Page 43 of Hooked on a Feeling

“I know. Our parents are so different. If my parents knew I got a ticket for having sex in public, they’d laugh their asses off and proceed to tell me about a time it happened to them.”

Her doorbell rang, and when she looked through the house to where she’d left the screen door open, a man she didn’t recognize was standing there. Her first thought was that it was the attorney.

“It’s my dad.” John put a hand on her waist. “I’ll get it.”

Starr shook her head. “No. It’s my door.”

She waltzed through the house and swung the door open. She was greeted by an older, spitting image of her John. This Davenport had bright-blue eyes just like his son, a straight nose, and broad shoulders. Was that steam coming off his head? If he hadn’t looked like he was about to blow, she would have been happy to see him.

“Can I help you?”

“You should be ashamed of yourself for getting my son arrested.”

“I’m Starr Young.” She put out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Davenport.”

He stared down at her hand, and she left it in midair, waiting. She put a smile on her face. This was a fun little game. Was he going to be petty? Or act like an adult? She silently began to count. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven.

His hand was solid when he put it into hers. His grip was tight.

“For the record, I didn’t get your son arrested,” Starr said. “He’s in charge of his own actions. Not me. You seem like a reasonable man, so I’ll be honest with you. I’ve never been demeaned by a man more than I was by Officer Lowe. What he said to me was verbal harassment. The worst part was that it wasn’t just once—he kept doing it.”

Mr. Davenport stood with his lips pursed, like he was debating whether he should argue with her or if his manners about how to treat a woman were going to win out. She wasn’t backing down, and she wasn’t afraid to have this conversation with him. She folded her arms across her chest.

“No man should ever treat a woman that way,” he said.

“Thank you.”

“I’m here to ask a favor from you.”

She bit her lip, refraining from mentioning she didn’t owe him a favor. Instead, Starr tilted her head and waited for him to go on. This should be good.

“Stop seeing my son.”

A low growl came from somewhere behind her, and she clucked her tongue. Of course John was eavesdropping. “Why would I do that?”

“The Youngs and Davenports have a long history of problems. Arguments. Fights. I’ve raised my kids to stay away from this place. You’d be doing my son a favor.”

“John and I have decided that we’re going to be together despite the past.”

Her guest folded his arms over his chest. “We owe it to our parents and grandparents to respect the values they’ve instilled. To respect their hard-work ethics and the decisions they’ve made for their families at a time when family was the most important thing.”

“Listen, I love your son, and therefore, I will respect you because of that. But you know nothing about me. You don’t know my story and why I’m here. You have no clue what my family’s hard-work ethic and decisions they’ve made for my family mean to me. I don’t appreciate you insinuating that I’m breezy enough that I would break up with your son because you don’t like it.” She put a hand to her hip. “Not to mention, family is always important. Speaking of family, maybe you shouldn’t have fired him. That was harsh.”

“Blue Horizon cannot have a hotheaded CEO who punches cops. I did what any other person in my shoes would do.”

“I can respect that you had to make a decision for the company. But he’s your son. Isn’t he more important than what people might think of Blue? I’m sure as hell proud of him. For a whole variety of reasons, including the way he stood up for my honor. Was it a smart choice? No. But he is so much more than that. He is intelligent and kind. You know he’s been nothing but generous to me since the day we ran into one another? I bet you couldn’t say the same for most people you’ve met.”

Mr. Davenport’s gaze moved to a point behind Starr, and she knew without looking that John had made an appearance. He stepped forward, next to Starr.

“Dad, you don’t get to decide who I date. Maybe getting fired from Blue is the best thing that could have happened to me. At least now I can be in charge of my own destiny.”

“You’re making a huge mistake. The Youngs and Davenports do not mix. You are throwing your life away for a flash in the pan.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Dad, but I don’t even know what that family feud was about, do you? It doesn’t matter. I love this woman, and apparently”—he wrapped his arms around her, and his face broke into an exuberant smile—“she loves me too.”

“You’ll regret this. You’re still acting like a child. You could have never run Blue.”

“With all due respect, Mr. Davenport, I think you should leave. When you can see who John truly is and can respect the man you raised him to be, I’ll welcome you back on this property with open arms. Until then, you’re not welcome here. Goodbye, Mr. Davenport.” Starr pushed the door shut. Adrenaline pumped inside her chest, down to her fingertips. She turned at John’s loud sigh.

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