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“I think we might go somewhere else. I hear the room service here isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” he mumbles, trying to make light of it all as he puts his car back into gear, my hands still pressed over my heart.
Somehow we both know this is gonna be way harder to keep to ourselves than either of us first thought and now that Josh has seen us together? It’s only a matter of time before the truth is out.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
Bowdie
I’ve never been so mad. Not since… not since Cathy died.
This is different in so many ways. I was mad as hell for years when Cathy died, but never once, not even when she was alive, did the thought of another guy looking at her set me off like this. With Beth, I feel different. Beth does something that makes me whole inside in a way that turns me hyperprotective of anything or anyone who even looks like they’re hinting at interfering with what I know we have between us.
With Lucy’s mom, Cathy, I was young and just going through the motions of a relationship. I love her today as much as I loved her then, but we didn’tconnectlike Beth and I. I lost a friend and Lucy’s mom when Cathy died, but I don’t feel like I lost the missing piece of my soul. That’s what Beth is, whether she knows it or not.
Beth is my one and only. I can see it now, and having to wait all this time to see it is a small price to pay, just like her dad and Lucy finding out will be, too. It seems I will have to work on reigning in my instincts. I can’t go around strangling every guy who looks at Beth, can I?
Beth’s not rattled either, which isn’t helping. I’m supposed to be the mature, older man here. She only looks cuter by the second, hearts in her eyes as she stares up at me adoringly, her hands over her heart.
“I know another place,” I say aloud, trailing off once I realize how much is gonna be involved in trying to keep this a secret while weighing up the so-called “consequences” in my mind. I’m a straight talker. I always speak my mind. Keeping a secret about something I feel so strongly about is not part of how I’m made.
Glancing at Beth and keeping one eye on the road, she’s making that same face as before. She looks like she’s thinking about something apart from us that’s eating her, while it’s clear she’d be better off if it were me doing the eating right now.
“What is it?” I ask her sternly, not wanting or needing any other unhappy little mishaps to ruin what’s already become a challenge of being alone with Beth. It’s like the cue she needs to tell me, though. Before I know it, I hear the steering wheel groan and creak in my hands because I’m gripping it so hard, especially when she gives the shit stain I just grabbed by the neck a name.
“You know the guy?” I ask in a tone of disbelief when she tells me who we just almost ran over, my anger boiling over into my words.
“He-he’s just a guy from school,” Beth quickly adds, but now she has my full attention. I give her a firm look that demands nothing but the truth, and all of it, even if it is gonna kill me.
“He’s… Ugh! I may as well just tell you, even though she’ll freak. Lucy and Josh,” she stammers, trying to find the right words, but I connect the dots.
It’s just like Brad said, although he never mentioned a name or told me what the guy looked like, probably for all the reasons I’ve just demonstrated with my behavior. Brad, like Beth, must have assumed I’d be looking to string up the guy who wants to date my daughter, but hearing it twice now and having had the little worm in my grip? I’m really not bothered… much. I mean, if he does the wrong thing or hurts Luce in any way, then I’ll gladly finish what I just gave him a taste of, but if I’m realistic about me being with Beth, being her boyfriend is the only relationship I’m thinking about right now.
“Lucy’s a pretty girl, and she is an adult. She can date whoever she wants,” I hear myself saying to Beth, who’s mouth drops open before she narrows her eyes, playfully punching my arm and making her hand crack.
“AndI’m not pretty?” she pouts as she shakes her hand, sucking some air between her teeth.
“You okay?” I ask her immediately, only explaining myself once I know she hasn’t hurt herself by punching me.
“You’ll never have to ask me that, Beth,” I instruct her. “You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever set eyes on,” I remind her, making a point to tell her every chance I get from now on until she knows it for a fact.
“What I mean is… I’m a little surprised Lucy didn’t tell me she had a boyfriend, but then again, I don’t think it’s so unusual,” I add.
Beth nods to herself as she recounts the past few minutes, seeing how “okay” I was with someone even looking at her over the news of my daughter dating the guy.
“That it?” I ask a little impatiently, hoping that’s all the big bad news I have to deal with before we can at least try to salvage the rest of our time together.
“Beth?” I ask her again, noticing her fidget and looking away awkwardly.
She finally nods. “I-I think that’s everything,” she murmurs, glancing away and out the window before giving me a look that signals she’s as ready as I am to move on from the subject.
I rumble to myself, annoyed but not angry. I’m proud of Beth for telling me and acknowledging it’s my own damn fault for flying off the handle. Even though it’s because of Beth, I can’t blame her for my own choice of actions. I can still sense she’s not telling me every little detail, but I figure there’s no point making her squirm in a bad way. Today’s supposed to be all about the two of us squirming together in a good way.
So, I’m relieved when it’s Beth’s only thought for the rest of the way. “Where to?” she asks airily, matching the change in mood once I crack the windows a little to clear the air between us literally.
Her question makes me smile to myself. “My office,” I croon, remembering how long I used to sit there before leaving for London. I used to think about claiming her on my desk even back then when I still thought I could control myself when it came to Beth. It was a fantasy then, but I can’t help feeling the thrill of satisfaction because, one way or another, I usually do get what I want.
“Your office?” Beth asks, almost whining, but it makes me chuckle because she’s probably picturing a busy place filled with people… and no room service.
“You’ll see,” I assure her, glad when she reaches for my hand again as I drive, even more glad when she rests it in her lap this time. She lets me feel just how warm and ready she is down there. It’s a subtle maneuver, but it makes me forget all about what just happened.
