Page 13 of The Daddy’s Girl

“Because I’ll have no choice, Freya.”

When she sees the desperation on my face, her expression softens. “I just worry about you.”

“Who knows?” I say despondently. “I might meet a really great guy who finally makes me forget about Matis.”

Biting her bottom lip, she stares at me with worry. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

I let my arms fall to my sides in defeat. “And you think I do? But I’m twenty-five, Freya. How long can I really keep doing this? I mean, what if this isn’t just a crush? What if I’m really in love with him? I know you don’t want me to get hurt, but that’s what you don’t understand. I already am. Imagine if you had to see Julian or Archer every single day but could never touch them or hear them say they love you?”

With sadness in her eyes, she whispers, “That would shatter my heart.”

“Exactly,” I reply. “My heart shatters every single day. And I’m tired.”

My lip quivers, and Freya notices right away. Without another word, she engulfs me in a tight hug. Resting my head on her shoulder, I breathe in the comfort of her embrace.

“I’ll support whatever you choose to do,” she says. Her hand softly strokes my now short blond hair. “But you know…”

I can already tell where this conversation is going before she continues.

“I thought my family would be devastated when I told them I was in a polyamorous relationship, but surprisingly, they were only mildly freaked out. My dad can almost talk about Julian and Archer in the same sentence now, which is a big improvement. So maybe your parents wouldn’t freak out if you wanted to…you know…tell Matis how you feel.”

I laugh loudly, throwing my head back in a sarcastic cackle. “You must be joking. My parents would never let that happen. Matis is my godfather, Freya. He’s been friends with my dad since before I was born. And I am a daddy’s girl through and through. If his best friend and his daughter started seeing each other, it would be the ultimate betrayal. He would think Matis had groomed me or something, which he clearly never did.”

She shrugs, looking mostly unconvinced. “I’m just saying…you don’t know that.”

“And I never will.”

The door to the pantry opens, and we both turn to find Archer standing in the doorway. With a mischievous smirk, he crosses his arms over his chest. “What are we gossiping about?”

Freya rolls her eyes with a smile. Then she moves toward him and wraps her arms around his waist. “Nothing.”

“Well, I was just coming in here to let you know that your brother is taking your job.” He nods toward me, and I furrow my brow when his words don’t make sense.

“What are you talking about?”

“He’s out there teaching Matis how to write his dating profile and convinced him to write interested but not desperate.”

“Oh my God,” I say before storming out of the pantry.

Sure enough, there is my people-hating brother, sitting across from our godfather, telling him what to write for his profile. I march over and snatch the phone out of Matis’s hand.

“Step one, never take dating advice from Julian.”

Matis glances up at me with surprise. Holding his phone in my hand, I stare down at the photo of him in some dating profile, next to his name and age, and I swear my heart skips a beat.

I’m really doing this. I’m helping the man I very possibly love to find someone else.

But it’s the only way. If I want to move on, then I need to remove him from the dating scene altogether.

“Okay, Trouble,” he says with a smug smile as he leans back in his chair. “I’m ready for you to teach me.”

Rule #4: Old dogs can learn new tricks after all.

Matis

Amelia sits across from me on the Métro’s worn plastic chair. Her feet are propped up on the seat next to me, and I smile down at the bright red shade of polish on her toes visible thanks to black strappy sandals.

I know how much she loves taking the city’s transit system, although I’ll never understand it. I might not have my own driver like Ronan does, but I could easily hire a car to get us home quicker and a bit safer. But at least if she’s going to take the Métro, I’ll be here to protect her.