Page 10 of The Billionaire and His Forever

My dad shrugs. “He’s a fucking mess. But I told him I’d handle everything, and I will.”

That makes my stomach churn, but before I can ask any more questions, Esmeralda comes down the hall. She freezes when she sees us huddled together in the foyer, a look of surprise on her face. My dad immediately unleashes his trademark charm.

“Esmeralda! What a pleasant surprise. Look at you, you haven’t aged a day.”

Her eyes dart between him and me and his luggage as she says, “Hello, Mr. Montgomery. Are you…here to see Abbie?”

“That and more. I’m here to be of service, however I can. Graham sent me.” He takes her hand and kisses her knuckles. “How have you been? Really.”

“We’re all stressed right now,” she admits quietly. “Your help is appreciated. I’ll have a guest room ready for you right away.”

“Thank you, dear. I’m just glad I can lend a hand to my best friend. He’s lucky to have you, too.”

Dad’s really laying it on thick, but Esmeralda doesn’t seem to notice how smarmy he’s being. He rubs his hands together and looks around. “Now where is my goddaughter hiding?”

“She’s having lunch in the kitchen. Can we get you something to eat?” Esmeralda asks.

“Just a whiskey, if you please.” He twinkles at her, and I suppress an eye-roll. “Think you can manage it?”

“Of course.” She whisks off down the hall, still smiling over all his shameless flirting.

I take Dad into the kitchen. Jude looks up from her lunch curiously.

“Hi,” she says hesitantly.

“This is my dad,” I tell her. “He’s here to visit us. Do you remember him? It’s been a few years since he was here last.”

“Of course she remembers her uncle Ford,” my dad says, moving toward her. “Gosh, you must’ve grown four feet since the last time I saw you. You still love horses?”

Jude smiles shyly. “Yeah. My horse Desi, she’s a British Vanner, and we won three ribbons at my last exhibition.”

“Wow, that is incredible. You know, I’d love to meet Desi sometime,” Dad says.

My heart aches watching them interact. He was never like this with me when I was little, and even if he’s just playing a part right now, he’s doing a damn good job of pretending he actually has a heart. I was rarely granted the same courtesy. But my bitterness has no place here—this is about keeping Jude calm and supported, so I bite my tongue.

He tells Jude, “So, I’m going to be staying here for a few days. Is that okay with you?”

“Sure!” she says. “I can even take you riding, if you want?”

My dad laughs. “I’d love that.”

Esmeralda returns with a glass of whiskey, neat, and he takes it graciously.

“Thank you, dear. You’re a godsend. Abbie, would you join me in the office for a moment? We need to talk.”

I battle the sinking feeling in my gut as Esmeralda assures me she’ll make sure Jude gets to her next lesson on time, and then follow my dad to Graham’s office. Once we’re inside, he shuts the door and pours another finger of whiskey into his tumbler.

“Whatever it is, just tell me. Don’t sugarcoat it,” I say impatiently. I’m terrified that something bad is going on behind the scenes with Graham’s case, that my dad has been hiding the worst of it from me.

“Abbie, relax. I didn’t bring you in here to give you bad news.”

Relief pours through me. “Okay. So…what, then?”

My dad ignores me and starts rifling through the desk, and something about it strikes me as incredibly invasive. “What are you doing?”

“Aha.” He pulls out a white business-sized envelope and rips it open, unfolding the thick paper inside. “Graham told me he got you a debit card, for expenses, in case you needed to take care of Jude. You’re an authorized user on his account, so go wild.”

I take the debit card from my dad as if it’s a precious thing and carefully put it in my pocket. I’m touched that Graham thought of me, even in the midst of dealing with his life imploding. “Thank you for helping, but what exactly do you plan to—”

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