Page 150 of The Odds of Happily Ever After
Thanks, Pai. Send my regards to everyone.
Cesar
Call me later? With Luna
Gabe
Don’t act like you don’t just want to talk to her.
Cesar
Oops.
I looked upfrom my phone and said to the woman I loved, “My father has a crush on you.”
Tearing her eyes away from the display wall she’d been arranging over the last hour, Luna smiled wryly. “At least your dad likes me. I’m not sure mine likes me very much.”
“Your dad loves you, Luna. I think he just doesn’t know how to express it.”
He’d texted her a simple “Sorry, Luna. I’ll do better,” a week after that fateful call. The following week, I listened in the background as they had another family catchup, though her dad had been quieter than before. When I spoke with Tala, she told me how their dad had been feeling low and had asked her for advice on how to fix things with Luna.
Over the last two months, he texted Luna weekly. The messages were brief, but they were consistent. He didn’t say a lot, but he was trying.
Luna sighed. “I’d rather talk about your dad.”
“I suppose he has good taste.”
“You had to inherit it from someone, right?” She rounded my desk and leaned against the edge of it, facing me.
“Don’t start.”
“I mean, you got your looks from him too.”
I groaned. “Never tell him that. His ego is big enough already.”
“Now that I think about it, you do take after him a lot.” Her words ended on a squeal as I aimed for the spot near the center of her ribs where she was most ticklish. “Just for that, Iamtelling your dad.”
I’d introduced the two of them via video call last month, and it came as no surprise that Luna charmed him right away. My father was already sold on her from knowing she had encouraged me to visit him, but after she complimented his tattoos, he was enamored—so much that he’d begun talking about visiting.
“Maybe I shouldn’t let him come over,” I joked.
“Oh, c’mon. You know I still like you best.” Leaning over, Luna used the lapels of my jacket to tug me to her mouth.
“Nowthat’ssomething you should definitely tell my father,” I murmured as I obliged her for a kiss. Soon, her breathy moans filled my ears, her fingers tangling in my hair while my hands moved up her thighs.
Giggling, she pulled away from me. “Stop distracting me. We need to finish setting up.”
Me distracting her? I could hardly focus on anything else when she was in a room with me. “Everything already looks great.” I applauded myself for managing to tear my eyes away from her so I could study my office. “You did an amazing job, Luna.”
“I just helped with the decorations.”
“Which is good because that’s far from my field of expertise.” I chuckled. She’d even found another wind chime for the corner of my office because I didn’t want to remove the one she’d gifted me from its spot in my bedroom.
“It was a team effort.” Moving to stand beside me, she linked her arm through mine. “Can you believe it’s done?”
“No. It happened so fast.”
A month after I returned from Rio, Luna and I found this first-story office space for rent while she was practicing driving around a quiet area of town. The mixed-use building was within walking distance from my apartment and, best of all, it only needed a few minor renovations. We were officially opening tomorrow, just a week after Luna started her senior year.
