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We pull apart after he plants kisses only a father can give to their child, all around my cheeks, face, forehead, neck. He cups my face in his big hands and stares at me, deeply and with great meaning.

“Your mother is going to be okay, my sweetheart,” he says softly, the grit from grief disappearing. “Your friend has saved her life.”

My body warms even more, thinking about Aiden. I put my head on my father’s chest, feeling the hard beat of his heart. It comforts me in the same way it comforted me as a child after having a nightmare in the dead of night.

Eventually we calm down, and I move back to the cookies I had been decorating. He looks them over and makes a joke about them looking as good as they did when I was young.

I snort laughter.

“Hey!”

I poke him in the stomach, and he laughs with a natural jolliness. I haven’t seen him like this in months. Not since my mother became sick and the possibility of the cafe being shut down became real.

“Seriously though, honey,” he says, taking me by the shoulders and turning me to face him. “I want to know who this man is. I want to meet him and thank him in person.”

My father and I have the same colored eyes so when I look into his eyes, I am seeing my own reflected back at me. He is the most joyful I have seen him be for ages. The idea of disappointing him as his daughter is disastrously unappealing.

I sigh, trying to turn away, and he turns me back.

“Who is he, sweetie?” he repeats himself.

There isn’t any way I can lie to my father. Not only can he see right through me, but I am way too emotionally exhausted.

I rub my face with my hand and let out the confession like a rushing waterfall.

“The man who paid for mom’s surgery is a man I met a few weeks ago. He’s a customer here…”

My father stares down at me, nodding softly. His eyes are bright but not judgmental. I am held by his gaze, accepted without thought.

“We realized we could help each other out with what was going wrong in our separate lives…he is having issues with a woman being forced on him by his father. And I required financial assistance.”

He lets go of my shoulders, letting them drop to his sides. I brace myself for ridicule, beratement, even insults.

“And you asked him to pay for the surgery?” my father asks.

I nod, my jaw sliding side to side with anticipation.

He looks away, at the sheet of cookies sitting on the table before us. He strikes the table lightly once, twice, then three times. Then he looks at me with a shrug.

“I know you have been under immense pressure,” he says kindly. “I cannot even begin to fathom how that must feel. I am glad that you have someone helping you to relieve that pressure.”

I smile, feeling like I can breathe again.

Until my father raises a single finger to my face and widens his eyes.

“Just don’t let him take advantage of you. If this is some rich guy, that kind of thing might be on his mind. But I know you’re smart, too…”

He trails off then cocks a smirk in my direction. He pulls me in for another bear hug, giving me a long squeeze that nearly suffocates me in the process.

“I love you so much, Jose,” he whispers. “I support you no matter what. I am insanely proud of you, I hope you know that.”

There is nothing on earth like the love and support of one's parents. His big hug melts away any apprehension I had over telling him what was really going on. I close my eyes and let him hold me, breathing in his natural bakery scent.

He helps around the back room for the rest of the day, heading home just before I start to close down for the day. His support means everything to me, which is starting to have an effect on my perspective of Aiden.

I have been enjoying my time with him, getting to know him and adjusting to this whole charade. But as I lock up and walk to my car, I start to wonder how long this beauty can last?

Why, of all the girls he could have had, did he choose me? Because I was around? Because I had accidentally crashed into his car?

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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