Her Boyfriend’s Dad (Toxic Tryst #3)

Chapter One

I vibrated with nerves all throughout the cab ride.

It was spring break, and while a bunch of my friends had gone to Miami to party, I’d taken two busses to get to a small town in the middle of nowhere.

It was a pretty, fairytale sort of town.

The wide streets were lined with leafy trees and the big houses had gardens filled with roses and penned off with white picket fences.

Even the bus stop I’d been dropped off at had been nice. Tim was supposed to pick me up, but he’d sent me a message — can u take a cab srry — and given me the address for his home.

That was sort of annoying but I couldn’t be mad for long.

Tim Carrington was my boyfriend. We were both freshman and had met at a college party last October.

For spring break, he’d invited me to his hometown to meet his parents.

Correction: parent. Tim had been raised by a single dad, stating that his mother had ‘fucked off a long time ago.’

My best friends Tessa, Phoebe and Grace had all whined when I’d apologetically told them I couldn’t make it to Miami.

“What?” they'd said, shocked at the news. “You’re meant to be partying with us, not meeting some random old guy.”

“He’s not some random guy,” I’d replied, “he’s Tim’s dad. Meeting the parents is an important step in relationships.”

Her friends had rolled their eyes at that. They didn’t like Tim very much, which I couldn’t understand. He was cute and treated me well…most of the time. Sure, sometimes he was a bit forgetful. But he was never cruel on purpose. He was a good guy.

But now that I was sitting in a cab on the way to his house, I started to second guess the whole thing. Was I really ready to meet his dad? What if we were moving too fast? What if Tim’s dad hated me? What if, what if, what if?

Before I could worry any longer, the taxi dropped me off in front of a double-story house painted a deep blue. The lawns were freshly manicured and a pretty vine crawled down the side of the house.

I grabbed my suitcase, took a deep breath, and walked up to the front door. After ringing the doorbell, I took a step back and hastily combed my hair with my fingers, making sure it framed my face nicely.

Wait. What was I doing? Did it really matter if Tim’s dad thought I looked pretty? Well, it was not like I was trying to look pretty for him . I just wanted to look pretty in general. I didn’t want him to think I wasn’t good enough for his son.

The door swung open and standing in the doorway was the most good-looking man I’d ever seen in my life.

He was tall — way taller than Tim, which I hadn’t expected.

He must’ve been six three or four. He wore a tight t-shirt that showed off the breadth of his shoulders and his huge biceps, and faded jeans.

Unlike Tim, he had a jaw covered in scruff, the same deep brown as his eyes and hair.

“You must be Willow, Tim’s girl.” His deep voice sent a shiver down my spine.

“Yes. It’s nice to meet you, Mr Carrington. Thanks so much for inviting me to your home.”

He laughed, which instantly made me nervous. “‘Mr Carrington’ makes me feel about a hundred and ten. It’s Logan. Come in.”

“Th-thanks.” I stepped into the foyer, which was spotless, the wooden floorboards polished. Mr Carrington — Logan , I corrected myself — took my suitcase. I’d packed for a week but he picked it up like it weighed nothing.

“I’ll show you to the guest room,” he said. “Tim’s not here yet, but I bet you expected that, right?”

I let out a shy laugh. “He is late most of the time.” The whole reason Tim didn’t travel with me is because he was going to a party with his college friends before meeting me. He promised he’d leave in time to pick me up at the bus stop, but I hadn’t been that surprised he hadn’t shown up.

“Awful habit,” Logan said. “He’s been late since a kid and if he keeps going like that, he’ll be late to his own funeral.”

That made me laugh for real, and I relaxed a little. I followed Logan up a staircase, trying not to stare at his wide back. How could father and son be so different? Not that Tim was short by any means, but he was only an inch taller than me. His father in comparison was practically a giant.

“Here’s your room,” Logan said, setting my suitcase down. “Sorry it’s a bit masculine. Haven’t had a woman in this house for a long time.”

The bedroom was gorgeous. Sure, the furniture was all dark-stained wood and the bed had been made with navy sheets, but I didn’t need a bedroom with be all pink and fluffy. A huge window looked over the lush green backyard.

“It’s beautiful,” I murmured, walking around, looking up at the high ceilings. “Your home’s amazing.”

Logan blushed, which surprised me. I didn’t think guys like him could blush. “Built it myself, actually.”

My jaw dropped open. “What? All of it?”

His blush deepened, making him suddenly look a lot younger. “I mean, I had a lot of help. Had to hire electricians and plumbers but…I did a lot. Wanted to save money on labor, y’know? I don’t know if Tim mentioned, but I’m a —”

“Construction worker,” I finished. “Yeah, he did.” I wandered around the room again, suddenly noticing all the intricate details.

The crown moulding. The interesting light-fixtures.

The subtle pattern on the curtains. Everything came together to make the room feel luxurious.

“Holy shit,” I murmured, then slapped a hand over my mouth.

Cursing in front of a boyfriend’s parent was something you weren’t supposed to do.

Logan laughed. “You don’t need to worry about swearing. You’re an adult now. You’re a freshman, right? So, eighteen?”

“Nineteen,” I corrected. I had my birthday two months ago.

Tim had bought me the prettiest bracelet…

after arriving to the party an hour late.

And sure had been silver while I only wore gold, but it was the thought that counted.

At least, that’s what I’d said to my friends after they shook their heads with disapproving frowns.

Logan nodded and took a step back. “Well, I’ll let you get settled in. Hopefully it won’t be too long until Tim arrives.”

“Hopefully,” I agreed.

After Logan left, I spent the next few minutes unpacking, then used the bathroom down the hall to freshen myself up.

Sitting on a bus for four hours had made me feel grubby.

I’d just returned to my bedroom and changed into some clean clothes when my phone rang, and my heart lifted at the sight of Tim’s name.

“Hey!” I said after picking up. “I’m here, where are you?”

“Um,” he began, in a tone that made my heart drop like a stone. “About that…”

“What is it?” I asked, clinging to the hope it wasn’t bad news.

“So, uh…I’m not going to make it tonight.”

“What?” I demanded. “Where are you?”

He took a moment to respond. “Cancún,” he said in a small voice.

I froze. “You’re in fucking Mexico ? What the fuck, Tim?”

“Baby, I can explain,” he sound. “See, my friends were going and they begged me to come with them, and I couldn’t say no, could I? I figured I’d go with them, hang out for a few days and come back.”

“Yeah,” I said, my voice strangely calm. “Alright. Fantastic. Apart from the fact you were meant to fucking be with me, Tim. I’m at your house right now, with your dad. And you’re in another country.”

“You don’t have to sound so angry,” he said.

“I am fucking angry!” I said, raising my voice. “You’ve completely abandoned me. This was your idea. You’re the one who invited me to your hometown, and now you’re not even here.” My voice broke. “Don’t you understand how shitty that is?”

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “But…my friends…”

“I’m your girlfriend ,” I said, enunciating the word as if that’d get it through his head. “Doesn’t that matter?”

“I’ll be back in a few days.”

I laughed mirthlessly. “What am I supposed to do till then? Sit around while stuck in a house with a literal stranger?”

“He’s not a stranger, he’s my dad.”

“I met him for the first time fifteen minutes ago.”

“He’s a nice guy. Just…I don’t know, play Monopoly or something.”

I laughed. “Fuck you, Tim.”

“Baby, don’t be like that.”

“No,” I said, voice going cold like ice. “You don’t get to call me baby anymore. I feel so stupid because I should have expected this. You always let me down. I was just too blind to see it.”

“Willow,” he tried.

“No. We’re done. You got that? We’re finished. Have fun in Cancún with your fucking friends. Don’t contact me again.” I hung up and managed to stay calm for another thirty seconds. Then I burst into tears.

I don’t know how much time passed until there was a knock, and the bedroom door opened.

“Hey, just wanted to check up on — shit, what happened?” Logan said, stopping at the sight of me.

I quickly wiped my tears. I just knew my eyes and nose were red. “N-nothing,” I said, my voice wobbly from crying.

“It’s not nothing,” he said sternly. He grabbed a tissue box from the nightstand and handed it to me. I took it gratefully and blew my nose.

“You want to tell me what’s wrong?” He asked as he sat down beside me. Suddenly, his expression changed. “Is it Tim?”

My reaction must’ve been all the answer he needed. I grabbed a handful of tissues to wipe up my tears while Logan sighed. “Fucking hell. What did he do this time?”

“He’s not coming,” I said quietly. “He’s in Mexico.”

“Jesus Christ,” he muttered.

“I don’t know why he’d do this to me. This was his idea. I took a bus all the way here, and I was excited to spend the break with him, and…and he couldn’t even be bothered to show up.”

Logan started to reach out, then seemed to think better of it, dropping his hand. “I’m so sorry,” he said quietly. “I know my son can be flighty, but I never thought he’d be this inconsiderate. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Logan made a non-committal noise. “I’m the one who raised him,” he said.

“I broke up with him,” I blurted out.

“I’d say that’s what he deserves.”

“I just feel so stupid, though.”

“It’s okay.”

It wasn’t okay though. I burst into tears again, which was humiliating.

I hated crying in front of other people, and this was even worse because Logan Carrington was a stranger.

But he didn’t judge me. Instead, he just let me cry it out, not looking awkward.

Just patient. And it was…comforting, strangely enough.

After I’d composed myself, I picked up my phone. “I need to figure out how to get home,” I said, internally wincing at the prospect of getting on a bus for the second time today.

“If you need somewhere to stay for the night, you’re more than welcome to stay here.”

“Thank you,” I said, but I wanted to go home as soon as possible. I didn’t want to stay in this house and think about Tim. He was an asshole. A total dickhead. But he’d also been my boyfriend. I genuinely cared about him, and it cut like a knife to realize he didn’t care about me the same way.

It turned out that there wasn’t an available bus back to the city that night. “All the seats are booked out,” I said.

“I could drive you back?” Logan said.

I glanced at him. It was nice of him to offer, but it was four hours there, meaning an eight hour round trip for him. I couldn’t let him do that.

“Thank you, but it’ll be easier if I get the bus tomorrow. Is it really okay if I crash here tonight?”

“Of course,” he said. “Make yourself at home. If you need anything, let me know. You’ve had an exhausting day.”

“Thank you,” I said, offering him a weak smile.

He stood up, once again reached out like he was going to pat my shoulder, but stopped himself at the last moment. “I’m going to go downstairs and think about dinner. Is there anything you can like? We can order takeout.”

“I’m not picky,” I said. “I’ll eat anything.”

“Alright,” he said. “I’ll let you have some space.”

He left, closing the door behind him. Through the window, the sun was setting, filling the bedroom with golden light, and for a moment, I felt a little bit better.