Page 76 of Bound By My Father's Best Friend

“It doesn’t matter what happens between your father and me.”

“Yes, it does,” I murmured, breath caught in my throat. “Because I love you.”

My words hung in the air, and for a moment, time stood still. The snow continued to fall gently around us. I sucked in a breath in anticipation, heart pounding inside my chest and thoughts whizzing through my head.

What if he didn’t say it back? What if it was too soon? What if I ruined this?—

Within a moment, he twirled me around and cupped my face in his big hands, a smile painted on his lips. “God, I love you too, Heather.” And then he leaned in and kissed me hard on the mouth.

CHAPTERFORTY-THREE

HECTOR

The low buzz of chatter,mixed with the clacking of keyboards, drifted through the air. I stepped out of the elevator and loosened my tie, ready for the day to be over so I could leave with Heather, who hadn’t stopped teasing me since she had come in at lunch.

Jacob leaned against his office doorframe, arms crossed over his chest and gaze on me. It wasn’t the soft, lighthearted one he usually gave everyone, but a sterner one that I had rarely seen before.

“Hector,” Jacob called from his office door, nodding me over to him.

I sighed internally and briefly glanced in Heather’s direction. She stiffened and widened her eyes at me, as if to say,Please don’t let this be what I think it is. After a moment, I pulled my gaze away and continued my strides toward Jacob.

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

“Let’s talk.”

Before I could say another word, Jacob walked into his office and left the door wide open. I sucked in a deep breath, preparing myself for whatever it was that he wanted to talk about, and then I stepped into the room.

When I closed the door behind me, Jacob let out a sigh. “How was the party?”

“It was great, as usual,” I said. “Leann sure knows how to throw a Christmas party.”

“She does,” he said flatly, taking a long drag of his coffee. He strummed his fingers lightly on his desk and cocked his head. “You stayed a bit longer than the others, didn’t you? Anything happen?”

Fuck.

“Not much.”

“Nothing?”

After clearing my throat, I stuffed my hands into my pockets. “You know how it is, Jacob. Leann loves to chat.”If I keep running my mouth like this, then he’ll probably think that I’m fucking his ex-wife—if he doesn’t already.

“Must have been quite the evening for you to stick around that long.”

Fuck.

While I meant to laugh lightheartedly and to brush it off, my chuckle came out strained. “Yeah, well, she’s a great host. And you know,” I hummed, trying desperately to find a way to get out of this, “I’m not one to rush off.”

Damn, I can’t stop lying. Jacob knows I hate staying late.

“Sometimes, people stay later for reasons other than good conversation, don’t they?”

I peered through the windows of Jacob’s office and outside into the main office. Except she wasn’t working. I could tell by the strained look she was giving me and the tenseness of her shoulders.

“What are you insinuating?” I asked Jacob, meeting his gaze.

“I’m not a fool, Hector, so don’t treat me like one,” Jacob said.

My heart beat faster inside my chest, my fingers tugging at my collar. Part of me thought that maybe I should tell him about me and his daughter now to get it over with. But if he was this tense at the thought of me fucking hisex-wife … I couldn’t imagine what would happen when I told him the truth.

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