AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No. I haven’t met anyone new.” She folds her arms over her chest.
“Have you upset anybody? Rejected someone’s advances?” I probe further.
“No.” She shakes her head but then her expression changes.
“What?” Alejandro snaps.
“There’s this guy on a social media app. He keeps messaging me and I keep blocking him—”
“Lucia! What have I warned you about social media?” Alejandro barks.
“It’s one app, Papi. I don’t put any personal information on there. There are billons of users on it. It’s probably just some creep.”
Alejandro glares at me and I nod my understanding. “I’ll look into it. I’ll need all of your passwords, Lucia.”
“Okay,” she swallows.
Alejandro rolls his eyes in frustration. “Right, well if you won’t come home tonight, I’ll stay here.”
“No,” she shakes her head. “Mom will be worried about you. Nobody is going to come back here tonight. I’ll be fine.”
He stares at her—Lucia is right that Alana will worry if he stays out all night—then he looks at me. Fuck! “Okay. Then Jax will stay, right?”
“No,” she snaps. “I’m fine, Papi. I’m sorry I called you.”
“Hey.” He takes her face in his hands. “I am your father. You always call me. No matter what. You got that?”
“Yes.”
“Jax. Can you stay here?” he asks me again.
She glares at me, but how do I say no to him? Then I would have to explain why I don’t trust myself to be alone all night with his daughter. Except that we won’t be alone. Matthias is here. Thank fuck!
“Of course I will,” I say, because what choice do I have? Besides, I don’t want her here alone any more than he does.
“Fine,” she snarls but then smiles sweetly at her father. “Thank you, Papi.”
He wraps her in a hug. “I’ll check outside before I leave. Jax will look after you until the morning and then we’re going to discuss your living arrangements.”
“But—” she starts but then closes her mouth again. She can wrap him around her finger about most things, but when it comes to her and Matthias’ safety, he will stand his ground.
“Goodnight, mija.”
I walk him into the hallway. “Thank you for this,” he says.
“Any time, amigo.”
“I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He gives me a quick hug and another wave of guilt slams into me. “You’re the only man I would trust to protect her like I would.”
Fuck!
“I would do anything for you and your family. You know that,” I say.
“Because we’re your family too, right?” He frowns at me.
“Yeah,” I nod because that’s true. No matter what happened between Lucia and me, they are my family.
After Alejandro has gone, Lucia hands me some spare blankets and a pillow. “The couch isn’t all that comfortable actually. You can take my bed if you’d prefer?” she offers and I almost choke on my breath.
