Page 43 of Silver Foxed

“Dad,” Alex tries again. “Elijah wasn’t attacking me. We’re together.”

Both Stephanie’s and Oliver’s mouths drop open a bit. But Stephanie seems more pleased than anything else, which surprises me. It’s nice to know she’ll be on our side in this.

“Together?! Have you lost your minds?” Oliver shouts.

Alex moves into my side, and I release her hand so I can wrap my arm around her shoulders. Then she speaks, her voice calm and sure. “I’m perfectly sane, unless being in love counts as insanity.”

Stephanie sucks in a breath, and I think my best friend’s head is about to pop off. But my heart is beating so loudly in my ears that I can’t focus on his anger, because Alex said she’s in love with me. Alex Martin is in love with me.

“In love?! Are you trying to kill me? Because I’m going to have a heart attack right now, Alex.”

“Oliver, don’t joke like that,” Stephanie chides.

“I’m in love with Elijah, Dad. And you’re not going to have a heart attack. Like I said, you’re going to take a breath, and we’re going to talk about this.”

Oliver’s fists clench at his sides. His green eyes are looking from Alex to me then to Stephanie then back to Alex again.

“Help me understand. I—” He pauses, his eyes connecting with mine once more. “You’re my friend, Elijah. How could you?”

“I’m still your friend, Oliver. And we didn’t do this to hurt you.”

“No. A friend wouldn’t do something like this,” he says, his tone serious.

“Oliver, I—”

“How did this even happen?” He cuts me off, his cheek reddening.

“It happened at the lake house last month,” Alex replies.

Oliver’s lips press together, and he glares at me. “When Alex texted Stephanie of our mistake, I thought I could trust you to stay there and be a gentleman. Instead, you—you—” He huffs. “I trusted you with my daughter, Elijah.”

“And you can still trust me with her. We did nothing wrong. We’re consenting adults.”

“You’re fifteen years older than her!”

“Dad,” Alex says, “I know this is hard for you to accept. You shouldn’t have found out like this. But it’s…” Alex looks up at me. “It’s complicated.”

“Have you been seeing each other behind my back this entire month?” Oliver asks after a moment. His tone is more level now but still filled with a disappointment that sours my stomach.

“No. Like I said, it’s complicated. But you can trust Elijah, Dad. He’s done nothing wrong. If anything, he’s the one who was afraid of being with me because of your relationship. We both tried to stop something like this from happening, but…” Alex gazes at me again, her eyes warm and hopeful.

“But I was wrong to do that,” I say firmly, pulling Alex into my side, trying to convey to her how much I need her, how sorry I am that this is happening this way right now. But I’m not sorry for kissing her tonight, for telling her I love her.

“Don’t look at her like that!” Oliver snaps. Alex smiles gently then turns to face her father again.

“I don’t expect you to understand right now, and I know this is going to take some getting used to, but I know you love me. And I know you love Elijah. Isn’t that enough for now?”

Stephanie steps up and lays a hand on Oliver’s shoulder. “You wanted Alex to find someone good, someone worthy of her. Elijah is someone good, Oliver. He’s your friend, so you know what kind of man he is.”

The air around us goes heavy with silence, and for a moment, I think that this is it. This is the end of my friendship with Oliver, the end of my job and life as I know it. But then Alex rests her head against my shoulder, and warmth fills my body along with a knowingness I can’t explain. It tells me that as long as I have her, nothing is the end. Everything is a beginning.

“You really love each other?” Oliver asks, his voice resigned.

Alex looks up at me, her green eyes wide and hopeful. I kiss the crown of her head, and she exhales a happy sound before meeting her father’s gaze. “Yes, Dad. I love Elijah.”

“And I love Alex,” I confirm. The weight of our words hang in the air.

Oliver presses his lips together and sticks his hands in his pockets. “I need some time.”

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