34. Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Four
Carter
W ith a towel around my waist and a hot cup of coffee in my hands, I scroll through the daily news on my phone. Lina and I got hungry around two in the morning and decided to come back to my place after grabbing some late-night fast food. She said she likes sleeping in my bed because it smells like me. I responded by telling her the same thing, except when she’s over, she makes my sheets smell like her. I never want them not to have her sweet scent all over them.
Even though we didn’t get much sleep, I woke up feeling relaxed and at ease. We’ve slowly fallen into a routine—one where we act like a couple in love, but nobody actually knows it. I guess that’s the way things are going to continue to be. Living my double life, I keep my distance from her while we’re around other people, but when it’s just us—the world stops, and all that matters is being with her at that singular moment.
The water from the shower is running in the background while she’s finishing up. What is it about the sound of her taking a shower in my bathroom that makes me feel so possessive? Who am I kidding? Everything about Lina stokes possessive and protective feelings inside me. It’s become my reality .
A hard knock on my door startles me. My eyebrows snap together. Who could it be this early in the morning? Abby and Ashley both don’t knock that hard, but they might be out for a morning walk with Snickers and want to stop by to say hello.
I tuck my towel into the side of my waist, securing it in place, then quickly slip on a white undershirt. With a coffee cup still in one hand, I swing the door open with the other.
I feel my eyes bulge as they land on my best friend standing in front of me with an emphatic look on his face. “Hey, dude. I was in the area and thought you might want to go golfing.”
Fuck. Lina is showering only a few feet from us. The morning air breezes through my wet hair, causing a chill. I stiffen. Brian needs to learn how to use a fucking phone.
“Oh, hey.” My voice came out alarmed, although I tried to hide it.
“I tried calling, but you didn’t answer, so I figured I’d come by,” he tells me, glancing into my apartment. Of course he tried to call. His eyes widen. Mine are quick to follow his line of sight. A pair of pink silk panties are lying haphazardly across the armrest of my leather couch.
A sly smile crawls across my friend’s face, and his arms fly into the air in front of us. “Say no more.”
“Oh, yeah.” I nod, sweat pooling along my hairline. “It’s not a good time, but I appreciate you coming by, though.”
“Good for you, Jag. I know it’s a hard time right now, but getting your dick wet will surely help,” he encourages, shoving my shoulder.
I’ve got to get him out of here before his daughter walks out of my bathroom. “Sure, yes— ”
“I’m starving,” I hear Lina’s upbeat voice behind me. My back locks into place. Almost in slow motion, I watch as pure shock transforms Brian’s expression from excitement to disbelief.
I whip my head around to see Lina standing in my hallway, her towel tucked under her armpits and her hair long and wet.
“Lina!” His nostrils flare.
“Dad,” she greets weakly.
“What are you doing here?” Brian shouts. “And in a fucking towel?”
Oh my fucking god. I can’t believe this is happening right now. My mind spins, trying to come up with something to say. Before I have the chance to speak, Lina does.
“Uh, my water was turned off. There’s maintenance going on at my house, so Carter, let me shower here.” She attempts to rush out a lie but fails miserably.
He’s not going to believe that.
Brian’s eyes bounce from Lina in a towel to me in a towel, to the armrest of my leather couch and her goddamn pink panties. “Try again,” he threatens darkly.
This is ridiculous. I suck in a heavy breath and prepare to tell him that I’m sleeping with his daughter.
“Brian, Lina and I are sleeping together.” Holding nothing back, I tell the truth. We’ve known each other for years, after all. And it will feel good to stop hiding and lying to everyone.
His pupils dilate, and his lips form a thin line. “What the hell did you just say?”
“Dad—” Lina pleads from behind us.
“I’m sorry, Brian. I never meant for this to happen, but—” I start to explain.
“What?” His palm comes up to brace himself against the wall. “You didn’t mean to stick your dick into my little girl?”
“Geezus, Dad,” Lina comments, still maintaining a distance behind us.
His words make me sick. She is not a child. Lina is a grown woman, capable of making her own decisions. Maybe it’s time he started treating her like one.
“She’s not a child, dude,” I firmly correct. “Lina is an adult. I’m sorry you had to find out this way, but none of this was done with a thought of you in mind.”
“Obviously!” he spits. “How the hell do you think this makes me feel?”
“I don’t know,” I admit.
Brian whips his neck back and forth, cracking it a few times. “Because you’re not a fucking parent. That’s why.”
I do not want to fight with him in the middle of my living room, wearing nothing but a thin white towel around my waist, but it looks like this will happen. “Like you were? You weren’t around for most of her life. I knew that and still tried to keep my feelings for Lina inside out of respect for you.”
“Your feelings?” He grimaces, wiping a hand down the front of his face. “There are feelings at play here?”
“Yes,” I say, gripping the side of the door.
From my peripheral, I see Lina subtly nod her head.
Brian moves his focus from me, gesturing to his daughter. “How long?”
“A couple of months,” Lina tells him, with confidence in her voice, making me proud. That is something Lina will never shy away from, being her true, authentic self. I find it incredibly sexy.
Brian paces in place. “I can’t believe this. I don’t know how to act or what to think right now.”
“Look, Dad—”
Staring at the ground, he continues, “I’m furious, but then again, I feel like I can’t be. But I also feel betrayed—”
“Dad—”
“Leave me alone,” he says before walking out the door and slamming it shut behind him.
Silence.
“Well, that isn’t how I wanted this morning to go.” I turn to Lina. She looks sad. “It will be okay.”
“I didn’t want him to find out this way.” She walks into my room with her head hanging low.
“We have nothing to feel bad about.” I follow her, defending our actions. The last thing I want is for Lina to be scared away. I can’t lose her. I had no idea how or when we’d tell Brian about us, but I knew it would have to happen soon.
Lina gets dressed, slipping on a pair of joggers and a hoodie. “I know. We don’t. We’re just messing around, right?”
My forehead furrows. I’m not messing around. Lina is everything. But the last time I brought this up to her, she became upset and shut down. She’s afraid to admit it to herself, so admitting it to me is completely out of the question.
I need her in my life in whatever capacity she’s willing to give, but my patience won’t last forever. Now that people are finding out about us, there’s an extra layer that we have to explain.
It’s one thing to find out that we’re sleeping together, but it’s another to accept that your best friend and daughter are only sleeping together. If Lina and I were forthcoming about our love, maybe there would be a path forward with him because it wouldn’t be viewed as me using her—even though that’s the furthest thing from the truth.
The last week has been fucking draining. I don’t have any more energy to go back and forth with her. I am sure of my feelings. I’ve tried to speak with Lina about them. I feel defeated and frustrated.
“You’re right. That’s all we’re doing,” I reluctantly agree, pulling my pants on.
Lina slides her hands around my waist. “He’ll be fine. I’ll assure my dad that it’s his choice, and it’s something simple and nonserious, so he won’t get worried about you breaking my heart.”
My muscles feel stiff under her welcoming embrace, but I can’t relax. “That’s a good idea.”
“Then we can just go from there,” she says.
I tuck my hands in my pockets, stifling the urge to hold her. “Okay, Lina.”
Lina raises to her tippy toes to kiss me, but I don’t kiss her back. Her lips meet my closed mouth. She senses that I’m upset but doesn’t mention it. “I’m going to head home. I’ll call my dad on the way.”
I nod, refusing to look at her as she walks out of my bedroom. Only a second later, I heard the door shut.
I clamp my eyes shut. Sitting in silence, I start to filter through everything that has happened in the last few months, but I’m interrupted by my phone buzzing on the nightstand. I ignore it. It buzzes again. I lean back to swipe it off the charger and quickly glance at who it is. This time, I check to see who’s calling.
It’s a Florida number.
I answer immediately and recognize the woman’s voice on the other end of the phone. She’s from the flight academy. My shoulders sink, not prepared for whatever she’s calling for. I need to make a decision about whether to take this position. I don’t want to continue to live in limbo.
“As I was saying,” the woman on the phone continues as I try to bring my focus back to her. “I know we tried to schedule a meeting last month but did not hear back from you.”
I sigh. I’ve been so caught up with Lina that I completely forgot to schedule that trip. “My apologies.”
“We understand, but the team wanted to reach out to you one last time since the instructor who was set to retire next fall has now gone into early retirement due to medical reasons.”
“Okay.” I listen intently for what she’s going to say next.
“I’m calling to formally extend an offer for you to meet with the team.” She pauses. “But they’re insistent on meeting with you this week.”
I tuck my phone between my chin and my shoulder. Wiping a hand down my face, I take in each one of her words. “Okay.”
“So, pending a formal meeting—which I’m confident will go well—the job is yours if you can start by the end of the month.”
The end of the month.
“Okay, thank you. I can be there by the end of the week.”
“Wonderful. We’ll email you the location information. See you soon, Captain Hernandez.”
I quickly say goodbye before swiping up to read a text that just came through from Lina.
Lina: Spoke with my dad. He said he’s going to need some time.
Me: Alright. I’m sure I’ll have to speak with him at some point.
Lina: I’m sorry he had to find out this way.
Me: Me too.
And with that, my worry about Brian is not my main concern—it’s my future with Lina. I want her to be a part of it, and I’m tired of waiting.