Page 66 of Take My Hand

“That would be my dad,” I tell him with a smile, and without a word, I slip past one of the guards.

A hand grazes my elbow as I pass, but Hayden issues a low warning to the guard to get his hand off of me and let me go.

My dad breaks out into a huge smile as he sees me part through the crowd and opens his arms for me to jump into them. The smell of fresh wood and paint envelop me the moment I fall into his embrace and instantly I’m at home.

“I didn’t know you were coming,” I say into his neck, his strong arms squeezing me one more time before letting me go.

“Well, wouldn’t have been much of a surprise if you did,” he replies with a smile that crinkles at the corners and pulls at the deep lines around his eyes.

“It’s good to see you.”

“You too, kiddo.”

He looks behind me, searching for my bag to carry for me, but comes up short.

Because it’s hanging off of one of Hayden’s shoulders as he refused to let me carry it myself.

And now he’s stopped behind us, along with everyone else, and it’s just now hit me that Hayden and my dad are both standing in this hallway and I now have to introduce them.

Not that I don’t want to. Obviously with the way things are going between us, it would be something that would eventually need to happen.

But it’s just not something I expected to happen right now.

My dad takes in the two burly guards, then Reid, Walker, Nikolai, and finally Hayden, who comes to stand beside me. If he’s surprised by any of them, he doesn’t let it show. Always has had a good poker face, my dad.

Hayden adjusts the strap of his bag that hangs from his right shoulder and extends a hand toward my dad.

“Hayden Coleman, sir. Pleasure to meet you.” His soft tone contains the utmost respect and politeness as he introduces himself and my heart skips a little beat.

“Roger O’Connor.” My dad shakes his hand with a grip I know has made men weak in the knees. But Hayden doesn’t flinch. Just gives a small nod and looks at me.

His eyes scan my face and it’s then that I realize I’ve been standing here like an idiot, just staring at the two of them.

“Sorry.” I clear my throat and turn to my dad. “Dad, this Hayden. My—” I stutter, not sure what to say. My friend? He feels like more than a friend. To both my head and my heart. My boyfriend? But to put that name on him without the two of us discussing it yet…

“My friend. And the bassist for Whisper Me Nothings.”

I try to ignore the flicker of hurt that flashes across Hayden’s face. He recovers quickly; so quickly that I wonder if I imagined the grimace.

“And these are his bandmates. Walker, Reid, and Nikolai.” I gesture to them each and they all give my dad a smile or nod in acknowledgment. “And their bodyguards,” I say, before turning and mouthing a silent apology to them at not knowing their names.

They both nod in greeting as well, but don’t pull their attention away from their surroundings for long.

“Nice to meet the men who have been fortunate enough to have my daughter on their payroll.”

“Dad,” I scold him quietly and hear Walker laugh behind me.

One of the guard’s phones rings and after pausing to listen for a few seconds, turns to the guys and says, “Cars are out front.”

The guys nod and begin to back down the hallway toward the exit of the airport. But Hayden pauses, waiting to see what my plan is.

I hate the hesitation that now sits heavy on his brow and the knowledge that I put it there.

My dad’s eyes bounce back and forth between the two of us for a moment before he says to me, “I was hoping you’d want to grab an early dinner? Catch me up on everything since we moved you in last month?”

“That sounds great,” I tell him and see Hayden begin to follow his friends out of the corner of my eye with his head tucked low.

“Hayden,” I call out just loud enough for him to hear but not loud enough to draw further attention to him.

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