Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 45284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Luna stands at the door, her hair even more gorgeously messy from our frantic kissing, a shaky smile on her face.
It’s okay, I mouth, giving her a thumbs-up. She nods shortly and turns to the door. I can see the tension in how she’s carrying herself, her hands shaking slightly at her sides.
She pulls the door open, revealing a lean man wearing a camo jacket, pins all over it. He’s older than I expected, at least ten or twenty years my senior, and I find myself relieved. It would be more difficult if he was my age, considering my intentions for his daughter.
“Hey, Dad,” Luna says, stepping back.
He steps into the room, smiling down at his daughter. The genuine love in his expression is awesome to see, telling me Luna has at least one family member she can rely on completely.
“Hey, sweetness,” he says, giving her a hug.
Luna turns to me, gesturing. She really is sparked up from this. I can’t blame her. I have to push down a whole army of instincts rising in me when I see her nerves. Instincts to hold her, to kiss her, to claim her again like I was a few minutes ago.
My body is slowly calming down.
“Dad, this is Kayden, the man I told you about. Kayden, this is Dad… well, Vincent.”
She laughs awkwardly.
I stand up straighter as I approach him, looking him in the eye. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
We shake hands, and he looks at Luna as if to say, Sir? I like that.
“What are you doing here?” Luna asks.
Vincent laughs gently. “Can’t a father drop in on his daughter?”
“Right…” Luna murmurs.
“Okay, you caught me.” Vincent chuckles as he holds his hands up, then looks at me. “I came to meet the mystery man.”
“You could’ve warned me,” Luna says.
“Where would be the fun in that? How about we go across the street and get some coffee?”
“Sure,” I say, sensing Luna wants me to take the lead on this. “My treat.”
Vincent smiles again, triggering a flurry of victory inside of me. It matters, this man liking me. It could mean the difference between the life I need and the life I’m living.
***
“I hope you don’t think I’m imposing,” Vincent says, placing his coffee mug down.
The sun has started to set. The café is quiet this late in the day. It’s small and music plays lightly. There’s the whizz of the coffee machine behind the counter, lots of noise to prevent any possible awkward silences.
Luna’s in the bathroom, leaving me and her dad alone.
“You’re her father, sir. You have every right to visit her whenever you want.”
“You’re a very respectful young man. I bet you get that a lot.”
“Maybe the respectful part. Not so much the young.”
Vincent smiles tightly. I wonder where Luna is, what’s taking so long, not because I find it difficult sitting here with her father…
Or maybe I do, a little. I feel like I’m under inspection, but I understand it. When I have a daughter, I will always look out for her best interests.
A paranoid part of me whispers that something’s happened to Luna, something that means she needs my help. She needs me to kill the growing warmth and engage the coldness, the focus, to stop whatever bad thing is happening.
I need to relax. She’s fine.
Vincent sees me looking. “I asked Luna to give us a chance to talk.”
“Ah,” I say, nodding.
“She’s waiting back at the studio. You were ordering coffee when she left. She’s safe, Kayden.”
“What makes you say that?”
He runs a hand down his lapel. “Maybe I’m way off base, but it seemed to me like you were entertaining a lot of unlikely scenarios. I wasn’t going to tell you I asked her to make an excuse and leave, but you were getting worried about her.”
I say nothing, stunned by his forwardness, but wouldn’t I be the same with my daughter? I wouldn’t play any games. I know that much.
“Some men, it has no effect,” he goes on, looking at me perceptively, like he can pierce through any shield I might put up. “I’ve known men who served five tours, the craziest action you can imagine, and it bounces right off them. Then I’ve seen men who are haunted every single day of their lives by one incident.”
“Hmm,” I say noncommittally.
I like this man. His directness, the way he carries himself, his dedication to his daughter.
Talking about this with Luna is difficult, and she’s going to be my wife one day, if she feels the same. That’s a big if.
“Forgive me,” Vincent says, “but if you’re going to date my daughter…”
“Yes, sir, I would like to. I feel ashamed for not asking your blessing sooner.”
And for what we did in his house… the steaminess he could’ve walked in on. At least we’re getting to know each other now.