Page 63

“Shit! And the request not to touch her.”

I nod again. “What are you going to do?” he asks.

“I don’t know. But I know her last name changes nothing for me.” I let out a bit of my inner struggle. I’ve spent years hating the Lloyds only to find out that I’m sleeping with a Lloyd woman.

“Did your dad tell you why the two families hated each other?” he asks.

A sad chuckle escapes me at the root cause of it all.

“Yep, my father was in love with Jola’s mother, but she chose Jonah’s father,” I answer.

“So, years of hatred started over a woman.” His voice is incredulous, with a bit of irritation for what caused decades of hatred.

“Dad was in the wrong. He went after his best friend’s girl, and the friend reacted how he knew best.” I’m still upset to find out my dad was the wrong one, but here’s my new reality. Plus, the fact that I may lose her because of this new information.

“Damn, that’s bad. Do you think Jonah knows?”

“I honestly don’t know. We’ve displayed unwavering dislike for each other over the years without knowing the origin of the feud. Like dedicated sons, we just carried the feud banner without asking. Dad used to say A J Lloyd was a rich and entitled prick who blocked his business growth and stole from him. Who knows what A J Lloyd told Jonah about my dad?”

A sad chuckle escapes me. “By the way, she has the same initials as her father; she is A.J Lloyd.”

“Fuck!” he mutters.

We both know that name alone makes her powerful and attracts more enemies. Probably why her mother made her use her last name. “She always talks about how much her parents loved each other and her,” he says.

“That’s all true, and Dad believes Andrew J Lloyd wouldn’t leave her without protection.”

“That means Jonah might not accept you dating his sister.”

I nod. “He did look quite upset when he warned you not to touch her.”

I chuckle at my own demise.

“Guess I should have listened. It’s too late now,” I say, exhaling. I thought I was getting one up on him by stealing his girl and falling for her. Turns out, I was setting myself up for heartbreak.

“This is some crazy shit, boss. What do you plan to do?”

“For now, nothing changes till we eliminate whoever is after her.”

“Okay, but I think it’s best you let her know that you know.”

I nod but deep within me, I don’t want to rock the boat. I like this safe space we are in that shields us from reality. That may blow up in ways we wouldn’t like. “What happens when it’s all over?” he asks.

“I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.”

He nods, but there’s a bit of sadness that crosses his face but is quickly hidden. “What?”

“I think you should do everything to resolve this and keep her.”

I sigh.

“Dad said I should marry her right away, to bypass any bullshit her father may have laid out for any guy trying to marry her.”

“I agree with him.”

“I’m not sure we are there yet.”

“I think you are, but you are fighting it. Hopefully it won’t be too late by the time you realize it.”