Page 12 of Her Fiance’s Father

My phone buzzes, causing my heart to jump. I pick it up, expecting to see some cruel insult from Kyle or a half-hearted attempt to get me to marry him. But nope, it’s a call from Deena.

“Hey, you!” I say happily, answering quickly.

“Oh my God, Katie-babes, you’re still alive,” she says with relief. “I thought you were dead.”

My eyes close as I realize it’s been hours since I left the house and I haven’t said a word to Deena. That’s not normal for us.

“I am so sorry. I’ve been ducking a hailstorm of texts from Kyle.”

“What in the world happened?” She sounds like a concerned mother. “And where are you?”

I open my mouth to respond but pause. How to explain this?

“Well…I’m at Robert’s penthouse.”

This time, the pause comes from her end.

“Wait, what? Robert who? Robert Reed?”

I know I shouldn’t be, but I’m almost laughing. Poor Deena. She must think the world just turned upside down on her.

“Um, yes,” I reply slowly. “Robert Reed.”

I can picture her now, sitting on the fluffy white chair in her bedroom, twirling a bit of hair around her finger.

“Okay,” she says firmly. “Tell me everything.”

I go through it all. From going downstairs for tea, to walking in on Kyle and Clarice in the bathroom, to Robert stepping in and taking me by the hand and bringing me here, back to his secret penthouse with a doorman and a private elevator.

“God, you must feel like a queen,” she says after I finish.

I giggle as my cheeks heat up. “A princess,” I correct her.

“Oh, you—”

A commotion from out in the hallway causes me to stand. “Hang on one second.” I press my ear to the door and hear the sound of raised male voices. “Deena, I’ve gotta go. I’m sorry.”

Hanging up, I step out into the hallway and pace quietly down to the living room. As I round the corner, the voices grow louder. One of them does not belong here and goes straight to my heart.

Kyle.

“Get out of my way!” he shouts, sounding like the spoiled child he is. “She’s my fiancée. I can see her if I want to!”

Guess he did have the balls to come here after all. He must really want that money.

“She’s as much your fiancée as Clarice is my girlfriend!” Robert gnashes back.

I peek around the corner to see him facing off with his son. His eyes are narrow and his jaw clenched. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was ready to hit him.

But he wouldn’t hit his son…would he?

“Why are you trying to get in my way, Dad?” Kyle’s question nearly causes me to burst out laughing. Where is this guy’s head at? “If I want to talk to her, I’m gonna talk to her. Now move.”

Like some wanna-be tough guy, Kyle tries to brush past Robert, who is significantly taller than he is—and also bigger, wider, stronger. Everything that ends with -er that could swing this confrontation in Robert’s favor? He is that.

He presses a firm palm against Kyle’s chest, holding him where he is. “This is not happening,” he growls. “Now you turn around and get the hell out of here.”

“Not before I talk to her.”