I nod. “Wanted to be around in case you needed me. Wanted to make sure you stayed safe.”
“Wes—” She begins to sit up, but a stern voice calls from behind us, making her pause.
“You two look cozy.”
Dread slices my spine as Leo rounds the back side of Willow’s tent, towering above us with his hands on his hips. The smile he shoots my way is sickly sweet. Reminiscent of how a lion bares its teeth before tearing through its prey.
“I got drunk last night,” Willow says, shading her eyes with her hand as she looks up at her dad. “Weston slept outside my tent all night just in case I needed him. I didn’t know this, onaccount of being passed out, so I tripped over him when I tried to leave this morning.”
“Outside?” Leo asks, raising a brow.
“Yep. Even though I totally invited him to sleep with me.” Willow winks at me. “You should reward him for being such a gentleman. Give him the day off.”
Leo flashes his dimples at his daughter. “How about I reward him with my undivided attention?” He turns to me. “Does that work for you, Weston? Would training with myself and a two-time gold medalist be sufficient for you today?”
“Yes, sir. That’d be lovely. Thank you.”
He softens when he looks at me. It’s almost imperceptible, and I know he and Willow are being playful, but I catch the sincerity on his face. “Good. Liv should be here in about fifteen minutes so why don’t you run up to the house, get changed, and bring your board back down. It’s time to start training for your first competition.”
“Competition?” I ask, choking on the word.
“You said you wanted to be an Olympian.” He shrugs. “Better start competing like one.”
“Which competition?” Willow asks.
“I registered you for a Challenger in San Diego two weeks from today.”
“I don’t have a membership for the World Surf League. I never paid the fees,” I admit, bashful.
“I took care of that,” Leo says. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Oh. Th—Thank you.”
Leo nods, turning toward his daughter. “Sugar, Lou, Dahlia, and Mom are going paddleboarding this morning while Liv is training with us—if you want to join them.”
Willow wipes a hand down her face. “I am so hungover,” she groans. “But maybe the saltwater would feel good. Yeah...” She yawns as she finally lifts herself off me, though I’m grateful shecovered me long enough for the evidence of my... excitement to go down. Willow sits on her knees, leaning in to plant a kiss on my cheek. “Thank you,” she whispers before standing, giving her dad a hug and walking off in the direction of the other tents.
Leo and I are quiet for a moment as I stand and dust the sand off my shorts, watching as Willow rouses Allie and the twins, demanding Allie come paddling with the rest of them since it’s her fault Willow’s so hungover. Once the four of them amble down the beach on tired legs, Leo turns back to me.
“I appreciate you taking care of her last night.” He rubs his jaw. “You know how I feel about you two being alone together, though.”
“I respect that,” I say, gruff. Either sand or apprehension is stuck in my throat. Maybe both. “I didn’t go inside her tent. Not only because she was drunk, but because I knew it’d make you uncomfortable. We were never alone, but... I know about her ex. Why she left Berkeley.” Leo’s jaw ticks, and I hold up my hands. “I know what she’s struggling with, and I wanted to make sure if she woke up in the middle of the night and felt unsafe, I’d be nearby.”
“That it?” he asks.
“No.” I swallow the frog in my throat, running a hand through my hair, forcing myself to meet Leo’s eyes—he needs to see the conviction in them. “I am enamored with your daughter. I couldn’t be more serious when I tell you I’ve never felt something like this before. I don’t know if she feels the same about me, but I can’t keep hiding it.
“I respect the boundaries you’ve set, but I want you to know that if they have anything to do with Willow’s past, with what Parker did to her... I’m not that guy. I know where I come from, and I know why you feel the way you do, but I also know I’d be a fool not to take the chance if Willow offered it to me. I won’tapologize for that. I won’t apologize for seeing how incredible she is.”
His lips quirk up in the corner, the most of a smile he’s going to offer me, but it’s a look of approval, nonetheless. A soaring sensation spreads through my chest.
“I won’t argue with you about any of that, Weston. I appreciate your honesty. I appreciate that my daughter has found some comfort and solace with you, but I’ll need you both to remember how fragile you are. I asked you to keep your distance because I didn’t want her rushing into something new and getting hurt worse. I’m not the kind of man that’s going to lock my daughter in her room and dictate every choice she makes.” He frowns, eyes going unfocused before he shakes his head and directs his gaze to me again. “And I don’t give a fuck about your background. I care about your actions. Whoyouare. Parker comes from a family of doctors, speaks three languages, and went on mission trips every summer as a kid—and look at what a piece of shit he turned out to be.”
I bite down a laugh.
“I like you, Weston, but I can’t watch her...” His voice cracks on the words. Clearing the emotion from his throat, Leo continues, “I can’t watch her break again. I’m happy she’s found a friend in you, but I can’t get on board with anything more than that right now.”
It’s clear that Willow’s trauma didn’t just affect her, it’s shaken her entire family. I’m disappointed that I haven’t earned Leo’s favor, and I don’t think I have the strength to stay away from Willow at this point, but I have too much respect for him to fight back on it right now.
