Page 43 of My Best Friend's Dad

“Can you forgive me for this?” I ask quietly.

His smile drops but doesn’t fade away. Well, a ghost of a smile is better than no smile. His eyes aren’t angry either, and they’re not burning with the desire for retribution. “I’m floored that my daughter loves me enough to go to these lengths for me.” Of course he’d say that. Think it. Feel it. He can find meaning in what other people would only see as betrayal and be wounded by. “And how you love her so much that you agreed to help. I’m so glad she has someone there for her, someone who loves her for her and who sees her and cherishes her.”

“I do. I do very much.” My hand flies to my lips, which I swear have become a hornet’s nest of buzzing activity. They’re still electrified after that kiss. My whole body is a clap of thunder after bursts of lightning. I don’t want to comment on what’s clapping. “I…I kissed you.”

“Yes.” That’s neither certain nor uncertain, butI’mcertain of one thing.

“I didn’t mean for it to happen, but Ididmeanit. I don’t know what to do with that. We should probably just…take some time and decompress. And go for cookies and tea because I promised we would. I have to talk shop if I’m bringing my nightmare bear home with me.”

“In all my years picking, that is the most haunted being I have ever encountered.”

“Real talk? That’s shocking.”

He laughs, taking a step toward the house. He waits for me to catch up with him as I bring the bear and fall in beside him. He naturally slows his long strides so I can keep up. He probably doesn’t even know he’s doing it.

At the porch, he pauses. “Thank you for being honest with me.” He’s facing the front door, but my heart trips over itself, and I become breathless all the same.

“Thank you for not finding another more haunted item to one-up me and also hex me.”

“Never.” He turns, his face dead serious but kind too. “Also, I don’t think you’re a fraud. You don’t have to be in love to be a great wedding planner. Part of being a good person is knowing your faults and flaws and growing from there. That doesn’t have much to do with weddings, at least ones that aren’t your own. You’re probably a great wedding planner because you pay attention to detail. You’re organized, you’re compassionate, you listen, and you care. You believe in love, and you believe in celebrating someone else’s happiness instead of being jealous of it. That’s huge.”

I want to take that and let it soak in, but I’m so used to finding one more thing to fix about myself that it’s hard.

“I think you’re doing just fine,” he encourages, not letting me spiral. “Didn’t you just tell me there’s always room for good things on top of good things? If you stop growing and searching and learning about the world and about yourself, then that’s an ego problem, and it’s a bad spot to be. You’re so far from there.”

I’m going to cry again. And this time, it’s going to be ugly crying tears. “How do you know exactly what to say?”

“I guess because I’m banana, banana, ban-anna-anna-anna.” He wriggles his hips just like I did, which makes me burst out laughing. “Let’s go barter for your haunted bear.”

We walk up the porch together, but before he knocks on the door, I blurt out the neediest, most pathetic thing ever. “Please tell me this isn’t the last time I’ll see you.”

He doesn’t touch me. He’s not close enough that any of our body parts are even in danger of brushing against each other, but his face softens, and it’s his freaking aura that reaches out to me. I swear, it’s a real thing.

“It won’t be. I promise,” he says.

There’s a hugebutin there. But I can’t press. Like the poisonous snake’s anal scales, it’s not a good idea to dig underneath and examine it. Is that even real? I’m starting to doubt myself. Don’t believe everything you read online.

“I have to go to Europe and settle things there with Geneiva and her dad. If the deal falls through, it falls through, but now I see that an arranged marriage was an insane ask. We’re not things to be bartered with. I also want to make sure Geneiva is okay. She doesn’t deserve to have her heart broken or her family ripped apart because of me. I need to put it all on myself because itison me. I should never have agreed in the first place. I’ll talk to Mika before I leave, and as soon as I get back, maybe we can have another one of those coffee dates. Or even dinner.”

“You could always drop by her shop once in a while and buy some awesome goth clothing.”

I’m trying to make him laugh, but he nods like he’s actually considering it. Holy shit, Rowleigh in a long black trench with eyeliner, tight leather pants, suspenders only, no shirt, and painted black nails…

Hooo boy.

There aren’t enough breezes in the world to fan away the heat that’s emanating from my body.

To be fair, Rowleigh in anything is such a hot image that no matter what, I’d be a burning red hot cherry over here.

“Tea,” I mutter, reaching past Rowleigh to knock on the door. “Tea is a great thing.”

“Tea and cookies are even better.”

“With good company,” I add.

“Yeah,” Rowleigh agrees.

My hand falls away, and I wait side by side with Rowleigh, the bear in my arms. Looks like he’s going for tea too. Death tea.