Lahat ng Kabanata ng In Bed With Daddy’s Best Friend : Kabanata 221 - Kabanata 230

***There was a strange sort of irony to the fact that after weeks of feeling strange and sick, the first time I felt strong again was on my way to confront Blake. I thought the anxiety would make my nausea worse than ever, but to my surprise, there was no anxiety. Instead, there was a strange sort of power rushing through my veins as I walked into his building where he’d agreed to meet–with his lawyer–in one of the common rooms.After Liv left, I’d reviewed the media coverage of the incident. I was surprised by how much play it got, but it was a slow news week. Every statement I read made my blood boil. Liv had been right, Blake was playing the role of victim to the hilt, and Aiden wasn’t doing a damn thing to counter. It wasn’t like him.The sight of Blake made my fingers curl into reflexive fists. His big hands were flat on the table as if to show he was innocent, but I remembered them wrapped around my wrist, the dizzying blur of the carpet pattern passing underneath my reluctant

“What happened?” I asked quietly, lowering myself onto one of the wooden chairs. I didn’t want to sit on the couch and find out whether she chose to sit next to me or on the loveseat opposite.Layla sat in the chair nearest me, pulling it out so that our knees were facing each other. She felt both very close and very far. Again, I had the feeling I was looking at two things that couldn’t be true at the same time. That had to be love shining in her eyes, but why was she sitting so rigidly with her fingers fighting each other in her lap? She looked like I had felt when I told Shara I wanted a divorce. Guilty and sad and hopeful that I was doing the right thing. But I hadn’t loved Shara by that point, and Layla loved me. I could see it.“What happened with Blake was… not great,” she said, her eyes sliding away from mine. “Thank God you were there.”A knot of tension loosened in my stomach. “I’m just sorry I wasn’t there sooner.”She waved her hand. “You were there in time. I’m sorry abou

Seeing him become a father had only made me love him more. He was enchanted by Abigail. His single-minded focus on building his business had broadened the moment she was born. Maureen was now co-CEO, and Aiden could be found on the playground almost as often as he could be found in his office. I was there more than him, still pursuing my own dreams.The town car carried us into the heart of downtown Boston, letting us off at on the curb in front of the small, nondenominational cathedral we’d chosen. Neither of us were particularly religious, but we both believed that something had designed this universe with benevolence and intention. There was no other way to explain how we’d found our way to each other despite all the odds.One of the odds was standing out front, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his winter coat, a tweed cap pulled low over his face. He lit up when the town car docked itself on the curb. He helped Bran out, then Liv and Cecilia. Then he tilted sideways to look

WhitneyIt’s been a long time coming.I square my shoulders, willing myself to show a cool exterior, when tendrils of excitement are about to explode inside me.For the past few years, I tried to insert myself in Maddox’s life, but nothing stuck. I applied to be a trainee at his company once, which he denied. Gave me some bullshit excuse, and that was right before my career as an influencer took off. Right before one of my videos went viral and I capitalized on my newfound success. That definitely kept me busy for a while.Then, on the rare occasion I bumped into him at an event or my dad’s parties, I watched him. When no one else was paying attention. I never really had the confidence I faked, but it didn’t matter because he never took the bait anyway. But damn, did I try to eye fuck him.Of course I even tried to distract myself, convinced myself dating someone my own age would be a lot easier. Hurting his and my dad’s friendship was never the goal. I love Dad, and know how much he

She tilts her head to the side, watching me with her big eyes. Were they always like this? Were there always these intense rings of golden around her hazel irises? “Use him? You’ve donated to his campaign, haven’t you? Besides, if rumors of him cheating on his ex are true, he’s no saint. We won’t be spreading lies about him anyway. I work with other influencers and they’re not sleazy.” I do remember reading about Dan cheating on his ex. A saint he definitely is not, even though news doesn’t seem to focus on his extracurricular activities much. “Nice work.” “Thanks. That’s one of my ideas. I’m also thinking about inviting a few influencer friends over for lunch at your restaurant. They’re a close-knit group and meet every other week.” “And I’ll comp their get-together,” I say. She fishes out her phone and types on her digital calendar. “Yes. You catch on fast.” “I may be new to the hotel hospitality industry, but I’m not an idiot,” I say, hating how ridiculously defensive I so