Page 103 of Bound By My Father's Best Friend

“Stop it, Dad. It’s weird, especially now that you’re dating someone my age. What does her father think about you two? Does he think he failed her?” I asked, realizing quickly that maybe her dad didn’t even know about them yet. “Even if he doesn’t know, how do you feel about her because I know it’s more than you hooking up with her? You’re happier.”

Dad looked at me for a long time in silence, then dropped his gaze. “It’s hard.”

“What’s hard?” I asked. “Being with Evelyn? Because that looks easy for you. I saw how you were with her the other day at the coffee shop.”

“He’s my business partner,” Dad said. “And you’re my daughter. It’s hard, Heather.”

“Well,” I whispered, “it’s not going to get any easier for you.”

As the words tumbled out of my mouth, I realized how harsh they’d sounded, but I meant every single last word. I didn’t want to apologize to him anymore about my feelings toward Hector.

We shouldn’t have kept it a secret, sure.

But I loved him.

Way more than anyone else.

“I have—” I started.

“I’m sor—” Dad started at the same time.

After smacking my lips together, I glanced across the table at Dad and stayed quiet. I never thought that those words would leave his mouth, never mind ever being said to me for how he’d acted. But maybe he was apologizing for something else …

“I’m sorry for the way that I treated you and for the way you felt like you needed to go behind my back,” Dad said, avoiding eye contact with me because, again, feelings were not our forte with each other. “You’re an adult and allowed to make your own decisions about who you date and spend your time with. I’m sorry.”

I pressed my lips together and nodded. “I forgive you.”

Dad snapped his gaze up to mine and furrowed his brows. “You do?”

“Yes, but I’m not going to stop seeing Hector,” I said, sitting up a bit taller and finally feeling a bit more confident in who I truly was. “I love him, and we’re in more than just a contractual relationship with each other.”

“I understand,” Dad said, a small smile creeping onto his face.

“And also …” I paused, unsure if Ishouldcontinue. “There’s something else.”

Dad’s smile tightened, and a strained laugh left his mouth. “Please, don’t tell me that you’re pregnant.”

A giggle bubbled up past my lips, and I shook my head. “No, I’m not pregnant. We’re smarter than that.” Although we never wore any protection, but he didn’t need to know that. “I’ve decided that I’m not going to work with you anymore. It’s not what I want to do, and I know that you’ve wanted me to, especially if Aaron isn’t going to one day run the company. But it’s not going to happen, and I don’t want …”

When I realized that I was just rambling away, I sucked in a breath and stared back at him. It was a bad habit that I had tried to get rid of since I’d left high school, but it always came back when defending myself in front of him.

“Okay,” Dad said. “That’s fine.”

My eyes widened. “You’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad?”

“Because I thought that …”

Dad arched a brow. “That I’d be mad at you for not wanting to do what I do?”

“Yes,” I squeaked, feeling like a mouse.

“I’ve come to realize that I don’t care what you do with your life, Heather. I just want you to be happy. And from what I can tell, Hector makes you happier than you used to be. So, I’m okay with whatever you decide to do with your life.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Yes.” He paused. “Why?”

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