“Hello, Mr. Hewitt. Is Alexa almost ready to go?”
Drake asked as he stepped into the house.
“I’m not sure, son. She hasn’t come down yet, but I
expect she’ll be ready soon,” my dad responded.
“I hope so,” Drake offered. “The party will start
soon, but I wanted to show her some of the property before we joined everyone.
I didn’t think to ask earlier, but you’re more than welcome to come up to the
house for the party, too.”
“Thanks, but I’m fine down here. Got some football
to watch and snacks to eat. Not much for big parties anyway,” I heard my dad
say. “Besides, you’ll be lucky to get Lex up to the party after your walk.
She’s hard to rile, but once you get her going, you’d better watch out.”
“She has every right to be mad at me right now. I
wasn’t very nice to her when we met, and I know that I owe her an explanation.
I promise—”
My dad put his hand up to stop Drake mid-sentence.
“Make your explanations and promises to her first. If she accepts what you’ve
got to say and wants to date you, just understand that you’ll answer to me if
you hurt her in any way. And that’s a big if, boy. She deserves someone good in
her life, and you’ll be damn lucky if she gives you the chance to be that
person.”
On that note, I stepped out of the shadows and
started down the stairs. I was happy that Drake had thought to include my dad
in the invitation for the party, and I wasn’t surprised that he didn’t want to
go. I was surprised to hear my dad open up about me though. He must have been
more concerned about my lack of a dating life than I’d realized. The experience
with Brad hadn’t just affected me. It had hurt my dad, too.
Drake and my father heard me as I moved down the
stairs and turned their heads toward me. My dad’s face was filled with pride as
he looked at me with such love. I had no doubt that he would always have my
back, supporting me through anything that might come my way. I reached for him
as soon as I got near and hugged him tight. “Love you, Daddy,” I whispered into
his ear.
I glanced towards Drake as my dad kissed my cheek,
his arms tightening around me. He was staring at me, a look of hunger flashing
across his face. As my dad let me go, Drake’s expression cleared and he smiled
at both of us.
“Alexa.” He reached his hand out to me. “Ready? You
look great.”
“It’s the outfit that’s great. Thanks for thinking
of me.”
“No, it’s definitely you. Trust me on that at
least.” He tugged me closer to him. “We’ve got some time before the party kicks
off, and I’d like to show you around a bit. You up for a walk?”
“As long as talking is included with the walking,
I’m fine with that. Bye, Dad.” I let Drake lead me out the door.
“Night, Alexa. I’ll be here if you need anything.
Don’t forget, this might not be my roof, but I still expect you back at a
decent hour. We have the flight back tomorrow, and you need your wits about you
if you’re going to take the controls again.”
“Geesh, Dad. I know—” I started to respond. Drake’s
hand tightened around mine, and he shook his head.
“No, Alexa. Your dad is only looking out for you. I
understand where he’s coming from. I need to earn his trust as much as I do
yours.” He looked my dad straight in the eyes with a determined look. “I swear
she’ll come to no harm with me. Not now, not ever. I’ll have her back to you
with plenty of time for a good night’s sleep tonight.”
“Glad to know you hear what I’m saying, Drake.” My
dad stretched his hand out and offered it to Drake. As they shook hands, I
could feel Drake relax beside me, as though a weight had been lifted off his
shoulders.
Drake grabbed my hand again after their handshake
ended. “C’mon, Alexa. We’d better head out so we have enough time to talk
before my mom sends out a search party.”
We
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