Page 5 of Texting Dad's Best Friend

With her wrapped in my arms again, I pull a blanket over us, ensuring she doesn’t get cold since there’s no way I want her putting any clothes on. I’m nowhere near done with her yet.

“How are you feeling, baby girl?” I ask, smoothing her hair away from her face.

She prises her eyes open and blinks up at me, smiling sweetly. “So happy I’m worried I’m dreaming this whole thing.”

I can’t help but grin at that. “It’s all real, gorgeous,” I assure her. “But I’m more than happy to prove it to you some more.”

She laughs. “Let me recover first,” she teases, and I dip my head to kiss her again.

We lie there, soaking in the moment a little while longer, before she says, “What do we do now, Rhett?”

I pause, a little confused by her question. Haven’t I made it clear enough that she’s mine now, forever? “What do you mean, baby?”

She chews her bottom lip, looking at me with something like nervousness in her eyes. “Well, I mean … What do we do about my dad?”

Ah. I nod, understanding her concern now. I’ve been so caught up in her that I haven’t even let myself consider how this will affect both our lives and how it’ll affect Paul. God, he’s going to kill me.

I can’t bring myself to care. He’d have to literally murder me to get me to let go of Rayna now, and even then, I’m stubborn enough to come back as a ghost just to haunt her forever.

“Whatever happens, I’m not letting you go,” I assure her, and she nods, cuddling in closer to soak up the comfort I’m offering.

Still, her question has my mind reeling.

Sooner or later, Paul’s going to find out that we’re together.

We need to have a plan before he does.

4

RAYNA

“Oh my God, you slept with Rhett?!” Serena shrieks down the phone, and I wince from the sheer high-pitched volume of her excitement.

Serena’s the only person who knows how much I’ve pined for Rhett over the years, how deep my desire for him goes. As my best friend, I’ve confided everything in her, so I know her excitement for me is real. She wants me to be happy just as much as I do.

“I know, I know. I feel like it’s some sort of dream, except I’ve never had a dream that good,” I gush, telling her everything.

Serena squeals again, and I can practically see her doing her happy dance in her kitchen. I grin. “And my best friend is finally not a virgin!”

I laugh, my cheeks burning even though I’m alone in my apartment. Rhett had to leave yesterday, but he promised me he had something planned for today. It’s mid-morning, and I’m equal parts excited and nervous for what he’s got planned. I’ve never been on a proper date before, and the fact that the first oneI’m going on is with the man of my dreams is incredible. My arm is a little red from pinching myself, but nope, this is all real.

“So, where’s he taking you today?” Serena asks as I finish applying my lipstick and fixing my hair.

“I don’t know. He just told me to be ready at eleven and let him take care of everything,” I tell her, butterflies fluttering in my stomach at the memory of his words.

“What a gentleman,” Serena croons, giggling like we’re school girls again. “Honestly, Ray, I’m so happy for you. You deserve to be this happy, truly.”

My heart’s all warm and fuzzy as I say, “Thank you, Serena. I’ll text you later to tell you how it goes, yeah?”

“I can’t wait! Have fun!” she sing-songs before we hang up, just in time for a knock on my door.

I scramble to shove my feet into a pair of cute but comfortable flats, aiming for a cute but casual vibe since it’s a Sunday morning, but still wanting to be dressed up enough to look nice for Rhett. Even though I just saw him yesterday, I can’t contain my excitement as I rush to answer the door, a huge grin on my face that only grows wider when I yank the door open and see him on the other side.

“Good morning, gorgeous,” he says, and my heart thunksrapidly in my chest.

“Morning,” I answer, a bit breathless with excitement. The second I see him, everything we did yesterday comes flooding back to the forefront of my mind, and my whole body lights up.

“You ready?” he asks, holding out his hand for me to take. I nod, slipping my hand in his, pausing to lock the door behindus before he leads me out to his car. He opens the door for me, waiting for me to get myself settled in the passenger seat before closing it and slipping into the driver's side.

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