Page 41 of All I Feel

Some of the tension had eased out of my body when he smiled at me. “To thank him, sweetheart. Lark had said that her brother was looking out for you, and now I see how he’s done it. I want to thank him.”

“Well, that’s not all,” Lark muttered.

I loved my best friend dearly, but I wasthis closeto considering the implications of committing murder. My dad’s head snapped in her direction just as I squeezed my eyes shut. “It isn’t?”

“He paid Ryan a visit at work this morning.”

“Is that why he was late today?” Phoenix asked.

I opened my eyes just in time to see Lark smiling brightly as she nodded. “Yep.”

“Why’d Ace do that?” Harper wondered.

Lark looked at me, giving me the opportunity to share. I sighed. “When I finally met with Ryan yesterday for the first time since I learned about his infidelity, Ryan thought I’d be willing to accept it. He believed I’d just forgive, forget, and move on. When I talked to Ace about it after, he told me that if I was done with Ryan, he’d take care of the rest.” I shrugged. “Then I got a text from him earlier this morning letting me know he’d made it clear to Ryan that I was done with him, so he was done with me. I’ll just say that I’m not entirely sure this wasn’t a threat in the way he might’ve delivered it.”

My dad grinned. “I’ve always liked Ace.”

I groaned. “Oh, not you, too. Ace and I are just friends, Dad.”

“Okay, sweetheart. If you say so.” He kissed the top of my head. “So, nobody wants to go out for dinner?”

We declined.

Phoenix was distracted and took off.

And since everyone finally seemed to be in better spirits, I only stayed for a little while longer before heading home.

But when I crawled into bed, I thought about what had happened at my parents’ place. I decided Ace should know what was coming.

So, I picked up my phone and sent off a text.

Hey! Just wanted to give you a heads-up that you might get a phone call from my dad. And it’s possible Phoenix intends to speak to you as well.

Barely thirty seconds later, my phone rang.

“Hi,” I answered.

“What’s going on?” Ace asked.

“Remember how I said I was visiting with my mom and sister today?”

“Yes.”

“Well, my dad walked into the living room at the most inopportune time. And I guess Phoenix had stopped over to help him with something in the garage, so he was also there. Long story short, my parents, Phoenix, Harper, and your sister are all aware of what you’ve done for me recently.”

“Are they angry? Your parents, that is.”

I smiled and thought back on my dad’s reaction to learning about how Ace had been with me lately. It was the very opposite of what I’d experienced when I introduced him to Ryan. “My dad wants to thank you.”

Ace chuckled, the sound of his laughter something I was really beginning to enjoy. “You wanted to warn me that your father had a positive reaction?”

I couldn’t tell him just how positive that reaction was. Ace wasn’t doing what he was doing for any reason other than being a good friend. “I just thought you should have a heads-up. Besides, Phoenix was very interested in hearing about your involvement in my life right now. I don’t want there to be any problems between the two of you at work.”

“It’ll be fine, Tessa.”

“Okay.”

“What are you up to now? I assume you’re home.”