SeekingClarity: My Ex's Dad?

Contents Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Epilogue - Three Years Later Next in the Series—NoStringsAttached Freebies About the Author More Reading from DarkLights Publishing Guide Contents Start of Content PROLOGUE 20 MONTHS AGO Alex Anderson “Jesus, not this again,” I muttered to myself as I scoured my daughter Rachel’s social media for photos of her and the guy she’s apparently been dating since the summer semester. There were few photos of them together, but I could already tell what she was up to. The one photo of them together showed a short young man. Standing next to Rachel, James appeared to be just a little shorter than her. He wasn’t muscular, but he was fit, built like a swimmer. But unlike a swimmer, who would have shaved, he had a light dusting of that dark hair I love. There wasn’t much more to be gleaned from her account, but she had tagged him in the photo. I hesitated but clicked on the tag. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck me. Rachel had pulled this stunt before, but this time, I was truly stunned. Unlike the other boys she dragged home to taunt me with, this James Cooper wasn’t a clone of my ex-boyfriend, Oliver. He was truly next-level beautiful to me, just my type and more. In a recent photo, a closeup on his face revealed the most startling green eyes. They were like a portal to another world. And when paired with that cheeky grin and those sweet dimples? I was struggling to keep from getting hard and to stop the churning in my stomach. Why are you doing this, Rachel? Why are you still punishing me? Wasn’t it enough to terrorize Olly until he couldn’t stay with me anymore? Apparently not. On the bright side, I’d just have to go through the torturous motions of meeting this boy and forcing myself to keep my distance for today. Maybe once more afterwards, as an extra kick in the balls. Then Rachel would lose interest in James, and he’d become a receding image in the rearview mirror of life. The ringing of the doorbell brought me to my senses. I closed the social media app I had been perusing and put my phone away. When I opened the door, it was like a gut punch. I had hoped seeing a photo of him before they arrived would soften the blow, but it did nothing to protect me in that moment. Standing next to my daughter was a very nervous James. His skin was glowing, obviously naturally pale, but with the slightest hint of a tan that had taken all summer to gain. His eyes glimmered, but the anxiety was clear. James tried to look me in the eyes but averted his gaze quickly. He didn’t so much look away as look over my shoulder, hoping I wouldn’t notice. I wanted to find it off-putting, but the shyness was endearing. I felt it in my heart. I forced a smile to my lips, but I’m sure it was stiff and perhaps even cold. Then I held out a hand, which he took, his palm sweaty. But his skin was so soft and— “You must be the boyfriend,” I said, pumping his hand and releasing it before I got lost in the moment. “Come on in…” Leading the way into the house, thankful my back was to them, I asked, “How’s school, Rachel?” “Same old, same old,” she said, her tone unnaturally cheery. It let me know she knew what she was doing, and she knew that I knew. She was pleased with herself. “Classes? Grades?” “Mostly ‘gen ed’ classes,” she said. “Boring, but fairly easy…” She wasn’t going to give me anything, I could see. Rather, she would simply let the awkwardness ratchet up until I had to interact with James. As we sat down in the den, I asked, “So, aren’t you going to introduce us formally?” “Oh, right!” she said. “Dad, this is my boyfriend, James. I told you about him. James, this is my dad, Alex.” James was sitting forward on the edge of the couch, elbows on his knees and head down, his thick, loose curls somewhat obscuring his face. But he looked up at me shyly, smiling a little, and I was again shaken. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” he said, our eyes meeting for a blessed moment, before he lowered his gaze and released me. “Sorry, I’m a little nervous. It’s been a long time since I met the dad…” “You don’t date much?” I asked in a tone meant to simulate a concerned father’s interest. The reality was that I was simply surprised. James was definitely the kind of boy who girls wanted to bring home to meet the family. He shook his head. “Things don’t always seem to work out well enough to get to the family meeting stage,” he said with a nervous chuckle. “Not that I didn’t want that… I’m not like a player or something or—” Rachel laughed and put a hand on his knee. “You don’t need to be nervous. My dad’s not interrogating you.” “Yet,” I said with a laugh. “Can I get you something to drink?” “If you don’t mind,” James asked, again looking up quickly as if trying to determine if I was simply being polite. “Why don’t I go get you guys something,” she said. “I know what you both like.” Fucking brat! She knows I was trying to escape, so she’s leaving me alone with this beautiful man— James sat back and looked at me now with that shy smile and shrugged. But neither of us said anything. No,