline so that more of my cleavage tumbled out. But then, seeing Hunter's hungry eyes as they took in every inch of me, I questioned my decision.Also, did he have to look so good in that dumb suit?"Thank you for inviting us to dinner, Hunter," McKenna said politely since neither me nor Hunter was saying anything.Hunter looked at her and smiled. "And thank you for agreeing to it. I figured it'd be nice to sit down with you and your mother and have a real conversation."As opposed to me yelling at him, he means, I thought to myself.McKenna looked around. "Where is Dustin?""Who is Dustin?" I questioned immediately. Did Hunter have a
HunterI quickly whipped my head towards McKenna, doing my best to prevent myself from stealing more glances at Tatiana. I mean, who could blame me?Tatiana looked like a stone-cold fox in her black dress, which hugged her form perfectly. It showcased just the right amount of curves to be tantalizing without being too much for even my own mind to handle. She was even showing off her long legs I used to admire.And I knew she did that on purpose just to mess with my mind. That's what she always did. She knew all my weaknesses and how to use them against me. Dustin had already left, so it was just the three of us. I tried to focus on the conversation with my daughter, but every time Tatiana looked at me, it felt like her eyes wrapped around me, pulling me in like a gravitational force I couldn't resist. McKenna's voice, on the other hand, became background noise, a mere echo to the magnetic pull Tatiana had on me.Goddammit, Hunter, pull yourself together!McKenna, oblivious to the sil
McKennaHunter and Mom were acting kind of suspiciously, so I had to ask her on our way home."What was the deal with all that whispering?" I asked.Mom frowned. "What are you talking about?""You know what I'm talking about. Hunter was whispering something in your ear, turning you five shades of red. What was that about?" I asked again in a teasing tone.Mom shot me a sidelong glance, and I could see her cheeks turning pink again. "Oh, that? It was nothing, McKenna. Just some old inside joke between him and me."I raised an eyebrow, not fully convinced. "An inside joke? You both seemed pretty serious about it. And I thought you two hated each other? Or rather, you hated him."She sighed. "Yes, it's true. I can't stand him, McKenna. But he was making a stupid joke like he always does. It was no big deal."I leaned back in my seat, studying her carefully. "Um, like he always does? I find it hard to believe. I had an impression that Hunter Brooks was not the joking type.""Well, you are
Dustin"Is it possible you were abducted by aliens and they replaced you with some kind of imposter?" I said to Hunter as we returned to the house.Hunter gawked at me and scoffed. "Okay, Dustin, what are you talking about?""I'm saying you seem like a completely different person now after meeting your estranged daughter, McKenna. In fact--dare I say--happier?" My eyes widened as I spoke.Hunter looked away and muttered under his breath, running his fingers through his hair. "What's wrong with being happy?""Nothing, nothing! It's just...you used to be so sullen all the time, and I guess I'm just getting used to the new 'happy' version of you." I grinned.Hunter rolled his eyes. "There is no new version of me. I am the same as always.""Eh...I don't know. You've also been way too generous, it seems," I added.He furrowed his eyebrows. "Generous in what way?"I cocked my head to the side and chuckled. "You, being the notorious control freak that you are, just casually gave away the key
McKenna I blinked in confusion at his sudden change of subject. My mother? What did she have to do with anything? "She is fine. Why do you ask?" "No reason. I only met her once, but she seems like an interesting person. I heard she came over to Hunter's house and had a meltdown before, but I was not there to witness it," Dustin said. He looked almost disappointed that he missed that epic moment of my mother lashing out at Hunter. "Yeah, she chewed him up real good." I laughed. "My mother has quite the temper, and Hunter is the bane of her existence." "Care to explain why? I am really curious about their relationship," Dustin said. To be honest, I was curious myself. Everything about their relationship was so mysterious! "I want to know too," I said. Dustin looked thoughtful. "Is that so?" "Yeah. Mom and I are very close, but in some ways, her overprotectiveness could be suffocating. She never missed an opportunity to check in on my life. She didn't let me have a lot of friends
TatianaI looked at the clock for the fifth time. Where was McKenna?She had told me she was going to stop by Hunter's house earlier, but what was taking her so long? The unease in my stomach grew with each passing minute.It was bad enough that I had to deal with her hanging around Hunter, always on the edge of getting taken advantage of or sucked into his lavish lifestyle. Now, on top of all that, I had to sit here and worry about her all day? My frustration and concern made it hard to focus on anything else, even my work.And that kid, Dustin, was his name? He was like the miniature version of Hunter. If McKenna was there all the time, that meant she would be around that boy, too. I couldn't shake the image of McKenna falling into the same old patterns, making the same mistakes as I did with Hunter.But she was stubborn. She wouldn't listen to me even if I asked her to visit Hunter less. And now that he turned out to be her father, it will be impossible to keep her away from him.F
HunterI wasn't sure if it was a good idea to let McKenna hang out with Dustin by herself, but she was already gone. Besides, it's not like I can suddenly start acting like a strict father to the daughter I just met. She was an adult, and I had no right to tell her what to do.Dustin wasn't a bad guy, far from it. He had his problems, but what young men didn't? In fact, he had a better head on his shoulder than I did when I was his age and I bet Tatiana would agree with that fact.I grinned as Tatiana's face floated in my mind. I wonder if she was furious now that McKenna was coming to my house on a regular basis.It was strange having a daughter I barely knew suddenly became a part of my life. I never imagined myself in this position, and the responsibility weighed on me more than I cared to admit.I shook my head. No, it was best if I took a step back and let McKenna figure things out for herself. Instead of worrying about her personal choices, maybe it was better to focus on somet