Page 36 of Her Big Fat Dreamy Billionaire Ex

But it wasn’t a good thing to stay away. She missed her father. Missed the way he’d shout at the television during his favorite baseball games. Missed his “famous” grilled cheese sandwiches, which were really like every other grilled cheese sandwich.

Her thoughts turned to when she was in grade school and how he’d made her feel like a princess, even when they didn’t have the money for the new dress she wanted. He had stayed up late into the night hand-sewing on a piece of tulle to her skirt. He’d turned an old piece of clothing into something magical, to her young eyes. She would never forget that night at the Daddy Daughter dance.

He even came to school every year on parents’ day, letting her know she wasn’t any less because she was the only one without a mother there. Her vision blurred and she blinked.

“You okay?” Aiden asked, looking at her.

She forced a smile. “Yeah. Sorry. Just thinking about my father.”

“Is he okay?”

“He’s fine. I just miss him.”

“Then you should go see him.”

“Right.” She swallowed. Aiden wouldn’t understand if she told him how difficult it was to be in Chicago. Or how tight the funds were. He was a billionaire. That wasn’t part of his world anymore, worrying about money.

Thinking about tonight with Harold made her a bit apprehensive. What would Grams do to separate them? Hopefully she was above giving him food poisoning or anything else dangerous.

The thought made her shake her head. This was Grams, for heaven’s sake. She was not dangerous. She’d never do anything to hurt anyone. All she’d done had been harmless prank kind of stuff.

Still, it might be best if she were proactive about it. “Would you do me a favor?”

Aiden looked at her with one eyebrow raised, his hands on the steering wheel. “What do you need?”

“Would you keep Grams busy during dinner tonight?”

Aiden’s gaze seemed to harden a bit before he nodded. “Yes. I’ll make sure she doesn’t interfere with your date.”

Was it just her imagination, or did he spit out the word ‘date’ like it tasted bad? “Thanks.”

Aiden steered the van off the highway onto a dirt road. “We’re almost to the hiking area. Please don’t leave any valuables in the van. There’s a restroom at the start of the trail, so I’ll give you ten minutes. There won’t be any restrooms for the three-hour hike, so take advantage of it. We’ll need the group to stay together on the trail.”

Aiden parked and Felicity got out of the vehicle. She and Aiden were the first to get done in the bathroom, so she awkwardly stood near him, looking for something she could photograph. But there was nothing interesting. Aiden would think she’d gone crazy if she started snapping photos of the bathrooms. She gripped her camera and stared up at the cloudy sky.

“It’s not supposed to storm again.” Aiden put his hands behind his back, like he didn’t know what to do with them.

“I know,” she said quickly. She’d acted a bit stupid last night and was feeling embarrassed.

“That’s good. Because...you know.”

“What are you saying? Because I’m a baby when it comes to storms?”

He put his hands out almost as a shield. “No, not at all. I just didn’t want you to worry is all.”

“I wasn’t.” She didn’t want Aiden to see her as weak.

A couple of people from the excursion had joined them and Aiden fell silent. He seemed to take an interest in the gravel they were standing on.

When the group was back together, Aiden motioned for everyone to gather. “We’ll be hiking up this trail. I don’t want anyone wandering off the path. There are snakes in this jungle.”

A few people gasped, and Aiden held up a hand. “It’s okay. If you stay on the trail you should be fine.”

He turned to Felicity. “Do you want to walk ahead of me to get photos without people in the way?”

She nodded. “Thank you. That’s very thoughtful.” Her heart warmed a bit.

He shrugged and paused so she could take the lead. “Grams would kill me if I didn’t let you get good pictures.”

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