Claimed By My Best Friend’s Daddy
“Didn’t expect you to actually go there, though. Mirabel’s best friend? That’s playing with fire, even for you.”
I didn’t smile. “It’s not just ‘going there.’”
The words came out heavier than I intended. Hayes’s grin faded into something more serious, more attentive. He waited, letting the silence stretch until I filled it.
“I like her,” I admitted, my voice low. “More than like actually. She’s… different. Been different since that night three years ago at the Loungefield gala. I never forgot her, I couldn’t. And now she’s best friends with my daughter. When she looks at me, it’s like everything I thought was dead inside me wakes up again.”