Page 99 of All I Feel

“We have a surprise for you,” Nikki said.

At the mention of a surprise, my mom was thrilled. “What is it?”

“We’re going to need another place setting.”

There was no hesitation as my mom asked, “Did Ace bring someone along?”

I couldn’t miss the curiosity and excitement in my mom’s tone. This was something that would delight her, asit had all the moms in their friend group when they learned about Taj finding Olivia and Chloe dating Hawk.

“Yes, he did,” Luke answered. Following a brief pause, which I believed he used to direct his attention to my dad, he added, “I’m so sorry.”

A moment later, he shifted his body to the side and revealed me to my parents.

“Tessa?” My mom’s excitement turned to surprise.

I was gripping Ace’s hand like my life depended on it, and my dad’s eyes were focused on that connection.

“Hi, Mom,” I rasped.

Mom sprang out of her chair and moved toward us. “Oh, this is the best news.”

“I agree completely,” Nikki said as my mom’s arms wrapped around me.

After my mom released her hold on me, she shifted her attention to the man standing beside me. “Happy birthday, Ace.”

He hugged her back. “Thank you.”

Once my mom returned to her seat, Nikki sitting in the one beside her, all eyes went to the one man who hadn’t said a single word. It would’ve been impossible not to notice the way he was struggling if his clenched jaw and balled-up fists were any indication.

Since my dad had always had a soft spot for me, I thought it might be better if I attempted to smooth things over. But considering he was still focused entirely on the spot where my hand was linked with Ace’s, I had to get his attention.

“Dad?”

He lifted his gaze to meet mine, something heartbreaking in his expression. “It’s very early in the morning,Tessa. Did Ace and his parents pick you up on their way here?”

That was his way of finding out whether I’d spent the night with Ace. Considering those were his first words to us, I probably should’ve taken a moment to think about my next response, but I simply blurted, “No. I’ve been living with Ace for the last week.”

Like a flash, my dad shot up out of his chair, his eyes focused entirely on Ace. I jumped back in surprise, but Luke immediately placed both of his hands on my dad’s shoulders. “Stone, relax.”

“Relax? If I were to tell you that Lark has been living with Archer, Phoenix, or Kingston for a week when you didn’t even know she was dating so soon after having her heart broken, would telling you to relax work?”

Luke’s face twisted with such agony; I was prematurely dreading the day my best friend found someone who made her happy. “I get it. I do. But give them a minute to explain. Trust me, there’s something bigger going on here—I don’t even know the full scope of it yet—and you need to hear that first.”

With that information, something else leaked onto my dad’s features. Fear, perhaps? He hesitated, looking between Ace and me, and finally, at the suggestion of his best friend, decided it was best to give us the opportunity to share what had been going on in my life.

Once my dad returned to his seat, Luke sat in the chair closest to him, a buffer between his son and his best friend. Ace and I sat in the two remaining seats.

Things were tense for a few beats while everyone—everyone but my dad—perused the menus. But the second our orders had been placed, and we were alone again, hepinned his stare on Ace and asked, “Why is my daughter living with you little more than a month after having her heart broken by the last asshole she thought was worth dating?”

I didn’t like that my dad was insinuating Ace wasn’t a man worth dating, but my guy didn’t seem the least bit bothered.

“Because her safety is my number one priority,” Ace answered.

Those words made Xander Stone’s body lock. “And why would Tessa be unsafe at her own place?”

I didn’t like that Ace was getting the third degree when I was sitting right here. “Dad, it’s c?—”

“Tessa, sweetheart, I love you. But I know you’re going to minimize whatever this is, so I want to hear it from him.”