AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yes,” Diane says angrily.
I shake my head, my own anger bubbling up. “Well, I didn’t know sweetheart. I’m truly so sorry. Tanya never told me that.”
Tanya and I are both adults, and we’re allowed to make our own decisions, but surely, she could have given me a heads-up. I’m beginning to feel extremely angry at Tanya.
“I don’t know,” Diane says, her voice softening a bit. She looks away from me, blinking back tears. “I don’t know how to feel about this”
I exhale a deep breath, my own anger dissipating. Of course, this is a big shock to Diane. She loves both of us, and she couldn’t bear the thought of us being together.
“I’m so sorry, Diane,” I say. “For what it’s worth, we’re not together.”
“Do you like her, Dad?” she asks, with a deep sense of betrayal in her eyes. “Have you…been together?”
For some reason, I do the one thing I promised myself I would never do to my daughter. I mask the truth with a lie.
“We haven’t been together,” I say before I can even gather my thoughts. I run a hand through my hair in frustration. I need to prepare her for the future, so I take a leap of faith. “The truth is, I’m falling for her. And I know it’s wrong, but I can’t seem to stop it. I didn’t plan for this to happen, Diane. Believe me. I never meant to hurt you.” I reach out to brush a strand of hair from her cheek, but she smacks my hand away. “Diane, listen to me. Please.”
“Just go.” Her voice cracks on the last word, tears spilling onto her cheeks. “I can’t even look at you right now. And please, for my sake, end this nonsense now. Just leave Tanya alone to live her life and stop pursuing her!”
How can I tell my daughter that it’s not what she thinks? Yes, I have feelings for Tanya, but she has feelings for me too. The urge to comfort Diane is nearly unbearable, but I know she won’t accept it. Not now. Maybe not for a long time.
Rising slowly, I make my way to the door with a heavy heart. Pausing on the threshold, I say quietly, “I’m sorry. For everything.”
“Just end whatever this is, Dad,” she says, as I close the door behind me.
The door clicks shut behind me, and the silence that follows is deafening. But underneath the guilt and regret, a traitorous part of me feels lighter. The truth is out, the secret unveiled, and now I’m free to figure out where to go from here. Even if the path ahead is shrouded in darkness.
It takes me a moment to compose my thoughts. I realize that I’m in shock. In fact, I’m completely stunned by how that conversation went down. I can’t get my head around the fact that Diane is friends with Tanya and that Tanya never told me. My hands tremble as I pour myself a cup of tea, my mind racing. What should I do next? Should I end things?
Shame washes over me, hot and acidic, at my own carelessness and stupidity. I should have known this would happen, that the truth would come out somehow in an ugly way. It always does. And now my little girl’s heart is broken because of my selfishness. Because I couldn’t keep my desire for Tanya in check. Bile rises in my throat, and I’m overcome with self-loathing. What kind of man does this make me? Coming between my daughter and her best friend like this, letting lust rule over logic. If I were a better man, a stronger man, I’d end things with Tanya right now before they go any further. I’d do the right thing and avoid hurting Diane even more than I already have. But the thought of cutting ties with Tanya, of never again feeling the warmth of her smile or the thrill of her touch, fills me with an ache I’m not sure I can bear.
I’ve made a mess of everything, it seems. And I have no idea how to set things right. How did I get here? All I wanted was to follow my heart. I never imagined it would come to this. I never saw myself falling so deeply, so irrevocably, for a woman nearly half my age. A woman who also happens to be my daughter’s best friend. A woman who never told me that she knew my daughter. Who’s right and who’s wrong? Heavens help me.
Chapter eighteen
Maybe Worth Mentioning
Tanya
I stare at the text from Brian, my heart racing. He wants to talk. Ugh. I wonder what it’s about? Is he mad at how I spoke to him? Has he found out that I knew Diane all along and kept it from him? I’ve been wondering if I should reach out to Diane, but I haven’t because I’ve no idea what Brian has told her. Also, I don’t want to act anything but normal in case I accidentally incriminate myself. I don’t want to do anything that can jeopardize Brian and Diane’s relationship.
I’m in the dark here, and all I have to fall back on is conjecture. I knew keeping my friendship with his daughter a secret from Brian was a bad idea. But Diane stood with me on not to say anything—she was worried it might impact our training sessions if he knew we were close. And I didn’t want to lose my time with him, as wrong as that is.
I text him back, apologizing for snapping at him during our workout the other day. He says it’s fine, but we still need to chat. In person. My stomach churns with nerves as I make my way to the little coffee shop near the gym I train at. Brian’s already there, two coffees on the table in front of him. His deep-brown eyes meet mine as I approach, and a flush creeps up my neck. I’m acutely aware of the tightness of my workout gear and my gym-tangled hair.
I slide into the seat across from him, avoiding his gaze. “I’m really sorry about the other day.”
“Don’t worry about it.” His voice is gruff. “But we do need to discuss something else.”
Here it comes. I brace myself, clasping my hands around the warm mug.
“I found out you’ve been spending time with Diane behind my back. That you two are friends.” There’s an edge of accusation in his tone. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
I take a deep breath, meeting his stare. “Diane asked me not to say anything. She didn’t want it impacting your workouts.”
His jaw clenches, his eyes tinged with rage. “That’s not her decision to make. You should have told me.”
“You’re right,” I say softly. “I’m sorry. I should have been upfront with you about it.”
