by Parker, Ali
I rolled my eyes. “It’s pretty swanky. It’s for a doctors’ group.”
Her eyes lit up. “No way! Man candy! Hell yeah, I’ll work it.”
I laughed. “You know there are just as many women doctors nowadays.”
“Yes, but that’s okay. There are still plenty of male docs to choose from.”
I wasn’t really paying attention to her or thinking about the upcoming gathering. I couldn’t stop thinking about Xander. We had such amazing chemistry. I couldn’t believe my father wanted me to give all of that up. How could I possible walk away from him without a second glance? I didn’t think I could.
“Hello? Earth to Evie.”
I blinked and looked at Nelle, who was staring at me with one hand on her hip. “What?” I asked.
“You spaced out. I was talking to you about your doctors and you drifted away.”
“Sorry,” I murmured.
“Were you thinking about your man?” she teased.
I sighed and took another drink. “Yes, I was. Although I don’t think I get to call him my man.”
“You get to call him anything you want,” she said. “You are way into him. I can see it all over your face. Are you going to keep seeing him?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why don’t you know? Don’t tell me you’re going to let your father decide who you get to date. I know you’re a good girl and you’re a daddy’s girl, but you are also a little too old to let him run your life.”
“You would think,” I muttered.
“Maybe you need to try talking to him about Xander,” she suggested.
“I did. At least, I tried to. He doesn’t want to hear it. He has made up his mind and that’s that.”
“He was angry. He was reacting to the situation. I’m sure once he has had a few days to cool down and realize he is mad at a guy for acing his class, he might reconsider. I have never known your father to be overly dramatic. You probably caught him on a bad day. He took it out on Xander.”
“And me,” I added. “He was awful to me as well. He’s never been like that. I just don’t understand how he can hate Xander that badly. Xander is a good guy. Just because he thought of something no one else had does not make him an arrogant prick.”
She winced. “Ouch. That’s harsh.”
“That was one of the nicer things he said about him.”
She slowly shook her head. “I really don’t think you’re getting the full story. There has to be more to it.”
“Maybe, but it’s ugly. Very ugly and I don’t like it.”
“Try and talk to your dad again. Be calm. Explain to him the man you know.”
I rolled my eyes. “He is not going to listen. He is going to be furious if he finds out just how well Xander and I know each other.”
“Make him listen. You are hung up on Xander. That is pretty clear to see. Maybe he is your true love and maybe he isn’t. But you deserve a chance to find out. Don’t walk away because daddy told you to. You are going to end up miserable. You are going to end up resenting your father, and eventually, you lose twice.”
“Because I lose them both,” I said.
“Yes. Exactly. Now, speaking of Xander, I need you to do something.”
“What?”
She leaned forward. “I need you to find out if he has any friends. Single preferably, but if they aren’t single, that wouldn’t be a complete deal breaker.”
I slapped at her shoulder. “You homewrecker!”
“Hey, if a guy is interested in me when he already has a girlfriend, that home is already broken.”
“That doesn’t mean you fuel the fire,” I argued.
She shrugged. “I just want everyone to be happy. Ask him.”
“No. Definitely not.”
She pouted. “I’m not sure I’m available Saturday after all.”
I shot her a dirty look. “Not cool.”
She shrugged a dainty shoulder. “Ask him.”
“He doesn’t have any friends,” I told her. “Don’t you remember me telling you he was a recluse?”
“He has friends. I want a double date, but only if his friend is under, let’s say fifty.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Ew.”
“Fifty isn’t that old.”
“It isn’t that young. A fifty-year-old could be your father.”
She grinned, her eyes flashing with mischief. “I believe that’s why they call them sugar daddies!”
I burst into laughter. “You are so wrong.”
“I have to get back to work. Ask him.”
“I’m going home,” I told her.
“Ask him,” she said again from the other end of the bar.
I shook my head and walked out of the bar. I felt a little better after unburdening myself to her. The night with Xander had been amazing, but the last twenty-four hours had left me feeling horribly guilty. I hated that I’d defied my dad. I hated that I was doing something he didn’t like or approve of. I wasn’t that kind of daughter. I liked making him happy. I liked knowing he was proud of me.
He would not be proud to know I did exactly what he’d asked me not to. Not just that, but I went a little wild. I could admit that the excessiveness was a direct rebellion against him. When he told me I couldn’t have Xander, it only made me want the man more.
I drove home, kicked off my heels, and poured myself another glass of wine. I needed to decide what to do. Nelle was right. I had to talk to my dad. I had to try and make him understand that Xander wasn’t the man he thought he was. Deep down, I knew the likelihood of me changing my father’s opinion on anything was slim to none. That left me right back at that ultimatum.
I could never abandon my father. Never. But could I really walk away from Xander?
We said we were just friends, but that was bullshit. I could say it a million times and it wouldn’t make it true. Xander was so much more than a friend. I wanted him to be so much more than a friend. I hoped he felt the same way.
I wasn’t well versed in the art of love and relationships, but when we were together, it certainly felt like there was something happening between us. I felt like our lives were slowly weaving together. I could almost picture the intricate stitching happening every time we talked, touched, and made love.
“Oh, Evie,” I said on a sigh. “Why do you do this to yourself?”
I had no one to blame but myself. I shouldn’t have asked him to the park that first day. I shouldn’t have gone out on his boat and had sex with him. I shouldn’t have gone to him after my father explicitly told me not to.
Unfortunately, I did all those things and now I was going to pay a high price for it. I smiled a little as my mind drifted back to Saturday night.
Truthfully, the price was kind of worth it. That night had been amazing, and it would be one I looked back on often with a great deal of fondness and heat.
Chapter 29
Xander
I carried the cold beers out to the patio where Charlie was lounging in a chair. The grill was smoking, releasing an enticing aroma that promised some good eating was going to be happening soon. I handed him the beer and moved to the grill to check the status of our steaks. Both of us had managed to get off early and decided steaks and cold beer were exactly the way to finish the day.
My phone rang in my pocket. I put down my beer and fished it out. It was Kade. “Hey, little brother,” I said. I nodded at Charlie as I walked by to go back in the house. It was the universal head nod that said I would be right back. “What’s up?”
“I’m officially on leave!” he exclaimed. I could hear a lot of hoots and hollers and talking in the background. I was guessing he was at a bar with his buddies and celebrating their freedom.
“Awesome.”
“Come up,” he said, sounding just a little drunk.
I laughed. “It’s kind of short notice,” I told him. “I’ve got meetings all day tomorrow. I can’t get up there just yet. I thought you were going to give me some notice.”
“Ah, man,” he said, and then I knew for certain he was drunk.
“I’m sorry. What about next week?”
“How about I go there?” he asked.
I stopped walking. “Really?”
“Yeah, why not?”
I smirked, shaking my head. I knew exactly what was going on. “Dad doesn’t want me there, does he?”
He was quiet for just long enough to tell me that was the case. “I want to go there,” he insisted.
“You’re a fucking liar.”
“Hey now,” he said with a laugh. “It will be fun. I want to check out the house I have only seen pictures of.”
“Great,” I said, pushing down the hurt that threatened to spring to life after essentially being disinvited from my brother’s homecoming. “I’ll fly you down.”
“I don’t need your fucking money, Xander,” he answered. He wasn’t being mean or rude. It was his pride. I got it.
“Okay, then fly yourself down here.”
I could hear him drinking and waited for him to answer. “I’m going to. It’s not very warm here and the god damn wind. It’s like being back in the desert with all the fucking sand in my teeth.”
I had to laugh. “Get your ass down here. When are you coming?”
“I promised I would go fishing with Dad tomorrow. I’ll get a flight for Saturday. Can you free up some of your precious time for your little brother?”
“Yes. Let me know the details and I’ll pick you up.”
“You fucking better,” he slurred. “I can’t believe you won’t come see me.”
“I will, but I can’t be there right this minute.”
“That’s okay. I’m going to come there.” He was definitely getting a good drunk on.
“All right, have fun and I’ll see you soon,” I told him before ending the call.
It was always the same thing when he got back from deployment. No one ever lectured the guys about drinking too much the first few nights they were on leave. It was one of those unspoken rules.
They got away with just about anything in those first few days, especially if it was a long tour or a tour that ended with a few of their buddies being shipped home in caskets. I couldn’t begin to understand his life or what he saw or went through, but I knew it wasn’t pleasant.
He was a strong man and stayed upbeat, but I knew he had his demons. One day, he would have to deal with it all. I just hoped he was ready for it. Fortunately, he did have our father to lean on. My dad had seen a lot during his time in the service and knew how to help Kade cope. I didn’t. It was just another bond between the two of them.
I made my way back to the patio and found Charlie at the grill, pulling our steaks off.
“Done?” I asked.
“To perfection,” he answered. “How’s your brother?”
I laughed. “Drunk.”
“I take it he’s on leave?”
I sat down at the table and reached for my beer. “Yep. He’s coming down on Saturday. Apparently, daddy dearest did not want the black sheep in the same state.”
He winced. “Sorry, man. That sucks. Your old man is tough. I would think with the success you’ve had, especially in the last year, he would get over the fact you didn’t enlist.”
I shrugged. “I guess not. It’s cool. I’m glad Kade is coming here. I’m looking forward to hanging out with him.”
“Are we going to hit the bars? A Marine always gets the ladies. I’d be more than happy to serve as his wingman.”
I had not seen my brother in a long time. I wanted to be a little selfish with the short time I had with him. “Actually, he’s only going to be here a day or two. I was thinking about him and I reconnecting.”
Charlie held up a hand. “No problem. That’s good. You guys need to hang out.”
“Maybe another time,” I offered.
“Absolutely. I will look forward to it. How goes it with you and your new lady?”
The smile was an automatic reaction. There was no stopping it. “Good. Very good.”
He chugged his beer. “No shit? I didn’t think it would last.”
“Why not?”
“Because you are not the kind of guy that dates a woman more than a couple times. And you are not the kind of guy who gets that cheesy, lovesick smile on his face when I mention the woman.”
“I’m not lovesick,” I protested.
“Have you guys hooked up since the last time?”
It was a direct question. It should have been an easy question to answer. I didn’t want to answer it. It felt wrong to talk about Evie and I hooking up. I was beginning to see it less and less as a hookup. “We spent some time together over the weekend.”
“Oh, that’s right,” he said with a nod. “You were supposed to meet her dad. How did that go?”
I groaned and finished off my beer before getting to my feet to retrieve another. “It went like shit,” I said as I walked away.
I grabbed a couple more cold ones before sitting back down at the table. “You bombed the meet-the-parents thing?”
“I don’t know if I told you her full name,” I said.
He shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t remember. Evie, right?”
“Evie Marsh,” I answered.
He didn’t get it. “And?”
“Evie Marsh is the lovely daughter of Dr. Philip Marsh.”
I waited until the name sank in. His eyes bugged out and he choked on the beer he’d just taken from the bottle. “No fucking way! Are you shitting me?”
“Nope.”
He burst into laughter, throwing his head back and getting it all out. “How in the hell do you find the one woman in the city that you can’t have?”
“What do you mean I can’t have?” I snapped. I didn’t like being told I couldn’t have something or someone. It made me want it all the more.
He shook his head. “Seriously. How are you going to have a relationship with her? I take it the meeting went about as well as could be expected between the two of you? Wait, did he even remember you?”
“Oh, he remembered me all right,” I told him, remembering the moment we laid eyes on each other.
“Fuck. That sucks. What happened?”
I gave him a brief recap of what was said and me walking out. “He hasn’t changed a bit. He’s just like my dad. I have made myself a very wealthy man and I’m still not good enough in their eyes.”
“What about Evie?”
“Marsh told her to stay away from me. She didn’t. I don’t know if she will ultimately cave in to his demands, but she stayed over on Saturday after she walked out on her dad.”
He grinned. “That’s my boy. Stick it to the man.”
“It isn’t like that. Me and her were friends before I knew he was her dad.”
“And now? You think she will dump your ass because her daddy doesn’t like you?”
“I honestly don’t know. If she does, that’s her choice. There won’t be a damn thing I can do about it. I’m not interested in causing a family war. Marsh hates me and I’m not exactly his biggest fan. I don’t see a future for me and her. It’s just her and her father. Before I knew who he was, she talked about him a lot. They are really close. I can’t get in the way of that and I’ll be damned if I suffer through his bullshit on a regular basis.”
Charlie was quiet for a few seconds. “That really sucks. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s not your fault.”
“No, but I know you liked her.”
“I do. I did. I don’t know. I’m not going to boo-fucking-hoo about it. We said we were going to keep things cool and casual. I’m not pushing anything.”
“I know you,” he said with a smile. “You may not push it, but I think you like her. I think you want her. When you want something, you make it happen.”
He wasn’t wrong. “Maybe not this time.”
He popped a bite of steak into his mouth. “Are you going to introduce her to Kade?”
“Fuck no!” I answ
ered immediately.
He burst into laughter. “I thought so.”
“What do you mean?”
“You are going to keep her all to yourself. Just like you won’t introduce her to me. You are a selfish bastard and maybe a tiny bit insecure.”
“I’m not insecure,” I retorted.
“Then why don’t you want her to meet me or your brother?” he asked with a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Fuck you.”
“It’s all good. I caught a glimpse of her. She’s hot. I would keep her all wrapped up tight too. Especially around me and your brother. We make you look like chopped liver.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah. Sure, you do.”
“I know you didn’t ask, but I also know you want it,” he started. “You need to figure out how to play nice with Marsh.”
“Fuck that. I will not kiss that man’s ass.”
“If you like her, you will.”
I slowly shook my head. “I will never kiss any man’s ass. There is nothing so valuable that I can’t find another way to get. Marsh can kiss my ass.”
“What about Evie?”
“What about her?”
“Don’t do that,” he said. “Don’t minimize what you have with her and don’t deny there is something. It’s clear that there is. Figure out a way to please all parties. Maybe you can come to an agreement. You and her date and there is never talk of her father.”
“I don’t think that will work. Like I said, she is close with her father. Her mom died when she was very young. It’s been just the two of them. That is not a bond I can break. I’m just going to take it one day at a time. We’re supposed to go out on the boat this week. I’m not going to pressure her into anything. I don’t want that kind of responsibility on my shoulders.”
“Miracles do happen. Maybe you and old Marsh will become the best of friends.”
“And pigs will fly, and my ships will sink.”
He laughed and finished off his beer. “You really shouldn’t have jinxed yourself like that.”
Chapter 30
