Too Sweet (Hayes Brothers #3)(72)

“I didn’t plan on coming home,” he adds. “But I got curious when Mia said she was bringing a boyfriend to Monaco. I wanted to grab a drink with the guy.” He lifts his glass up, eyes boring into mine. “So let’s have a drink, Nico.”

“I sense a few heavy questions.”

He waves his hand. “I know my daughter. I might not see her often, but I know everything there is to know. At least I did before you happened. She called me every time she had a date. I knew which guy she liked and which kissed like a puppy.”

“A puppy?”

“Yeah, apparently, he licked her face.”

“Remind me to ask her how he ranked on her scale.”

“A two, if I remember correctly.” He finishes his drink, and urges me to do the same, pouring another two fingers of bourbon into his glass, then mine. “How do you rank?”

Argh... I walked right into that one, didn’t I?

“A nine.”

Jimmy tsks, amusement flickering in his eyes. “Keep working.” He twirls the glass around, lost in thought.

“Ask away,” I encourage. “I’m sure you’ve got questions.”

“Oh, I do. Not for you, though. You’ll tell me what I want to hear.” He casts a glance at his daughter, still asleep on the couch. “She’ll tell me the truth.”

“I’ve never lied to you. And I won’t start now.”

He lifts the glass to his lips, taking a long, measured sip. “Alright, let’s check that theory. How long have you two been seeing each other?”

“A few weeks.”

“You had sex yet?”

I choke on the bourbon, inhaling a sip instead of drinking it. “What the fuck, Jimmy?”

He pats my back, chuckling quietly. “You know why I’m asking. You’ve got quite the hit it and quit it reputation. If you’ve not had sex yet—”

“You’ll assume that’s all I’m waiting for before I cut her loose,” I finish for him.

“You met Aisha by now, right? She’s a nymphomaniac. I walked in on her having sex more times than I’m willing to admit. You get immune after a while. The topic of my daughters’ sex life doesn’t bother me like it does most fathers. You said you won’t lie, so don’t fucking lie and don’t evade.”

“The answer is yes, and if we break up, you can be fucking sure it’ll be her who leaves me, not the other way around,” I seethe, squeezing my glass harder. “Next question.”

He chuckles, patting my shoulder. “Relax. I don’t want the details. Mia’s always been a loner. Always quiet, but for the past few weeks, she’s been unusually cheerful. You make her happy.”

I sure hope so. Navigating our relationship is a challenge like no other. Instead of getting easier, it’s getting harder because she’s easily influenced. She hardly ever stands up to me. I’m flying blind, but I think I’m doing okay.

“She makes me happier,” I admit, looking over to where she’s still asleep, holding the blanket to her cheek. “I guess it might bother you that I’m ten years older—”

“Don’t assume, Nico. Mia only went out with two guys her age, everyone else was at least five years older, so I expected this.” He gets up, opening a cupboard to pull out a bag of peanuts. “Listen, you’ve not been dating long. It’s all fresh, so we’ll save the heavy for later, alright?”

I bob my head, spinning the glass on the breakfast counter. For over an hour, we talk about work before he asks about the skydive. Mia flips onto her side halfway through my story. I’m surprised she hasn’t woken up yet. We’re not exactly keeping our voices down.

“She did very well. She screamed for ten seconds after we jumped out but stopped when she looked around.”

“I’ve seen the pictures,” Jimmy says, slurring his words a little. The long-haul and time difference must’ve taken a toll on him. “I assume you’re staying the night?”

“If that’s not a problem. I’d rather not wake Mia every couple hours to check on her.”

“It’s fine.” He crosses the room, pulling another bottle from the drinks cabinet. “You need to try this. Just one drink.”

“I should get Mia to bed before we start another bottle.”

He waves me off. “Yeah, do that and come back.”

I get the bed ready before moving Mia. Thankfully she’s already in her pj’s. Jimmy and I don’t stop at the one drink. When I finally crawl into bed around two in the morning, I know I’ll wake up with a banging headache.

∞

Mia

First day of high school

“Holy shit!” Jake yells when I stop by the lockers. “Someone did some growing up over the summer. You’re not fat! You need a new nickname.”

I don’t look his way. It never ends well. I open the locker, shove my bag inside and take the books I need for my first class—Chemistry.

“Are those...” he says, feigning surprise. “Are those real boobs you’ve got there, or have you stuffed your bra?”

Students laugh, the sound like thousands of tiny needles pricking my nerve endings.

“You won’t talk to me, huh?”