Page 31 of Koda's Love

A half an hour later, I walked into the small deli my father wanted me to meet him at.

As soon as he spotted me, his face lit up. He stood from his seat, and when I got closer, he pulled me into his arms.

“Hey, baby girl. It feels like it’s been forever since I saw you,” he said as he squeezed me. He placed a kiss on my cheek when he released me.

“Daddy, don’t be dramatic. It hasn’t been that long,” I said as we sat down. “I’ve been busy. Remember I told you about the party I’m planning for the hotel?”

“Yeah, I remember, but I still see you when you’re in the middle of planning. If I didn’t know better, I’d think some knucklehead is taking up your time.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks when I thought of Koda. I hadn’t gotten the chance to tell my dad about him. I never liked to mention guys to him until I was sure of where it was going. He didn’t know about Miles until we dated for at least six months.

My father didn’t play about me, and if he knew someone was wasting my time, he would have a problem with that.

“Uh-oh. I can tell that I’m right by the way your cheeks flushed. What’s his name?”

“Koda.” I proceeded to tell him everything about Koda, including the situation about the girl. I also told him about what I’d been feeling about moving on. I shared with him about Koda’s dating history from what he told me.

The waitress had come to the table to take our orders. There wasn’t much to choose from, so it only took a minute or two to tell her what we wanted to eat and drink, but that gave my dad time to process what I’d told him. My father wasn’t one to speak without thinking about what he wanted to say.

Once the waitress walked away, my father leaned forward with his hands on the table.

“I’ve heard of him and his family before. I’ve even stayed at the hotel, and it’s nice. You seem to like him, but you let stuff you can’t control get into your head. That’s understandable, especially with things being so new between you guys. I think that girl is a hater, so she’s irrelevant. As far as you moving on, you’re entitled to happiness, Avalon, and I want you to always remember that. You loved Miles to the best of your ability, but he’s gone. You shouldn’t have to be lonely for the rest of your life. I will say this: Don’t make Koda have to live in his shadow either. If you really like this dude, focus solely on him. If you shared with him your feelings for Miles, I’m sure he understands. He probably just wants a spot in your life and heart.”

“That’s basically what he said,” I said as I smiled.

“Exaclty. And as far as him not being able to be in a relationship, that could be true. At the same time, it might not be. I was a lot like Koda before I met your mother. I mean, different women multiple times a week. Hell, I even had some in the same night.” He shook his head. “Let me not taint my image.” He chuckled. “I say all of that to say that when a man wants you and knows you aren’t going to play games with him,he will shape up. I think you owe it to yourself and Koda to have a real conversation. Tell him everything you want and feel. And let him know that you have a father that is not afraid to shoot his ass behind you, and I don’t care about his brother being the chief of police. There isn’t a man on Earth that’s going to fuck with my baby and get away with it.”

I smiled because I knew he was serious. One of my high school boyfriends found out the hard way when he tried to talk shit about me, then showed up at my house. I had to stop my father from going outside with his gun.

“Thanks, Daddy. I do believe that Koda is worth the shot, because he hasn’t given me a reason to think otherwise. I just let the outside chatter get to me. I’m not going to do that anymore. I’ve been happy with him, and I want to keep it that way.”

“That’s how it should be. As long as he’s making you happy, then that’s all that matters. There may be a chance of someone else trying to put a bug in your ear, but as long as you guys are building a strong foundation, then that other shit is irrelevant. I just want you to be happy. And I want to meet him when you are ready.”

“You will, maybe soon. We have to work our stuff out first.”

My dad reached across the table and grabbed my hand.

“I might not tell you all that often, but I’m proud of you, Avalon. I know your mother would be too. I love you.”

Tears welled in my eyes because I knew how my father felt about me, but he wasn’t always that expressive.

“I love you too, Daddy, and I am the way I am because of you.”

I knew it wasn’t easy for my father to raise me without my mom, but he had done a good job. I never wanted for anything, and I always felt loved.

Talking to him gave me clarity, and I felt ready to repair my relationship with Koda.

My father and I spent the rest of the afternoon eating and catching up. By the time I left, my steps felt lighter, and I looked forward to the next day.

It wasthe day of the anniversary party, and I couldn’t wait to go downstairs. I was excited about the party, but I was more anxious to see Avalon after not seeing her or being able to talk to her. That email shit drove me crazy, but that was the only way she chose to correspond with me. I offered to help her with anything she needed to set up, but she assured me that she was fine. I did make sure there were plenty of my staff on hand to assist her in any way she needed. I gave them strict instructions that no matter what she asked for, she got it. I didn’t give a damn if they had to go out and get it for her. They didn’t know that they would get a bonus once everything was over and as long as they provided good service. Regardless, they got paid well, but the bonus was for them going the extra mile.

I spent the first part of the day relaxing and reading until it was time to go. Before I left my suite to go downstairs, I grabbed one of the gift baskets I got for Avalon. There were two of them, but I wanted her to come to my place to get the other one. That may have been a childish move, but I had to find a way to get her away from everyone else. We needed private time to fix things between us, and I knew we wouldn’t be able to have that conversation in the middle of the ballroom.

As I rode the elevator down, my stomach was in knots. I never had to worry about trying to fix a relationship, so all this shit was new to me. I hoped that Avalon would be able to give us a real try. We were on a good path until Tamika came along. I just wanted to be sure that she wouldn’t run as soon as someone said something, because I was sure that Tamika wasn’t the only one that would be hating on our relationship. I needed to reassure her that she was it for me, and she had nothing to worry about.

The hallway near the ballroom was bustling with people as soon as I stepped off the elevator. Loud music filled the hallway along with multiple conversations. There were black-and-gold balloons near the entrance, along with a sign that welcomed people to the party.

I spoke to multiple people as I entered. Avalon did her thing with the decorations. Everything was either black, gold, or diamond looking. She had gotten the small plaques she mentioned, and they were on the tables at each place setting so each guest could take one home. There was a bigger one in the center of the tables. Behind the plaques were black-and-gold rose bouquets. She had even gotten glitter or something that looked like diamonds and had them sprinkled on the table around the rose vase. Basically, everything she mentioned getting, she got and then some. I had a feeling she would end up with a few new clients before the night was over.