Page 63 of Tight Spot

Just not one I liked all that much.

“Good morning, baby girl,” he finally said. “Came over so we could talk today.”

“It’ll have to be later,” Hailey said, and she pulled me up the stairs. Her dad was forced to step back. “But if you’d like, you can come in while I get ready so Dawson and I can go eat breakfast before I need to open my shop.” She stopped at her front door, key out, and then faced her father. “Oh, Dad. This is Dawson Butler, my boyfriend. Dawson, this is my dad, Ken.”

I had to pry my fingers out of Hailey’s grip to hold out my hand. Not that I wanted to.

“Boyfriend?” Ken’s blue eyes bounced between the two of us. “Hailey…”

“Nice to meet you, sir.” I held out my hand and waited a beat. Then two and right when I thought he wasn’t going to shake my hand and be that big of a dick in front of his daughter, he clasped on to mine. Firmly. A man who was about my size, at least my height, thinner, and shook it firmly.

“Nice to meet you, Dawson. Been a fan of yours on the field for years.”

Could have fooled me.

“Thank you.”

“You don’t watch football,” Hailey stated, her key in the lock forgotten.

Her dad smiled, and it was again so similar to hers it made my head spin. “Of course I watch football. Every Sunday. You and your mom were always working in the garden or out shopping, or you probably had your nose buried in one of your millions of books.”

He was teasing her, gently, lovingly. Helped me forgive the game he was currently playing but it was clear to see when he looked at his daughter, talked to her, he had nothing but love for her.

Maybe a bit too much overprotectiveness in him, too, but I wasn’t sure I could fault him for that much after seeing the way he looked at her.

“Huh,” was all Hailey said, and opened her door. “I never knew that.”

I rolled my lips together to keep from laughing. Iknewher dad watched football. She glanced back at me, scowled playfully. “Don’t start.”

“I didn’t say anything,” I told her and lifted my hands, and then held out my arm for Ken to follow her inside.

He shook his head, watching our interaction. “You first, son. She’s right. You’re the invited one here.”

Technically I’d said it, but whatever. That son hit hard and fast. I wasn’t his son. But he seemed like the kind of man who said it to every male his children’s age, so I tried to let it go.

Once we were inside, Hailey went straight to her kitchen where she pulled out a container of orange juice. “So, what’s Mom doing?”

She poured herself a glass and held up the bottle to me, but I shook my head. I wouldn’t let him be a jerk to her, but I wasn’t going to interfere as long this visit stayed cordial.

“Pissed I’m here to be honest. Said it’s none of my business who you’re…dating…these days.”

“At least one of you has some sense.”

This time, it was my chest that swelled. Damn, she didn’t hold back much, and in a heartbeat, it told me the kind of relationship they had because her dad chuckled, shaking his head and was now smiling.

“We’ve been worried about you, Hailey. Ever since Darrick, and there was no mention of this until your mom saw some pictures on her Instagram or whatever it’s called.”

Least that explained the phone calls.

“So did you call my brothers and get them all riled up or did they find out on their own?”

Ken had the decency to flinch. “Like I said, we were worried.”

“It was probably four in the morning out there! Aren’t you worried about their sleep? Their health? Hell, Tate was probably up all night long…”

“He was still finishing up a twelve-hour shift.”

Hailey’s eyes grew so round and large I worried they would leap right out of her sockets, or she’d get so angry she would throw herself over the counter to strangle her own family.

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