AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We aren’t kids anymore,” he says just above a whisper. His gaze is glued to my lips.
My heart races, and it takes a full minute before I can say, “You shouldn’t have done that.”
“Why not?”
The answer should be obvious. Because we’re friends.Bestfriends. And obviously, I’m a bit of a mess when it comes to relationships.
“Diego,” is all I can sigh out, though.
“Mo—”
“Diego!” a deep voice calls from behind us.
I pull away from Diego to find his father, Carter Townsend, standing at the far end. He wears a tuxedo similar to the one Diego has on.
“They’re going to head out soon.” Mr. Townsend waves us in.
I start to head up the dock, but Diego takes me by the hand. He leads us in the direction of the backyard of the main house. We enter the doors of the reception area, hand-in-hand. For the briefest of moments, I look up into Diego’s eyes and he meets mine.
I’ve never wondered what it means for the entire world to fall away when you’re looking at someone. I’ve known that feeling since I was very young. Diego could take up my entire world for hours at a time and I wouldn’t notice.
The look he gives me tells me that I’m not alone in this feeling.
Fear seizes me.
What am I supposed to do with the magnitude of these emotions?
“Come on, baby girl. Give your pops a spin on the dance floor,” my father says, breaking the stare off between Diego and me. “Can you give my Short Stuff some space, please?” He glares at Diego.
“Uncle Damon,” Diego says to my father, using the name he started calling him when we were kids. He refers to my parents as aunt and uncle the same way I refer to his, since our families are so close—practically family.
“For the remainder of this song I will,” Diego continues. “But I’m not going far.”
My eyes bulge at the same time my father says, “What the hell does that mean?”
“Let’s dance, Daddy,” I say, knowing that my calling him that will take his attention off of Diego. My dad is always picking on Diego for some reason.
“I told you that boy was trouble,” my dad says when we start dancing.
I laugh because he’s being ridiculously overprotective. “You know I’m twenty-eight, right?”
“Is that supposed to mean something?”
“And I’ve lived in another state for years.”
“Don’t remind me.” He rolls his eyes before taking my hand and spinning me around. “Those years were torturous for me and your mother. I’m glad you’re back home, Short Stuff.”
As irritated as I want to get at the pet name my father has called me since even before he became my father, I can’t. It’s the tone of voice he uses whenever he says it. It makes me feel utterly safe and loved.
“I love you.” I lay my head on his chest. I close my eyes, and not for the first time I wish that he was my biological father. That it was him who my mother met all of those years ago, when she was just eighteen and they made me.
Him, my father instead of the monster who actually conceived me.
“It does no good to think about the past and wish things would’ve turned out differently.”
My head pops up from his chest because it feels as if he heard my thoughts.
“I don’t have any regrets about my life because they all led me right here. With my family.” He glances around the room. His eyes stop, and the most beautiful smile breaks out on his face.
