Page 28 of Wedding Daddy

And when they were not doing all of that, they were fucking. They fucked all night and again in the morning when they woke up. They fucked in restaurant bathrooms and once in the parking lot of the theater where they’d gone to catch a play. They fucked in the spa and made out so heavily in the park that she orgasmed. They fucked a lot.

A week later, there was a huge smile on her face as she walked out of the airport with him. He’d booked them both first-class tickets back home, and just a few hours earlier, she’d become a full and bona fide member of the mile-high club. Standing outside the airport and facing each other with their luggage, Jill reflected on the incredible week they’d shared. She’d created a lot of beautiful memories that would last a lifetime.

“That was the best vacation of my life,” she exclaimed. “Of course, it’s the only real vacation I’ve ever been on, so I don’t really have a point of reference, but I don’t think I’ll ever have another like it.”

“You’re too young to say that.”

“No, I know I’ll never have another vacation like this one,” she insisted with a soft smile on her face. She knew because she knew this was goodbye for them. “I don’t mind, though. At least I got to experience this one.”

He smiled at her. “Have you decided what you’re going to do now?”

Jill nodded. “I’m going back to school,” she said quietly. They spent a lot of time talking about her options, and he was the reason she finally knew what she wanted to do. And he did it without trying to influence her decision in any way. “I was in such a rush to go to college and finish for my father that I didn’t stop to ask myself what I really wanted to do. Now I know what I want to do, so I’m going to go for it.”

“That’s my girl,” he said with a proud smile. “And if you need any help?—”

“I’ll be fine.” She interrupted him. Several times during their flight back home, he’d told her she could always come to him if she needed anything, but Jill knew she couldn’t do that. It was hard enough saying goodbye to him now. She would never get over him if she stayed in touch with him. “Thanks for everything you did for me, Bradley. I’ll never forget the time we spent together.”

“You seem to forget that we’re family now. That means I’ll probably be seeing you this Christmas.”

“I know, but it will be different, then. You’ll just be the father of the woman my brother married, and I’ll be…”

“You’ll always be my princess,” he interjected. “Just because we’re no longer fucking doesn’t mean I’m still not going to make sure my baby girl is doing fine.”

Jill took a deep breath and reminded herself Christmas was a few months away. That gave her a lot of time to get over him. “Fine, I’ll see you at Christmas, then. My car is that way,” she said, pointing in the direction of her car.

“Mine is the other way.”

She took a deep breath and stood straight. “I guess this is goodbye.”

He nodded. “For now. Come on.” He held out his arms, and she stepped forward to hug him, pressing her face against his chest and inhaling his scent one last time.

She’d spent the past week with that scent wrapped around and inside her until it felt like a part of her. Jill thought of his two T-shirts she’d stuffed in her bag when she was packing. He’d given them to her to wear to bed. She knew keeping them was probably a bad idea, but she was losing so much of him in such a short time that she had to grab onto something.

Holding on for as long as she could before stepping back, she felt him place a tender kiss on her forehead. She knew the gesture was supposed to be sweet and tender, but it was so reminiscent of the way he cared for her that it almost brought tears to her eyes.

“Goodbye, Bradley,” she said, stepping back.

“Goodbye, Jill. I’ll see you around.”

She nodded and turned around with her bag. As she walked away, she fought the urge to look back, afraid she would be unable to leave if she looked at him one more time. Making her way to the parking lot, she located her car and threw her bags in the back. Getting behind the driver seat, she pushed the key into the ignition and tried to start it. It didn’t start. She tried again, growing frustrated when all she heard was a buzzing sound, but the engine wouldn’t turn over.

“Start, goddammit,” she hissed, turning the key in the ignition over and over again with no luck. “Start, you fucking piece of shit!” Tears were rolling down her eyes, and she banged on the steering wheel, her emotions having nothing to do with the uncooperative machine. How did one man turn her life upside down in just one week?

Cleaning her tears with the back of her hand, she raised her head and froze when she saw him standing in front of her car. He had come back for her.

“Looks like your battery needs some juice,” he said, one corner of his lips turned up in a smug grin.

Jill opened her car door and stepped out. “What are you doing here?” she asked, her heart beating wildly.

“What do you think?” he said softly. “I watched you walk away and knew I was not ready to say goodbye to you just yet.”

“What does that mean?”

He shrugged. “It can mean anything you want it to. For me, it means I want you in my life.”

Heat radiated through her chest, and her hands trembled with excitement, but she kept her emotions in check. “Why?”

“What do you mean why?”