Page 69 of Bound By My Father's Best Friend

“No.” She crossed her arms. “I overheard her talking with her friends.”

Sighing softly to myself, I ran a hand over my face, trying to find the right words to explain myself. She probably thought that I was taking advantage of her daughter, using her for some sick reason.

“Do you realize the gravity of this? You’re dating your business partner’s daughter!”

“I know,” I said, taking her elbow and leading her farther away from the conference room so Jacob didn’t overhear anything that neither of us wanted him to know. “It’s complicated. I never intended for things to turn out this way, but … I …”

She crossed her arms. “You what?”

I dropped my gaze to the ground and smiled softly. “I love her.”

While I could tell she had just been about to give me hell for dating her daughter, she paused and stared at me with an unreadable expression on her face. Then, she nodded.

“I have no intentions of hurting her,” I said honestly. “She is the sweetest woman I know.”

“She is,” she said with a curt nod. “So, don’t hurt her, whether it’s your intention or not.”

“I won’t. We have a contract.”

“I know. I read it over.”

Another long pause.

“Of course,” I said. “So, you know she can leave whenever she wants.”

My chest tightened when the words tumbled out of my mouth because it hurt, just thinking about Heather leaving me at this point. I fucking loved her, and I wanted to make her the happiest she could ever be. I didn’t want to see any more of those tears.

“I’ve accepted it, but … Jacob won’t,” she said. “So, he must not find out. Not yet.”

I let out a relieved breath. “Heather and I will figure out how to handle things properly.”

She nodded and looked through the glass wall. “Is that the girl that Jacob is dating?”

My eyes widened. “What?”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. I know that you know what I mean.”

“If you’re speaking about Evelyn and Jacob, then …” I sucked in a sharp breath, not wanting to give away all of Jacob’s secrets, but also not wanting Heather’s mother to out us. I didn’t think Heather—or I—was ready for that. “Yes.”

After looking into the glass wall to the conference room at her ex, she nodded and walked off. I stared at her retreating figure, wondering what would happen next. For as long as I had known her, she always kept a level head. She was a lawyer after all.

But what did this mean for her daughter and me?

A couple of moments later, the door behind me swung open, and Jacob cleared his throat. “Everything all right out here?”

I nodded.

“What was that all about?” he asked.

I walked back into the conference room. “Nothing for you to worry about.”

And, God, please don’t ask about it either.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-NINE

HEATHER

Saturday night,the Christmas party was in full swing at Mom’s house. Fire crackled in the living room fireplace while warm lights cast a festive ambience throughout the entire house. I sipped on my wine at the piano with my friends.

---