Page 25 of Daddy Vibes (The Anti-Bachelorette 2)

Then he turns at the sound of the door opening. Alaric and Emory just got home. Emory calls out. “Hey, you’re home! Did dad get you nice and comfy?”

I just smile at her and look back over to Eric. He gives me a small smile. “I just wanted to say sorry.”

My heart drops at that. “Oh. Okay. Like I said, it wasn’t a big deal.”

His mouth forms into a straight line like he wishes he could say more. “Let me know if you need anything. We are going to alternate days here, but even if I’m at work just text me if you need anything and I’ll be here.”

I give him a half smile. “Okay.”

???

The first couple weeks, I don’t see much of Eric. Well, obviously I see him, but we haven’t talked much. He spends most of his time in his office when he’s working from home, and at night Emory and Alaric are always around, so I mostly just talk to her. I guess that’s how I should want it anyway. I’m just staying at my best friend’s house while I recover. If it was any other friend, I’d barely talk to their dad either. This shouldn’t be any different.

Except it’s not any other friend. It’s Emory’s dad, and I know what it’s like to be in his bed. I can’t stop myself from checking him out, especially when he gets back from his runs and his shirt clings to his sweaty body before he rushes into his room to shower. Plus, I can feel his gaze on me all the time, but he always looks away when I catch him. Not to even mention how he is constantly touching me to help me get off the couch and into bed. He’s trying to ignore me, but things can’t just go back to normal.

On the third week, the guys headed out to pick up food for dinner, so it’s just me and Emory. She comes and sits on the couch with me. “So me and Alaric wanted to go out this Friday.”

I give her a funny look. “Am I your mother? Why are you acting like you need my permission?”

She just laughs. Then she grabs my hand. “My dad told Alaric not to leave him alone with you.”

I choke on the water I was drinking. “He did what?”

She just smiles. “He wasn’t supposed to tell me that, but obviously I got it out of him when he never wanted to leave the house. And I mean I don’t mind doing the whole sneaking around quiet fucking, but honestly I need to let loose every once in a while too.”

I open my eyes wide at her. “Well first of all. Gross. Don’t need to know what those noises are coming from your room every night. Second of all, what the actual fuck?” She just laughs again, and I continue. “What does he think I’m going to sneak into his room at night and force myself on him? Jesus. Not to mention even if I was a psycho like that, I’m pretty injured still. I think he could resist me.”

She just laughs again and looks down and mumbles. “Pretty sure he’s not worried about physically resisting you. He doesn’t trust himself around you.”

I just roll my eyes. “He’s around every Monday and Friday with just us alone in the house. He can handle himself just fine. He barely even talks to me except to ask if I want lunch.” I look at her more seriously. “For real Emory, do whatever you want, and for God’s sake do not sleep here anymore. Whatever problem he has with me, he can work it out with me. He’s a grown ass adult not a child.”

She laughs. “Okay, but if my dad is in a bad mood now, you know it’s because his best friend is betraying him.”

I roll my eyes. “He won’t even notice I’m here. I’m not even interested in him anymore. There will be no resisting anything from me.” I try to sound convincing, but Emory just gives me a look like she knows I’m lying. “If you say so.”

???

Eric stayed away on Friday while Emory and Alaric were out on their date. He said he was going to see some work friends and to call him if I needed anything. Strange since he was all worried about leaving me alone the past few weeks. Not that I needed anyone. I can pretty much do most things. I’m just sore and sometimes a little loopy when I first take my pain meds. I’m not exactly sure who these work friends of his are, but he didn’t come back until late.

He tried to sneak in around 1 a.m. thinking I was probably asleep, but really I was still sitting on his couch reading on my e-reader. I had all the lights off though, so he wasn’t expecting me to be in the living room.. He set his keys on the kitchen counter, and I scared the shit of him. “Hi Eric.”

He stumbled back a bit and clenched a fist over his heart. “Jesus Christ. Why are you in the dark?”

I grinned over at him with just the light from my e-reader. “Isn’t it past your curfew?” I joke.

He laughed. “Sorry mom. It won’t happen again.” Then he walked off to his room and shut the door. I couldn’t help the smile on my face. I’m glad we are still able to joke around with each other. I would hate to lose that.

The rest of the week was pretty much the same as before. Emory and Alaric are over for dinner every night and usually just hang out here until they leave to go to bed, so it’s not like it’s any different just because they are sleeping at her place again. After what Emory told me, I try to keep my conversations with Eric friendly but not flirty. I think that’s for the best. I mean after everything that happened, it’s not like I can go back to pretending he’s just Emory’s dad, but maybe we can be friends.

Now if I can just get how much I still want him under control in order to make that happen. He’s making it difficult though. The way he’s always so attentive to me. Checking in on me all the time. Helping me change my bandages and giving me my prescriptions. I swear every time I want to pull his face to mine and show him just how grateful I am, but instead I just give him a quick thank you and he goes back to whatever he was doing before.

During the fourth week, Emory and Alaric started not showing up quite as often for dinner. I started to binge watch a new show on Netflix because what else do I have to do? Eric watched the first few episodes with me, and now he is just as addicted as I am. The days that Emory and Alaric did stay after dinner, he’d tell them to shut up or to leave because they weren’t into the show like us, and I can’t help the way it makes me feel being able to share this with him. Innocent as it is, I just like spending time with him.

We are both cuddled up on the couch under the massive blanket Eric gave me for while I recover here. Me on one end where I have my pillows set up just right so that I don’t irritate my ribs, and him on the other sitting up straight with his arm on the arm rest.

My legs are starting to cramp up a little, so I stretch them out and place my feet on his lap. He doesn’t even look over at me and just keeps watching the show. Without even thinking about it, he moves his hand over and starts rubbing my feet.

I can’t help the moan that leaves my lips. At that, he stops momentarily and looks down at his hand and then over to me. I give him a half smile, and he lets go of my foot. “Sorry.”

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