Page 102 of Five Alarm Kiss

“You did?”

“It takes guts to stand up to someone’s parents, especially if you’ve never met them before. He wouldn’t have done it unless he really cared about you.”

Okay, she wasn’t expecting him to say that. “You think so?”

“Honey, I know so. That man is in love with you.”

Laurel’s eyes widened, prompting her father to nod in response to her unasked question.

Her gaze quickly locked on Jake.

He’s in love with me?

As if he could feel the weight of her stare, Jake looked over and winked before redirecting his attention back to Dave.

Don’t get ahead of yourself! Just because Dad thinks he is, doesn’t mean it’s true.

Suddenly, the air felt thick. All she could manage were shallow breaths, making her lightheaded.

“Dad, I’ll be right back.” She needed some fresh air and a quiet place to wrangle in the emotions that were bouncing around inside her head like a ball in a pinball machine.

She headed for the patio. It had fairy lights strung overhead and lanterns scattered about. Through the floor-length windows, she could see people sitting on couches mingling, while others stood in line at the bar that had been set up outside.

Weaving between a few banquet tables, Laurel did the little sidestep dance around a couple going the other direction.

“Sorry.”

“Excuse me.”

The woman giggled when their words overlapped.

Laurel smiled before continuing on her way. She only had to get past a few more tables to reach the door leading outside.

“Laurel?”

Ice slid down her spine. She skidded to a halt, like a magnet had been switched on and her shoes were made of metal. She shut her eyes, face pinching in distress as her stomach lurched.

Ethan.

The last thing she wanted to do was turn around, and she sure as heck had no desire to speak to him.

Keep walking. Pretend you didn’t hear him and keep walking.

Tonight had been going great. Better than great, in fact. The fundraiser appeared to be a huge success, her parents hadn’t once made any snide comments regarding her career choice, she’d cleared the air with her father about that stupid nickname, and Jake… Jake had been—was—so much more than she ever could have hoped. She’d expected him to be charming tonight—heck, he probably couldn’t not be, even if his life depended on it—but he’d stood by her side during constant introductions and had engaged in thoughtful conversations with the people he’d met. Not because he had to, but rather because he genuinely seemed to want to get to know them. And even though he’d been extremely attentive, he hadn’t smothered her.

Ever since she’d met him, he'd made her feel supported while allowing her to be independent. He’d embraced her quirks, accepted her flaws, and shown her she could be capable, powerful, and most surprisingly, confident. He was cocky, sarcastic, sexy, sweet, maddening, tender, and domineering all at once. He was the one person in her life who had never made her feel like she wasn’t enough.

“Laurel, don’t you think it’s time we talked?” her ex asked.

I can do this.

“Laurel?”

Blowing out a controlled breath, she turned around. “Hi, Ethan.”

“Hi.” He almost looked like he hadn’t expected her to face him.

But she wasn’t the same person he’d helped mold her into back when they were together. She knew her worth now, and she wasn’t going to let him convince her otherwise.

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