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I'm snarling as I walk through the dining room where a couple of dozen people I know, and another dozen I don’t, mingle. I’ve spotted three women wearing a red accessory of some sort. Vivian’s plan backfired. I wanted to let the woman down easy—tell her I’m sorry I led her on—and move on with capturing Adalee and making her mine.
But Adalee is a fucking no-show too.
I was livid when I found myself alone yesterday afternoon. I fully expected her to still be lying in my arms when I woke up, so when I discovered her gone, I was ready to tear the house apart. Brick by brick. Layer by layer.
Staring at the double French doors leading off the kitchen, I briefly debate ignoring my daughter's request to stay away from the backyard and sneak out. I love her for putting this party together, but the one person I want here isn’t, and I fucking hate it.
Fidgeting with the beer in my hand, I watch the people around me, searching out any new flashes of red. Something I haven’t seen before because people can’t fucking listen, and when the front door opens, I stand straighter as Adalee’s roommate, Jensen, walks in. If he’s here, she must be too. She has to be.
He closes the door after himself, with no sign of my girl, and I feel fucking feral. Like a wild animal about to explode in a ball of rage.
I observe Vivian walk over to him and notice the way the man looks at my daughter. He’s smitten. There’s no mistaking the love in his eyes for her, especially when her attention gets diverted and she can’t see the emotions he no longer tries to mask.
After she kisses his cheek and allows her hand to linger on his chest for a moment before walking away to take care of something, I chug the rest of my beer and make my way over to him.
Clapping a rough hand on his shoulder, I squeeze hard. “Jensen.”
He stands taller when he realizes it’s me. “Welcome home, Major.”
“Thank you.” I don’t release him or his gaze. “If you want a chance in hell with Vivian, you’ll tell me where Adalee is right now.”
He swallows nervously before answering me. “Can’t do that, sir.” I squeeze his shoulder harder, and to his credit, he barely flinches. “She made me promise.”
It feels like I’ve been sucker punched in the gut. “Is she okay?” Letting him go, I don’t allow any of my feelings to show on the outside.
“She is. She’s…settled.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” A few people turn to look at my outburst.
“You should talk to Vivi.” He walks away before I can ask another question.
Son of a bitch.
If I’d known it would be this damn difficult to claim the woman of my dreams, I’d have whisked her away yesterday. To somewhere she couldn’t run from me. Like a damn boat. In the middle of the fucking ocean.
Fuck.
“Hey, Dad!” My head pops up at Vivi’s voice to see her standing by the covered French doors. Curious as she begins to open the curtain. I growl a little when she stops halfway. “Ladies and gentlemen, if you’re wearing red, the bride kindly asks you to remove it. This is her day, after all.”
My throat goes dry at her words and the slick way she’s grinning at me. Stepping forward, I feel like I’m travelling through a never-ending tunnel because it seems as if my daughter is a million miles away.
Placing my now empty beer bottle on the counter, I stop when the curtains are fully drawn, and I notice the backyard is adorned with sparkly twinkle lights weaving through the trellis and vines, on top of the fence, and covering an arch that I know wasn’t there this morning. And when the floodlights are turned on, I take her in.
Like a perfect angel in the glow of the yard, there stands my love. My sweet princess in the most stunning red dress I’ve ever seen. The fabric cascades down her body like a waterfall, flowing along her back into a trail of tulle, but the front is wide open. Showing far more skin than I’d like anyone else to see.
The skirt stops mid-thigh, and the bodice dips down to her belly button. Her tits nearly spill out, and like many men here, my tongue is tied.
“Dad,” Vivian prompts as I continue to stare at the vision before me, completely dumbfounded and spellbound.
“How’d you know?” I ask her as I stop next to her.
“I’ve always known. You two were just too stubborn.” She grins as she pushes me out the door.
“Close that fucking curtain,” I bark at her, and she grins before a sour look passes her face as she realizes why.
Doing as I say, she also shuts off the yard light, leaving us in a soft glow from the miniature ones. “You ran from me, princess. Didn’t return my calls or texts.”
She bites her lip. “I know.”
