Page 43 of Fake it With Me

“So excited! I love the boat! We have a TV and there’s a hot tub and the beds are so comfy and there’s a slide that goes into the water.”

“Don’t give away all the surprises,” Darek said, coming up behind her. He’d changed into shorts and a T-shirt that did absolutely nothing to hide his physique. I forced myself to look away before I got caught staring.

We loaded into the SUV and headed toward the yacht club. Daisie kept up a running commentary the entire way, telling me about all the times they’d gone out on the boat and the time they saw dolphins. Then she switched to talking about how she was learning to tie nautical knots.

“Daddy’s teaching me,” she said proudly. “I can do a bowline and a clove hitch and a—what’s the other one, Daddy?”

“Figure eight,” he supplied.

“Figure eight! I’m gonna learn all the knots and then I can be a real sailor.”

Again, he was a good daddy and Sasha was a horrible mother.

The yacht club looked different in the morning light, less intimidating without a crowd of people in cocktail attire. We drove past the main building down to the docks.

“Holy shit,” I breathed, then immediately clapped my hand over my mouth. “Sorry. I mean—Daisie, don’t repeat that.”

“I know not to say bad words,” Daisie said, but she was giggling.

The yacht was massive. Not just big—massive. Easily over a hundred feet long. It had multiple decks and I could see loungers on each one.

“You live on that sometimes?” I asked, still staring.

“Occasionally,” Darek said, like it was no big deal. Like everyone had a floating mansion at their disposal. “Mostly I use it for client entertainment and family trips. Come on, I’ll show you around.”

We walked down the dock carrying our bags with Daisie skipping ahead. As we got closer I could see the name painted on the hull in elegant script: Daisie Mae.

Of course he named it after his daughter.

A crew was waiting to welcome us aboard. Three people in matching polo shirts with the Sullivan Yachts logo. They greeted Darek by name, smiled at Daisie, and welcomed me politely without asking questions.

“We’re ready to depart whenever you are, sir,” one of them said.

“Give us twenty minutes to get settled. Then we’ll head out.”

The interior of the yacht was exactly what you’d expect from a billionaire’s custom build. Polished wood, leather furniture, state-of-the-art everything. But as Darek showed me around, I started noticing details that surprised me.

There were photos everywhere. Darek and Daisie on various adventures, birthday parties, candid moments. The main cabin had a kids’ section with books and toys organized in built-in cubbies. One of the staterooms was clearly designed for a child, with twin beds and decorations that Daisie had probably picked out herself.

“You designed this for family trips,” I said, running my hand along a handrail that had been positioned at a height perfect for small hands.

“Yeah. I wanted somewhere we could go together, just the two of us or with friends. Somewhere that felt like home but mobile.” He gestured around.

I honestly expected it to be a floating fuck bunker for a billionaire. A place he could impress a woman and get her to drop her dress without any worries of his daughter interrupting. Not that he needed to do more than flash one of those sexy smiles.

I thought about Sasha and the fact she had walked away from all of this. She left a man who had built a yacht designed around spending time with his family. From a husband who clearly adored his daughter and wanted to share adventures with her.

How could someone look at Daisie and choose to leave? How could anyone walk away from what Darek was offering?

Fuck that bitch. The thought came sharp and fierce, and I didn’t even feel bad about it.

“Liza!” Daisie called from somewhere above deck. “Come see the hot tub!”

I followed her voice up to the sun deck, where there was indeed a hot tub, along with lounge chairs and a bar area.

Darek came up behind me. “What do you think?”

“I think this is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” I gestured at the ocean spreading out in all directions. “Not the boat—I mean, the boat is incredible—but this. Being out here.”