Page 73 of The Ring Thief
He shrugs innocently, still sipping at his coffee. I look down at my own cup, heart racing a little too fast for the fact I’m sitting there, doing nothing. Trying to shake it off, I lift the drink to my lips, savoring the taste of the sweet beverage, wondering if it just tastes better because he got it for me.
“Is that what you had to tell me?” I ask Dad. “That he’s your intern.”
“No.” He eyes me over the lid of his cup. “I, uh…I wanted to tell you I asked Julie to go steady with me.” A pause, and then quietly, “And she said yes.”
I snort, unable to help myself. “Go steady,” I echo disbelievingly, leaning forward. “How freaking old are you? What, are you gonna give her your letterman jacket?”
His gray-blue eyes twinkle back at me, looking lighter than they have in years. “Maybe I will, I’d just have to find it first.”
“You do not have a letterman jacket,” I exclaim, watching him, affection welling in my chest. I don’t know why I’m not shocked about him and Julie, but it just feels kind of…right.
He winks back at me, looking less tense than five minutes ago. “There are more than a few things you don’t know about your old man, Lilypad.” He sits back with a sigh. “You’re taking this well.”
I tip my head from side to side. “I love Julie, you know that. It does seem sudden after everything, though.”
He nods, making a thoughtful noise in his throat. “I’ve been wondering about it all myself, trying to work out if I’m just acting impulsively, because of—” he swallows loudly, throat bobbing. “I think learning about your mom…I’m sad. I won’t deny that. She was my wife, and she gave me you. I loved her, and I think part of her loved me.” His smile is tight and sad. “We had some good years, me and Gloria. Some even better ones after you came along. So, I’m grieving that.” I stand up, sitting my cup on his desk and crouching at his side, wrapping my arms around him in a hug, careful not to knock his own drink. He hugs me back, pressing his cheek to the side of my head. “But she’s gone,” he murmurs, “and she’s been gone a long time. Lilypad, it feels like there was this tether that was connecting me to her and now… it’s just been snipped. I’m drifting away from the weight of it, seeing everything from a distance. And Julie…” he says her name with a sweet sigh.
“You deserve a happy ending, Dad,” I whisper, every word heartfelt. “I’m happy for you.”
He pats my back before pushing me away, averting overly bright eyes from mine, color coating his cheeks. “Yes, well. I wanted to tell you because Julie’s worried about your reaction.”
“Julie is, huh?” I ask dubiously, even as he rubs a hand over his eyes, acting like he’s not one good sniff away from falling to pieces. I bite my lip, hiding my smile.
“Yes,” he says firmly. “Julie is.”
“I don’t know why,” I say. “I love her to pieces. She’s my Jules.” Something occurs to me, and my voice goes stern. “If you guys don’t work out, I’m definitely choosing her.”
He rolls his eyes, but can’t hide the flash of amusement. “Well, if that’s the case, I’ll choose Declan.”
I gasp dramatically, sitting back on my heels. “That was just plain uncalled for!”
He laughs. “He’s a good intern, and I think he’ll climb the ranks pretty fast.” A pointed look. “He brings me coffee, at the very least.”
“Hey now, I don’t bring you coffee because I choose not to bring you coffee. If you paid me to do it, it might be an entirely different story.” We both stand up. “You aren’t angry at Dec any more, Dad?”
He pauses on the way back to his desk, his brow furrowed as he runs an assessing look over my face. “I think I’ll always hold some anger towards him, Lilypad,” he says quietly. “You were devastated over something he did, something he could’ve stopped. I’m not ever going to forget that.” His expression is grave as he lifts a shoulder. “But I’m watching him pay his dues, and try to right a few wrongs. I’m watching him relearn what it means to actually be a man, not just in business, but also his personal life. I can’t really ask much more of him than that. I’ve never been one to blame a man for his father’s mistakes, but I’ve told him—more than once—that he doesn’t get another chance.”
“What, you won’t punch him again?”
He shoots me a carefully blank look. “I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
CHAPTER 32
Lily
It feels like a waterfall, the crushed silk gliding against my skin in a sensual touch with every movement, the fabric whispering with each step. The warm rose gold color makes me feel as if I’ve been poured into a dusky sunset, bronzing my skin. My shoulders are bare, the air kissing the delicate lines of my neck and collarbone, as the sleeves drape over my arms. Standing in front of my bedroom mirror, I feel elegant, alluring. Ethereal.
“You look…” Behind me, Sasha sighs wistfully. “Did he actually send that to you?”
“The box was sitting on my doorstep when I got home last night,” I confirm, fidgeting with the curled tendrils I’ve carefully set to frame my face. The rest of my hair is sitting in a messy chignon at the back of my head, artfully styled over an hour to make it look like I did it in five minutes. I twirl in front of the mirror one last time, before looking back at Sasha, finding her eyes bugging out as she watches me.
“I can’t believe he just left that outside, unattended. It’s, like, a three-thousand-dollar dress. And then there’s the shoes!” Her eyes drop as I inch up the dress, showing off the strappy white stilettos. Her gaze lifts again, narrowing as if she’s trying to see through the dress.
“I’m not showing you my underwear,” I say automatically, letting go of the fabric in my hand. “Again.”
“Do you think he bought all that lace because he expects to see it?”
A low heat swirls right between my hips, making my breath catch in my throat. Thankfully, Sasha doesn’t notice, and I turn away before she catches sight of the blush in my cheeks.
