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“He told me this morning that you heard us talking the other night.”

Oh.

I hadn’t expected that.

Christine looked miserable. “I didn’t know you were there. And I didn’t know he was going to say all those things. I just… I was upset, and I guess I made him feel like he had to tell me you weren’t important.”

“Christine—”

“And now you guys aren’t together anymore, and I feel like it’s my fault.”

“Oh, honey.” I reached for her arm. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But if I hadn’t gotten upset about him dating someone, he wouldn’t have said those things about you. They weren’t true.”

“What your dad said was his decision. Not yours.”

Christine swallowed. “He really likes you, you know.”

I tried to smile. “That’s sweet of you to say.”

“No, I mean it. He told me how much he cares about you. And he was really upset this morning when he told me what happened.”

Before I could respond, a deep voice came from behind us.

“Christine.”

I turned. Greyson was staring at his daughter, his expression tight with frustration. My pulse immediately quickened.

Even after everything that happened, just seeing him made my heart react.

He was wearing dark slacks and a pale blue button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. His beard was neatly trimmed, and his hair looked like he’d made an effort to tame it.

Damn him. He looked amazing.

“Chris,” he said, frustrated. “What did we talk about? You can’t keep running off without telling me where you’re going.”

“I didn’t run off!”

“You disappeared while I was talking to your mother.”

“I told Mom I was coming into the lobby.”

Greyson closed his eyes briefly. “Okay fine. But you should have told me too. After lying to us last night-”

“I just wanted to talk to Heather.”

His gaze shifted to me, and the frustration on his face softened. “Hey, Starlight.”

Christine looked between us. “I was just trying to fix things,” she blurted out.

Greyson frowned. “What?”

“Between you and Heather. I feel bad about what happened. I know you really like her, Dad. And I like her too. I don’t want you guys to break up because of me.”

Greyson placed a hand on her shoulder. “Sweetheart, this isn’t your responsibility.”

“He’s right,” I said quietly. “Whatever happens between your dad and me is something we need to figure out ourselves.”