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Home / Mafia / My Best Friend's Forbidden Father / Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

All Chapters of My Best Friend's Forbidden Father: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

66 Chapters

31

BRONWYN "I'm willing to try." Those four words echoed in my head as Eudora and I sat across from each other in the coffee shop. She was willing to try and I was so thankful for the chance."I don't expect things to go back to how they were," I said carefully. "I know I broke your trust." "You did." Eudora's voice was steady. "But Eleri made me realize something. My mom would have wanted Dad to be happy. She told him before she died that she didn't want him spending the rest of his life alone." "He told you that?" "Not directly. I heard them talking one night when she was in the hospital." Fresh tears filled Eudora's eyes. "She made him promise to live, to find joy again, and not let grief consume him." I reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "I'm not trying to replace your mom." "I know that now." She squeez

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TRENTON My phone rang as we left the hotel. My boss Sarah. "Bronwyn, I just watched the press conference." "And?" "And I owe you an apology. You handled yourself with grace and professionalism." She paused. "The board wants to meet with you when your leave is over. They have a proposal." "What kind of proposal?" I asked, tucking my bag over my shoulder. "The kind that involves a promotion and a new position." I could hear the smile in her voice. "We'll discuss details next week but suffice to say, we're impressed." After she hung up I stared at Trenton in shock. "They want to promote me." "Of course they do." He pulled me close. "You're brilliant and they'd be idiots not to recognize that." --- The following weekend I drove to Pinehaven with my stomach in knots. Tonight was th

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BRONWYN Three months passed in a blur of building and planning and healing. The Boston firm approved my proposal to open a Pinehaven branch with me as director. I spent weekdays in Boston managing the transition and weekends in Pinehaven scouting office locations and building a local client base. Trenton's connections helped, he introduced me to business owners and developers who needed marketing consultation, and slowly I built a reputation separate from being "Trenton Rhiggs' girlfriend." The media attention faded as new scandals emerged to capture public interest. Occasionally someone would recognize us at restaurants or comment on the age gap, but mostly people moved on to caring about their own lives. Eudora and I had coffee every few weeks when she visited from New York. The conversations were still sometimes awkward, still navigating the weird territory of best frie

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The AnnouncementBRONWYNCalliope had outdone herself.The estate looked like something out of a magazine with white lights strung through every tree, ice sculptures flanking the entrance, and servers in black tie circulating with champagne. She'd transformed Trenton's backyard into an elegant wonderland for our engagement party."This is too much," I said for the tenth time as she adjusted my hair."Nonsense." She stepped back to admire her work. "You're marrying my brother. We're celebrating properly."I looked at myself in the mirror, the sapphire engagement ring catching the light. Navy dress that hugged my curves, hair swept up, makeup perfect. I looked like someone who belonged at parties like this.Except I still felt like the girl who used to visit Eudora for sleepovers."Stop overthinking," Calliope said, reading my mind. "You've earned this. Both of you have."Downstairs I heard cars arriving, and voices filling the house. My stomach twisted with nerves."Ready?" Calliope of

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MY SISTER'S WIDOWERBRONWYN'S POVI gripped the edge of the desk as his mouth found me, his tongue working magic while our engagement party continued just down the hall.The risk of being caught made everything more intense. I had to bite my lip to stay quiet as he brought me to the edge and over, my body shaking with the force of it.He stood and kissed me, letting me taste myself on his tongue. Then he turned me around, bending me over the desk as he entered me from behind."My fiancée," he growled in my ear. "Soon to be my wife.""Trenton—""Say it. Tell me you're mine.""I'm yours." I pushed back against him. "Only yours."He gripped my hips and drove into me harder, both of us chasing release. When it hit we came together, his hand covering my mouth to muffle my cry.Afterward we straightened our clothes and fixed our hair, looking semi-presentable before rejoining the party."Think anyone noticed we were gone?" I asked."Probably." He grinned. "Don't care."We slipped back into

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Ghosts of the PastTRENTONI woke to an empty bed and the sound of voices downstairs. Bronwyn must have already gotten up. Ichecked my phone and saw it was almost nine, later than I usually slept.The engagement party had run until two in the morning thanks to Margaret's dramatic exit. I'd stayed up even later with Bronwyn, both of us processing the confrontation. I'd reassured her again and again, telling her that Margaret could never be the reason why we both broke up.I put on a clean pair of shorts and went downstairs, maybe Bronwyn was making breakfast and I wanted to help her in any way possible. I knew that she must have been stressed out from yesterday's party and catering to all those guests. However when I went downstairs, I didn't see Bronwyn, but I found Calliope and Fionn cleaning up the last remnants of the party.They greeted me and I nodded absentmindedly. "Where's my wife?" I asked, still groggy from sleep. Fionn nodded to the kitchen and I saw Bronwyn sitting at the

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OVERTHINKINGTrenton's POVInside, Bronwyn was in my study working on her laptop. She looked up when I entered."How did it go?""About as well as expected." I poured myself a drink despite it being barely noon. "She thinks I'm having a midlife crisis.""She's wrong.""Is she?" I drank half the scotch in one swallow. "I'm forty seven years old marrying a woman twenty two years younger. That's pretty textbook midlife crisis behavior.""Trenton—""And maybe she's right about the rest of it too. Maybe I am just trying to escape grief, to feel young again, to avoid facing my own mortality."Bronwyn closed her laptop and stood. "Do you actually believe that?""I don't know what I believe right now." I sank into the couch. "All I know is that my dead wife's sister thinks I'm dishonoring Isolde's memory and maybe she's not wrong.""She is wrong." Bronwyn sat beside me, her fingers tracing lines on my bare arms in a way she knew would comfort me. "You're not dishonoring anything. Isolde wante

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MY WOMANTrenton's POVAfterward she lay with her head on my chest, tracing patterns on my skin."Feel better?" she asked."Much." I kissed her hair. "Thank you for talking me off the ledge.""That's what partners do." She yawned. "Though you owe me for dealing with your spiral.""Name your price.""Ice cream. The good kind from that place downtown."I laughed. "Deal."My phone buzzed on the nightstand. Jericho.*Need to discuss prenup before wedding. When can you meet?*I showed Bronwyn who wrinkled her nose."Do we really need a prenup?""Probably." I set the phone down. "I want to protect you financially.""Or protect yourself from me taking your money in the divorce?""We're not getting divorced." I pulled her closer. "But if something happened to me, I want to make sure you're taken care of. The prenup ensures that.""I don't need your money, Trenton.""I know. But you're going to have it anyway." I kissed her forehead. "Let me do this. It's not about doubting you. It's about pro

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Building FoundationsBRONWYNThe morning of the grand opening I woke with butterflies in my stomach. Today my Pinehaven branch officially opened for business, and half the town would be there to see if I could succeed on my own merit or if I was just riding Trenton's coattails."You're going to be amazing," Trenton said, watching me change outfits for the third time."What if no one shows up? What if everyone thinks this is just a vanity project funded by my rich fiancé?""Then they'd be idiots." He stood and pulled me close. "You earned this. The lease, the clients, the team. All you.""You introduced me to half my contacts.""I made introductions. You closed the deals." He kissed my forehead. "Now stop spiraling and let's go open your office."The space looked incredible. Sadie and the two other employees I'd hired had spent the week setting up furniture and hanging artwork.By ten the place was packed. Local business owners, marketing professionals from surrounding towns, reporters

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After he left I returned to work, unable to stop smiling. The rest of the afternoon was productive meetings and planning sessions with my team. By the time I closed the office at six I felt accomplished and exhausted and completely satisfied.At home I found Eudora in the kitchen with wedding magazines spread everywhere."Perfect timing," she said. "Calliope sent over dress options and we need to narrow them down.""Now?""Yes now. The wedding is in three months and you haven't even tried on dresses yet."She was right. Between launching the office and dealing with Margaret's drama, wedding planning had taken a backseat."Fine. But I'm changing out of work clothes first."An hour later we sat surrounded by magazine cutouts and printouts from bridal websites. Eudora had opinions about everything."No ball gowns. You're not a princess.""What's wrong with princess?""Nothing if you're marrying Prince Charming. You're marrying my dad. You need something sophisticated.""So mermaid cut?"

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