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“And what exactly isyour‘say?’ You want to continue to work your daddy issues out on me?”
Anger flashes in my eyes and in my veins. I feel embarrassed at his words and I snap. “Fuck you.” The roads are still somewhat clear at this moment, thankfully, because Theo slams on his breaks.
“Excuse me?”
My eyes flare in shock and maybe a little terror as the realization sets in as to what I said because did I just use the wordsfuckandyouin that order to Theo Graham?
Like an adult?
Shit!
Well, you can’t back down now.“Don’t project your issues about this onto me.”
“Did you just…swear at me?” His eyes are still wide but I detect some humor in them, like he can’t believe I said it and is somewhat impressed that I did.
“If you’re waiting for me to apologize, we’ll be here all night.” I flash him a smile and he lets out a breath before he begins driving again. He doesn’t say anything. “They’re not daddy issues,” I tell him, still slightly offended for a reason I’m not totally sure, “or maybe they are. What areyourissues in this situation then?”
He shifts in his seat and leans away from me, leaning against the window. “That you’re too gorgeous for your own good and one afternoon after I’d had a few drinks, I stupidly allowed myself to think that you were an option for me.” He shakes his head and his eyes flit to mine, dark and maybe alittleregretful. “I still think about last summer. You and Lucas had just gotten into an argument. I was pissed at him because I heard the way he was talking to you. But you left, and then you came back a few hours later because you could never handle it when you two argued but he’d left for work.”
I listen to him recount that afternoon and it’s the first time he’s allowed me a look inside his head.
“You were just so sad, and I remember thinking the reason he was so angry was because he had feelings for you, and then…fuck. I don’t know, somehow, you were in my lap. I don’t even know how it happened.”
I remember.I was wearing a tiny tank top and he couldn’t keep his eyes off my tits so I boldly climbed into his lap to give him a better look.
He continues to drive and then we’re moving down the familiar streets towards our neighborhood and I let out a quiet sigh thinking that this night is not going to end the way I’d hoped it would.
“Fuck, Ave, I don’t know. All I know is I’ve felt like the shittiest father for doing that to Lucas.”
“Why is he involved in this narrative at all?”
“Because he has feelings for you!” he snaps.
I want to tell himagainthat he doesn’t anymore. That yes, a long time ago there were feelings that I hadn’t reciprocated but our friendship was able to withstand that bump in the road and now we are fine. I want to tell him that he’s wrong, but something about the way he’s so adamant leads me to believe that Theo may be better versed on his son’s feelings than I am.
So, I say something else.
“Do you?” I ask and instantly regret it. While I’m sure Theo had his fair share of women before his ex-wife and after they broke up, he left all of that behind him with the NFL, and I don’t think I’ve seen him with a woman in the eight years I’ve known him. At the very least, he never brought anyone around Raegan and Lucas and by default, me. Him kissing me had to mean something though.Right?“You wouldn’t just fool around with me for the hell of it, Theo, and don’t insult my intelligence by trying to insinuate otherwise.”
“I didn’t say that,” he grits out. “I’m saying, Ican’thave any feelings for you,” he emphasizes. “It would destroy my relationship with Lucas and I can’t do that.” I nod, wishing this conversation was going a completely different way. “Listen, maybe you’re right and he doesn’t have feelings for you anymore and it wouldn’t bother him to see you with someone else. But to see you withme? Hell, it might even bother Raegan.”
A pang of guilt shoots through me thinking about Lucas’ older sister who I wasn’t as close with but who was still the closest thing I had to a sister. She’d gone homecoming and prom dress shopping every year we were both in high school with me and my mom not to mention, she was the first person I told when I lost my virginity.
“Isn’t Raegan dating a guy damn near your age?”
He groans and lets his head fall back. “Do. Not. Remind. Me.”
I giggle. “I just mean maybe she won’t care. I assume she’s on a bit of thin ice with you right now.”
“This guy hasn’t known Raegan for a third of her life.”
I don’t know much about this guy she’s seeing, only that he’s older and now she’s living with him much to Theo’s irritation.
“Okay, let me provide another rebuttal.”
“Of course,”he says, his voice laced with sarcasm.
“Why do we have to tell Lucas or Raegan anything?”
