Page 112 of Vegas Heat

Tears burned behind my eyes as I opted to stay out of it.

I can’t claim Cooper as mine becausehe isn’t mineto claim.

I peeled off to meet my dad rather than stopping home first for a quick change of clothes before dinner like I’d planned.

Once I was off my dad’s street, I pulled off to the side of the road and cried.

I get it. I’m throwing another man in his face, making him think Justin and I are a thing, and he’s taking that as his signal to move on.

But I don’twanthim to move on. I want him to be with me.

He didn’t throw this woman in my face. Instead, he’s meeting her when he thinks I won’t be around. I ducked out of the office a little early to stop home, and I caught them when I wasn’t meant to.

My chest feels heavy as I drive toward the restaurant, but what can I do?

He’s made it clear we can’t be together. How do I keep fighting for him and playing these games when I’m just going to lose? It takes two people towanta relationship, and I’m flying solo here. I can’t force him to be with me.

I arrive a little early, and I don’t see my dad’s car just yet.

I take the opportunity to finally run a search on Cooper Noah.

And sure enough, a few pictures in, I spot her. The woman he was talking to just now was his ex.

Did he invite her here to get back together with her? He said he never would, but he also made me feel like he’d never break my heart, so clearly he’s a man who changes his tune on a whim.

I nearly drop my phone when I hear a knock at the window, and I spot my dad standing on the other side.

I cut the engine and open the door, praying he didn’t see what I was just looking at. “You scared me!” I say, clutching my heart not because of the fear but because it hurts from seeing Cooper with another woman.

He chuckles a little. “Sorry. That wasn’t my intent.” He wraps an arm around my shoulders and squeezes me in a side hug, and we walk together into the restaurant.

It’s not crowded yet at this early hour, but my dad is a busy man, and if an early dinner is when I can have his undivided attention, then so be it.

We’re seated, and he orders a tumbler of gin. I make a face as I order a glass of wine, and he chuckles.

We glance through the menu and place our orders before he cuts to the chase. “What’s been going on with you, Gabriella?” he asks by way of starting the conversation.

As I’d rather not discuss my current heartbreak with his star player, I throw the question back to him. “Not much. How about you, Father?”

He chuckles. “Just running businesses and assembling an all-star baseball team.”

Running businesses.

Does he mean that sex club?

Is now the time to ask? Or does that fall under the category ofthings we don’t want to know about our parents?

“And spending time with your girlfriend?” I ask.

His lips thin into a flat line. “Not my best kept secret, is it?”

I laugh as I shake my head, and then I reach over and squeeze his forearm. “I’m happy for you, Dad. I want you to be happy. I want you to find love, and if it’s Joanie, then that’s great. I love her, and I love her for you. But I’m finding myself growing closer to her because of this job, and I don’t want to get caught in the middle if it isn’t what I think it is. Do you know what I mean?”

He nods and blinks, his eyes moving down to the table. “It’s going to last.” His eyes move back to mine. “We have an unusual relationship, but one thing is for certain. It will last. We’re not ready to take it public in large part because of our work situation, but there are other factors at play.”

“What are they?” I press.

He glances around. “I’d rather not discuss them here.”

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