Page 63 of Daddy's Friend’s Mate

She snorted. “Nope.”

That felt weird, too. For Regina to take space was respectable, but to neglect her best friend was a nuanced mistake that clearly bothered my daughter.

“Did something happen?” I asked gently. “I’m worried about her, Kiki.”

Her eyes cut over to me, slicing right through me like they were made of lasers. “I bet you’d know more than me.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you’re the one that banged her.”

My whole body stiffened in the booth. Well, shit. “How did you figure that out?”

“Your gross condom wrapper fell out of her bag.”

“Condoms aren’t gross.”

She sneered. “They are when it’s my dad sleeping with my best friend behind my back. I mean, Jesus, you couldn’t just keep it to yourself until my bestie and I could talk? It’s like you just think about yourself all the time.”

“Kiara, that’s not fair. Our alphas announced us as mates and encouraged us to explore that connection. That’s what we were doing.”

“So, it doesn’t mean anything?”

I shook my head. “That’s not what I said.”

“You’re just like Regina. She did the same thing by dancing around every question I asked. It’s like she was keeping a secret—and I was right about it.”

“Kiki, my romantic life is not for you to cherry-pick, and I don’t think it’s fair that you’re getting mad about it.”

She scoffed. “Regina is like a daughter to you, Dad. Don’t you think it’s a little creepy that you hooked up with a girl who’s basically been a second child to you this whole time?”

“She’s not a girl; she’s a woman.”

“Oh, because that makes it so much more acceptable, right?”

I growled, “I don’t appreciate your tone, young lady.”

The waitress appeared to my left with two strawberry milkshakes. She sat at the edge of the table closest to her. After pulling two straws out of her apron and laying them gently between the glasses, she popped a bubble with her gum and retreated quietly back to the vintage counter. She hadn’t said a word. Probably because she knew better than to get between two people arguing in a restaurant.

At least we were the only ones here. We weren’t making too big of a scene.

Kind of.

I rested my hands on the table, trying to find the right words for what I was feeling—which was just too many things to coherently express. “I’m sorry for raising my voice. I’m just angry, Kiki.”

“I’m angry too. You made me lose my best friend.”

“You didn’t have to lose her, you know. You could give her a chance.”

She frowned hard. “To be my stepmother? That’s just…weird, Dad. Don’t you see how funny that is? I mean, what will people think?”

“Nobody opposed the announcement at the meeting. I don’t think people care as long as we’re not hurting anyone.”

“Have you thought about this at all aside from thinking with your junk?”

I sighed. “Yes, Kiki. I have. I thought at some point that people would judge me for being with a woman nearly half my age. But when I recalled the meeting and saw how people treated us with respect down in Athens, I didn’t feel self-conscious about it anymore. The only part I was worried about was you.”

Her face fell with defeat as she slowly placed her hands in her lap. “Oh, I see.”

---