Page 88 of Daddies' Little Troublemaker

“You want one?” He grins.

“Nope.” To play along, I pretend to gag like I did when he fixed this drink back in California. I must’ve been fourteen, and the minty alcoholic beverage reminded me of mouthwash.

As soon as we enter the café, a slight brunette woman stands at one of the tables and hurries over.

“Mark! It’s very nice to see you, how are you?” she says in rapid French.

“Very good,” Dad says. “May I present my daughter, Evelyn.”

“Enchantée,” she says, kissing me on each cheek.

“Enchantée,” I repeat. I send a bewildered look to my father.

Grinning, he says, “Evelyn, this is Nicolette Delacroix. You spoke with her son, Antoine.”

Before I can respond, Nicolette exclaims in French, “There he is!”

Now the look I shoot my dad is pure exasperation. This is a set-up. But when I turn around, the man stepping into the café behind us is objectively beautiful. Deep, dark blue eyes, a strong jaw lightly dusted with stubble, cheekbones that models would kill for.

All three of them are smiling—Dad, Nicolette, and this new guy, Antoine.

Maybe if my heart weren’t broken, I could manage to smile and make nice. But with the way things are, that’s impossible.

Two men hold my heart, and they’re an ocean away.

“I’m sorry,” I say to Dad, Nicolette, and now Antoine. “I’m not feeling well. I’ll see you back at the hotel, Dad.”

“Evelyn,” he says, touching my shoulder and lowering his voice. “Are you sure? We could have a nice meal after this. Antoine’s friend owns a restaurant in this arrondissement, and?—”

“Dad, I’m not ready.” I don’t mean for my eyes to fill with tears, but it’s not like I can control my emotions. Mom would jump all over me for this, and be furious that I’m stealing the spotlight with my emotions. Immediately ashamed, I look away and swipe at my eyes.

“Hey. It’s all right.” True concern shines from Dad’s eyes. “I shouldn’t have sprung this on you. I wanted a fun surprise, but I did the wrong thing. We’ll talk later, okay, Pumpkin?”

“Yeah.” I’m surprised he’s being so chill about his plans getting ruined. I keep forgetting that he’s not like Mom.

Our hotel is only a couple of metro stops away from the Louvre, so I get there in no time and collapse on my bed. The sounds of the city are faint beyond the windows. I draw the curtains, blocking out the light.

I know I’m here so Dad can convince me to take this job. It is the opportunity of a lifetime. I shouldn’t need much convincing. When Lincoln couldn’t say he loved me, it really opened my eyes to what was going on.

The whole affair was temporary. Kinky, fun, and temporary.

The problem? My tears are eternal.

25

GIVE HER THE WORLD

Caleb

Whoever said misery loves company is fucking wrong. I don’t want to look at Lincoln James, I don’t want to talk to him.

I’m fucking pissed and it’s all I can do not to throw shit on the ground and toss Lincoln out the window of the nearly-finished build in San Esteban.

As we do a walk-through with Sims and a team of inspectors, I glance over at my friend. He’s haggard. He looks like he hasn’t slept, either.

Some of this shitshow is my fault. I could’ve told Evelyn I loved her enough for the both of us. I could’ve spoken up in that moment. Before Mark came home, instead of saying that when they told him was their business, I could’ve been a true partner in the throuple and talked out how and when to break the news to him. Instead, I shoved the responsibility into their laps.

Any problem that someone in a relationship faces is a problem for everybody in the relationship. It should’ve been all three of us against the problem, not me just waving my hands and telling them to work it out.

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