My head wages a war against itself, one side saying letting him help isn’t a big deal and I don’t have much of a choice, the other saying that it would open up a can of worms that is best left closed.
In the end, my desire to take care of Dad wins out. “Fine.”
Tieran smiles wide, that damn dimple popping brilliantly against his straight, white teeth.
“Text me the address, and I’ll head over now, spend some time with him. I’ll let you know how he’s doing, so you don’t worry.”
“Are you sure?”
It dawns on me that outside of Aanya, Tieran is the person I know best in this entire city. If I have to impulsively trust someone with my dad’s care, I suppose he isn’t the worst I could do.
“Stop trying to talk yourself out of it. Parents love me.”
He had no idea how much my dad already loves him,which is its own problem that I can’t entertain right now. He needs to go, and I need to get ready for my event.
I unlock my phone, handing it over to him so he can put in his number, and then text him Dad’s address when he hands it back.
“Thank you,” I say genuinely.
He leans in close, too close, and my heart starts hammering for an entirely different reason. “My pleasure, boss,” he murmurs and walks away, hands in his pockets. It feels like no coincidence when the sun peeks out for the first time all day, shining down on him and locking me in a trance.
Stop staring at his ass.
Not a minute later, a text comes through, and I choke on spit when I see the name Tieran saved himself as.
God of Sex
Stop staring at my arse.
As someone’s coming out of the coffee shop, I hear, “Jade! Your Dolly is ready.” It snaps me out of my shock enough to go grab my drink. As I head home to get ready, I can’t help but think I just opened a door I’ll never be able to close.
True to his word, Tieran texted me within an hour of getting to my dad’s in the small village outside Central London.
What I was expecting was a brief text with an update on his condition. What I got was a selfie of Tieran with his arm looped around my dad’s neck, both of them grinning from ear to ear. It’s disgusting how much it charmed me.
Unknown Number
I told you,parents love me.
Deleting the name he saved himself as might have been petty, but I did it in the name of self-preservation.
Me
How is he?
Unknown Number
He’s moving slow, but he’s alright, in good spirits.
Thank you. If he seems okay, you can head out. I don’t want to disrupt more of your day.
Lines that needed to remain in high resolution focus are blurring, but I can’t help my gratitude. Regret will come later, I’m almost positive, but for now, I’m thankful I don’t have to cancel my event and disappoint hundreds of people. Dad being chuffed as chips because he gets to meet a rugby player he admired is just a bonus.
A few hours after Tieran left me outside of the coffee shop, an Uber drops me off on Dad’s doorstep in Blackheath, but nothing could have prepared me for what I’d find inside.
“You wouldn’t know your arse from your elbow, boy. That was offside!” My dad is arguing with someone as I walk through the front door, and my heart stops at the voice that answers him.
“I’m literally a rugby player, and you’re arguing with me?” Tieran says.
