I stepped aside to let him pass. I groaned as I closed the door and followed him back into the suite. This isn’t going to end well.
“Emma Bellokavich Preston! Wake your ass up!” her dad shouted when he reached the bedroom.
I walked in seconds after he did to see Emma’s eyes spring open as she scrambled to pull the covers around her.
“Daddy!” she shrieked.
“Don’t Daddy me! You’re in so much shit! Who is this tattooed asshole?”
“Hey!” I grumbled. “You have tattoos, too.”
He shot me a look that could kill before turning his attention back to Emma.
“I, uh...he’s my boyfriend. Jesse, this is my dad, Alexander Preston.” “I gathered that,” I said.
“When I told you that you could bring someone with you, I meant Lucy or another girl, not your boyfriend.”
“Let me explain! This isn’t as bad as it looks!”
Her dad pointed to the garbage can that was filled with empty condom wrappers. “Please do. I’d love to hear this.”
“It’s as bad as it looks,” I said.
We were busted, and I knew it. There was no point in Emma trying to lie.
She’d only dig our graves deeper in the process.
“At least you’re honest,” he growled.
“Look, I know it looks bad. But it’s not.”
He raised an eyebrow, but he said nothing as he waited for me to continue.
“I care a lot about your daughter. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. I’m not an asshole who is just screwing her for the hell of it.”
“Jesse! Shut up!” Emma shouted.
“No, I’m going to tell him the truth.” I turned back to her dad. “She means a lot to me.”
He stared at me for a minute before he said anything. “I’m not happy about this, but I appreciate the fact that you had the guts to be honest with me.”
“Thanks...I think,” I said.
He looked at Emma. “As for you, does your mother know about this?”
“No! And you can’t tell her. Please, Daddy. She’ll never let me see him again.”
“I’m not who she wants for Emma, but I’m sure you’ve figured that out already,” I added.
“I figured as much. Andria was always set in her ways.”
“And she’s a stuck-up bitch,” Emma said from the bed.
“Watch it, missy. You don’t speak like that in front of me.”
“Sorry, but it’s true. We both know it. Look, can you leave for a minute, so I can get dressed?”
He sighed. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. Jesse, I think it would be in your best interest to follow me out of the room.” “Yes, sir,” I said.
I followed him from the room and closed the door behind me. I hoped that Emma was hurrying because spending any alone time with her dad was not something I wanted to do after what he’d just walked in on. I considered myself lucky to be alive at this point.
He walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. “Have a seat.
I think we need to talk.” I sat.
“Obviously, I’m pissed at the situation that I found my little girl in a few minutes ago. I think any dad would be.”
“I understand. I’m sure I ruined any chance of you liking me.”
“I wouldn’t say that. You didn’t lie to me when I asked, so you have a few bonus points for that. Something tells me that things are serious between the two of you if she brought you clear to London with her.”
“It is. I would never dream of hurting her.”
“That’s good to know. I don’t know how much Emma’s told you about our family, but things are...complicated. Her mother and I are civil with each other but only for Emma’s sake. I haven’t been around much for Emma because of that, and I live with that guilt every day. I love my daughter, but I haven’t been a very good father to her. Instead, I left her with a woman I despise. I’ve always been afraid of what Emma might become under Andria’s control, but Emma has proven me wrong time and time again. My little girl is a good person. How, I’ll never know.”
“She really is. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who cares about people the way she does,” I said.
He smiled. “I’m very proud of her. She means the world to me, and I don’t want her to get hurt. Consider this your warning—if you hurt her, I’ll hunt you down and make you wish you’d never met her.”
I winced. “I understand. I promise that I won’t hurt her. I’m not good with people. I never have been, but for some reason, I opened up to Emma. I can’t explain it.”
“Do you think you love her?” he asked.
The question caught me off-guard. I was still trying to figure that out myself. I knew I felt something strong for her, but I wasn’t sure that it was love. After all, we’d only known each other a few weeks.
“I don’t know. I care a lot about her, but I don’t know if I love her. I don’t want to move too fast by throwing that out there unless I mean it.”
“That’s the best answer you could have given me. You’re both young, too young, to be in love. I know what it’s like to be seventeen and feel like you’re on top of the world. It will take a few years and a few times of getting fucked over to knock you both down a few pegs. But if you do eventually realize you love her, hold on to her.”