Kissed and Missed (Daddy Issues #2)

Chapter 4

4

JULIAN

SIX WEEKS AGO

“ F or fuck’s sake, Riley.”

The hand gripping my phone falls back to my side as the fifth consecutive call to my daughter goes to voicemail. I’ve tolerated a lot from her, especially over the last few years, but this? Damn it, I thought we were making progress. I thought her agreeing to come to Christmas and bringing the girlfriend I’d never met, was an olive branch.

Instead, what I got is confirmation my kid treats everyone as poorly as she treats me.

My chest tightens as I remember the awkward, halting way Honor explained what had just happened, or the way her hand shook when she showed me the texts. I’d insisted she go upstairs to the guest room and clean up and rest, at which time I attempted the first of the unanswered calls to my daughter. Now, after I learned Riley didn’t get on her second flight, my bet is she’s staying in Hawaii with her mother to avoid the fallout.

Until today, the only information I had on Honor Vogel was that she was dating Riley, that she’s from New England, and works for a nonprofit. In my mind, and based on my recollection of my daughter’s high school girlfriends, I expected another socialite or party girl.

Honor seemed gentle . Not a word I would typically use, or a characteristic I encounter often in the world I built for myself, one filled with ambition and greed.

This woman is different, though. Even as she recounted the events that transpired before she arrived at my door, she never seemed outwardly angry or spoke a single harsh word about my daughter—though she certainly had every right to. Instead, she quietly thanked me for having her, apologized for any disruption to my holiday plans, and assured me she would be out of my hair as soon as she could book a flight home.

She was also beautiful.

I hate that I noticed, but the moment I laid eyes on her, there was no avoiding it. What the hell is wrong with me? Raking my hand through my hair, I sink down on the end of the nearest lounge chair, staring blindly into the gently rippling pool.

“Mr. Ballard?”

My heart leaps and I whip around to face the young blonde woman edging around the pool toward me, her hands clasped in front of her.

I get to my feet. “Julian. Please,” I correct, because I feel like enough of an old man without a woman who looks like she does calling me Mr. Ballard. “Have you, uh, heard from Riley?”

She winces, stopping ten feet away from me. “Um. No. I mean, I talked to her in the car, but that was the last time. She wasn’t, you know, nice about it.”

Not a surprise. Blowing out a rocky breath, I shake my head. “I’m sorry, Honor. Truly. Both for what she did, and for the timing.”

Honor lifts a shoulder, her lips twisting into a wry smile. “It wasn’t your fault.”

That may be technically true, but I’m her parent. I was responsible for raising her, for teaching her right from wrong, and now Honor is paying the price for my failure.

She seems to guess what I’m thinking though. “She’s an adult. She knows right from wrong, and she still chose to do this. That’s not on you, Mr. Ballard—Julian.”

I hate that I love the way she says my name.

“You’re much calmer about this than I am.”

Honor’s eyes drift from my face to the ocean behind me as she tucks a wayward lock of light blonde hair behind her ear, looking troubled. “I think I knew. Subconsciously.” She lets out an uncomfortable laugh. “Lesson learned, I guess.”

Even with about a decade of poor behavior under my kid’s belt, never have I been angrier with her.

Honor seems to shake herself, wincing apologetically. “I’m sorry. Weird day. Um. I’m having some trouble getting a flight home, because of the storm hitting the East Coast right now. I managed to find a motel about forty-five minutes away, but I wasn’t sure if I could order a rideshare here, with the security and everything.”

“You’re not taking a rideshare to a motel.” I bristle, annoyed despite myself. “Your holiday has been ruined through no fault of your own. Stay here.”

She shakes her head. “I honestly don’t really want to be here when Riley shows up.”

“She didn’t get on the plane.” My grip tightens on the phone in my hand as a fresh wave of anger with Riley surfaces. “My bet is she’s going to stay in Hawaii with her mother.”

Honor rocks back on her heels, obviously still hesitant. “I don’t want to get in the way.”

Wordlessly, I gesture to the massive house behind her. “If you’d rather be alone, the guest suite has everything you’ll need, and the staff can bring up your meals.”

My pulse stutters as color rises in her cheeks. “It’s not that. I just know you were going to have family over, and probably don’t want to introduce them to Riley’s ex-girlfriend.” Honor reaches up to tuck the same hair back behind her ear, this time exposing a few inches of pale skin below the hem of her T-shirt.

My cock twitches, and I grit my teeth, furious with myself for feeling this way. I have no business being attracted to this woman, not while she’s a guest in my home, or when she’s recovering from a heartbreak inflicted by my own daughter.

“Stay. You’re more than welcome to hide away upstairs if you feel more comfortable avoiding the entire thing,” I insist and—damn me—when she smiles shyly in thanks, I feel about twelve feet tall.