Page 18 of Claimed by my Bestie's Dad

Aurora looks between us, sensing the tension for the first time. “What’s going on? Did something happen?”

I answer quickly, “No, nothing happened. It’s just been a rough day, that’s all.”

But Aurora isn’t convinced. She turns to Madison, her brow furrowed. “Madison, are you okay? You’ve been really quiet.”

Madison finally speaks, her voice calm but with an undercurrent of frustration. “I’m fine, Aurora. I just…didn’t expect to be here. That’s all.”

Aurora looks between us again, and I can see the gearsturning in her mind. She’s smart—too smart—and I know she’s starting to piece things together. “Look, guys. Let’s all be adults. Madison asked you for a loan Dad, and you didn’t want to give it. Fine. It’s your money. Even if you have more money than you know what to do with, you don’t have to spend it on good causes. It’s fine.”

This jab from my own daughter hurts, but she’s always thrown jabs at me when she doesn’t get what she wants.

“Your dad didn’t even hear my proposal, so it’s not about what he did or didn’t want to spend money on. It’s just the fact that he took one look at me and thought I wasn’t capable of running a business.” I can hear the hurt in Madison’s tone.

I want to reach out and pull her to me, but that’s not an option. Not with Aurora here. “Now, hold on! I didn’t say that! I just don’t like people showing up on my doorstep begging for money. For all I knew, you were here on Aurora’s behalf. She’s asked me for money often enough.”

“No, I haven’t!” Aurora protests. “I ask like…once ayear. Occasionally. I’m not over here sucking you dry.”

“You didn’t even listen to my business plan. If you had listened to it, then you would have known why I was asking for money and how I would have spent it. But you couldn’t even spare the time to do that. Because you were so busy…doing whatever the hell it is you do in this huge house by yourself.”

“Okay, okay.” Aurora steps in, somehow managing to remain calm. She places a hand on Madison’s shoulder, and I can tell the emotion coming from Madison right now is not fake. She’s genuinely still upset by the fact that I didn’t even listen to her proposal.

“Clearly, this idea wasn’t as fun as I thought it would be. Dad, you should have listened to Madison. She’s awesome,and you missed out on an opportunity to be a part of a cool business. And Madison, yeah, my dad can be a son of a bitch sometimes. Let’s go.”

“Only sometimes?” I hear Madison mutter.

Her words cut into me, but I try to act like I don’t hear them.

Each of the girls is holding their leashes, and Aurora bends down to scoop up Barney, who is clearly too exhausted to move. She doesn’t say anything as they march toward the front door.

I want to call out and say something, but what could I say?

Finally, I realize I can’t just stand here in the kitchen. I hurry down the hallway and place a hand on Aurora’s shoulder. She turns around, eyes blazing.

“I didn’t mean to make you mad,” I tell Aurora.

Madison is already out the door, but I’m sure she hears me too. It’s better for them to go, but I don’t want Aurora to leave upset. Madison either, but there’s nothing I can do about her right now.

“It’s not your fault,” Aurora says, glaring at me. “It’s Mom’s fault. She made you this way.”

Then, Aurora and Madison march down the driveway.

I stand there for a moment, staring at the closed door, my mind racing. This isn’t how I wanted things to go with Madison. But now, I’ve made things worse, and I’m not sure how to make them right.

The house feels emptier than ever now that they’ve whisked the puppies and themselves down the driveway. I keep telling myself that I did the right thing by keeping my distance, by protecting Aurora from whatever this thing is between me and Madison.

Because the truth is, I don’t want to keep my distancefrom Madison. I can’t stop thinking about her, no matter how hard I try. But I also can’t let Aurora get caught in the middle of something that I don’t even fully understand myself.

I need to figure this out. I need to find a way to make things right—with Madison, with Aurora, and with myself.

10

MADISON

The door swings open,and two enormous dogs charging into my living room nearly bowl me over. These aren’t just any dogs—they’re giants. They’re golden doodles, but they’re bigger than any golden doodles I’ve ever seen, like they might have some great Dane in their lineage or something.

The owner, a frazzled-looking woman, hands over a bag of things, which is surprisingly small for dogs so large. “Please just…keep them inside. Take them out just to use the bathroom, but don’t ever leave them outside by themselves. They’re escape artists, and…” She shakes her head like she can’t believe the kinds of things her dogs have done.

“So, should I take them one at a time?” I ask.

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