Page 38 of Daddy's Best Friend

“Who gives this woman to be lawfully wed to this man?” The officiant looked at Dad expectantly.

“Her mother and I.”

Dad placed my hand in Alan’s and patted them. There was no smile—proof that he had yet to fully accept things, but he was getting there. Alan, however, was nothing but smiles. And I still felt ill, but I was happy.

I tried to focus on the officiant’s words as I looked into Alan’s eyes, but I heard nothing he said. My mind raced with the joy of becoming Alan’s wife, having his baby, living with him… None of this felt real. I thought about the first night Alan and I’d had sex, right here on this yacht. I knew then that this was more than a passing crush. I wondered if he knew it then too.

“And do you Ella Vance, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for richer or poorer, insickness and in health, ’til death do you part?” The officiant’s words snapped me out of my trance.

“I do.”

In front of the onlookers, our friends and coworkers, a few close family members, Alan professed his love to me and I to him. And when the officiant said, “You may now kiss your bride,” I had never been happier to be kissed. The road ahead looked bumpy still, but with Alan by my side I could do anything.

28

EXCERPT: MY MOMMY’S BOYFRIEND

I’d had a crush on Victor long before I was able to look into his eyes and let him hold me… I’d been dreaming of doing that since I was a teenager, and he was dating mymother.

A nasty breakup led me to him ten years later.

Yes, I had to catch my breath when I saw him looking even hotter after all those years.

I was no longer the little girl that felt guilty for liking an older man and I wanted to rip his shirt off right there at the restaurant.

Victor Beringher was much more than a rebound to me.

But gaining him meant losing my mother.

Of course, she’d make a scene upon finding out.

And then I’d have to pick between the two.

My heart was already torn when I faced another impossible situation.

Getting pregnant.

The news would have my mother screaming at me.

And on top of that, there was no possible way that Victor would want a baby, right?

I was about to lose not one but the two most important people in my life.

Only a miracle could turn this mess into a happily-ever-after!

Prologue: Kat

I heard the shouting from the other room. It wasn’t new. Mom and her boyfriend had done nothing but argue for weeks. I never caught the full gist of the arguments, but from the pieces I’d put together by eavesdropping, he wanted children—Mom didn’t. He wanted a prenup—she didn’t. And he accused her of being out for his money, and even having an affair.

Mom of course denied all of that, simply stating that at her age it was inconceivable that she would have another child. Her biggest rationalization for not wanting children was that I was already 15 years old, and she didn’t want to start over in motherhood. I understood that, but Victor didn’t.

I flipped through my latest edition of Thrasher and tried to tune out the bickering, but it was difficult. It was like they shook the whole house with the pent-up rage they had. When I heard my name get thrown in the mix—likely as a means to bolster Mom’s argument—my ears perked up. I folded the magazine shut and slipped silently off the couch, padding toward the kitchen where they were oblivious to everything else in the house.

Mom was yelling at Victor about her emotional needs, but Victor had calmed. His voice was lower, as if he had decided she wasn’t worth the energy anymore. The rumbling baritone notes vibrated my chest, and I pressed my ear against the swinging door, hoping to make out what he was saying. I could tell he was still angry, but when his tone changed like this, the argument was almost always over.

“Jillian, this isn’t working out. We are too different.” His words cut my heart deep. Was he breaking up with her? But why?

My hands trembled as I pushed the door open only the tiniest crack so I could see what was happening. Mom’s face was stained with tear streaks which she scrubbed away with a kitchen towel. Her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed. I swallowed the lump in my throat, anxious that they’d see me and turn their frustration on me for listening in.

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