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“Well I’m telling you again. You’re doing a good thing here, being godfather to Skyler. Griff and Autumn must think a lot of you.”
Jackson’s thoughts drifted to his conversation with Griff this morning. He felt easier with his friend than he had in days, thanks to their clearing the air. “Yeah, well I feel pretty blessed to be asked.”
Ryan eyed him carefully. “Have I told you how proud I am of you?”
This time Jackson laughed. “You’re a broken record.” A good one, though. And it did make him feel better to hear his dad say that.
The pier was a hive of activity. Early guests were arriving and sitting in the chairs Autumn had set up, chattering among themselves as the ocean gently lapped at the struts beneath them. Ryan spotted Frank Megassey and Lorne Daniels and headed over to sit with them while Jackson looked around for Lydia.
She was walking along the other side of the pier with a man in a sharply tailored suit, his hair brushed back from his face and greying at the temples. Her eyes were uncharacteristically cast down. They looked almost sad. And it was crazy, but it made him want to walk over and make her smile.
He knew he could do it.
“Hey.” Lucas slapped him on the back. “All ready for the big day?”
“It’s not my big day,” Jackson pointed out. “But yeah, I’m ready for it.”
“I’m glad you two are here,” Griff said, joining them. “I need to move a couple of stereo speakers after the ceremony. Autumn wants them closer to the food, so we can play music through them. You guys up for it?”
“Sure,” Jackson agreed. “Is that Lydia’s dad?” he asked, looking over at the man leaning in to whisper something in Lydia’s ear.
Griff grimaced. “Yep, that’s him.”
Jackson watched as her dad dusted something from Lydia’s shoulder and shook his head.
“You don’t sound that excited to have him here,” Jackson murmured. He didn’t like the way Lydia had her lips pressed together. She looked the opposite of relaxed. The opposite of how she was when they were together, their bodies touching, their legs entwined.
He thought back to their conversation last night, and a spark of anger lit inside him. How the hell could he not see that Lydia was amazing?
Griff lifted an eyebrow. “Let’s just say I wasn’t his favorite at first.”
“I should go say hi,” Jackson said, his gaze still stuck on her. If she was upset, he wanted to be there. To comfort her. Not standing here like a gawking spectator.
“Yeah, sure.” Griff nodded. “He’s mellowed a little since I first met him, but I have to warn you, talking to him is still kind of like listening to nails scrape against chalkboard. Except more painful.”
Jackson laughed and walked over to where Lydia and her father were talking. When she looked up, her eyes widened when she realized he was making a beeline for them. Her dad was too busy talking to even notice her change in demeanor.
“Hey,” Jackson said softly. He stopped a couple of feet away from her. “Everything okay?”
“Have we been introduced?” Lydia’s dad tipped his head to the side. Jackson felt a rush of irritation wash through him. This man was annoying Lydia, and by extension, annoying him.
“Jackson Lewis.” He extended his hand. Lydia’s dad reluctantly took it, giving him the briefest of shakes.
“Richard Paxton.”
“Jackson runs his own cyber security business here in Angel Sands,” Lydia told her dad.
A flicker of interest appeared in Richard’s eyes. “You do? What’s it called?”
“Lewis Security Systems,” Lydia replied, shooting Jackson a half smile. “It’s very successful.”
“I don’t imagine you have a lot of customers here. You should think about moving to New York. The possibilities are endless there,” Richard said. He glanced at Lydia. “Now if you’ll excuse us, I need to finish my conversation with my daughter.”
“This conversation is over,” Lydia told him. “You asked, I said it isn’t possible.”
“No, you said you had better things to do.” Richard’s voice was full of disdain. “But I need you at the board meeting. Your vote is important. It could swing it.”
Lydia sighed. “I can’t. I already told you, I’ll be in Spain. I made a commitment, Dad, and I need to keep it.”
