One Night with my Best Friend’s Dad (Forbidden Kisses #1)

1. Kelly

Chapter 1

Kelly

“Let your hair down and have a glass of champagne,” my best friend, the bride-to-be, Piper, yells as she lifts her glass in the air.

Her other three bridesmaids follow.

I refuse as Piper and Sophie look at me curiously.

“I don’t drink anymore,” I mutter, trying to look like it’s nothing.

“Oh, come on, Kelly,” Piper coaxes, her eyes pleading with me to join in the fun. “It’s my last night as a single woman. Have one.”

Sophie tips her glass toward me. “It’s lovely champagne. It tingles on your tongue.”

“I’m sure it does.” I laugh, trying to hide the real reason I can’t join them. “I just want to enjoy the night with no distractions.” The lie comes easily. It has to. I’m trying to hide the turmoil building inside me as I hold onto my secret.

Piper pouts but doesn’t push the issue further. Instead, she hands me a flute and pours sparkling water into it.

She raises her glass again and says, “To me. To love, and to happiness.”

“And Connor.” I roll my eyes.

We all clink our glasses together before taking a sip of our drinks. The bubbles fizzing on my tongue as I swallow the liquid down. I really wish it was champagne, but for the next few months, I won’t have one sip.

I really want to discuss my situation with someone, but now is not the time. And although Piper is my best friend, she is also not the perfect person to hear my woes.

“What time is the rehearsal?” I ask as I glance at my watch.

“Shit!” Piper yells. “We’re late.”

We dash out of the hotel room. Everyone is giggling, including me as I watch my friends stumble down the hallway in their high heels. Not drinking alcohol has its advantages.

The elevator door opens and we pile in, Piper frantically pushes the button for the lobby.

“Hold the door!” A deep voice calls out.

My entire body shivers as a large hand slams against the edge of the door, stopping the elevator door from closing. A hand I know so well.

My heart stops at hearing his voice, and when he turns into the elevator and I see him, it’s starts again. Though this time it’s frantic, beating like a butterfly in the wind.

Mac.

The man I ran from four months ago.

Oh! And my best friend’s dad.

In my defense, when I ran, I was scared. I’d woken up, hungover, with my best friend’s dad, staring at my face.

And now he is doing it again.

His pale blue eyes are searching my face...my eyes. He turns away, giving me the opportunity to stare at his body. For an older man, Mac is handsome. Typically tall with dark hair that he keeps short and tidy when he’s not working. Despite his age, his clean-shaven jaw could still cut glass, and his body - well, that is something men my age don’t possess. After years of being a hockey player, he kept his muscular but lean physique, despite now being a coach.

“Hi Dad. You got here on time.”

Mac steps further into the elevator. He smiles as he looks between us, probably because everyone else is giggling and slightly tipsy.

Not me.

Much to Piper’s dismay.

“Of course I did. I wouldn’t miss my daughter’s wedding.”

Piper rolls her eyes. “It’s the rehearsal.”

“Right.” He nods, his eyes meet mine again, and I feel like my secret is written all over my face. My hand instinctively goes to my stomach before I give him a thin smile and look at the floor.

As the elevator doors open, we spill out into the lobby. “See you there,” Mac calls after us as we hurry towards the doors.

Outside, Piper stops and turns to face me. Her eyes on mine and if it’s as though she knows my secret. “You sure you’re okay, Kel? You look pale.”

I force a smile. “I’m fine. Just nervous about the wedding, I guess.”

“It’s me who should be nervous.” Her eyes narrow. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

I shake my head, my heart pounding. “No, of course not. Let’s go. We don’t want to be late.”

As we climb into the waiting limo, Piper keeps her eyes on me. It's like she knows I'm hiding something.

I give her a weak smile and turn to stare out the window. My mind racing as we travel through the city streets.

I know I’m going to have to talk to Mac and eventually Piper about my secret. I'm not ready, but I know I can’t keep lying forever. Sooner or later, the truth will come out. And when it does, nothing will ever be the same again.

I’m frightened of losing my best friend. But I know Piper will hate me once she finds out the truth. But losing her as a friend is the chance I’ll have to take.

Not today, though. She’s my best friend, and this is supposed to be the happiest time of her life. I can’t ruin that for her.

“Oh look. It’s so pretty,” Sophie, another bridesmaid, says as the limo pulls up in front of the church.

It’s a quaint town. The church is old, with stone walls and the perfect arch above the large wooden double doors, with pretty stained-glass windows all around.

We climb out of the limo, and I smooth my dress with my palms while taking a deep breath. The air is crisp and cool as it enters my lungs. It’s also the perfect day for a wedding rehearsal for a girl who’s dreamed of a Christmas wedding her entire life.

Not that Piper’s getting a Christmas wedding, but she was happy to get the theme.

I follow Piper and the other bridesmaids up the steps of the church, my heart pounding with each step, knowing I’ll see Mac again very soon.

As we enter the church, Connor, the groom, stands at the altar with his groomsmen. When he turns, his eyes light up the moment he sees his future bride.

I hate that a pang of jealousy hits me without warning. I can't help it. Since I found out I was pregnant, I knew I'd ruined my chances of anyone ever looking at me like that.

“You’re late,” the wedding planner scolds as she hurries over to us with a bouquet in her hand. She thrusts it into Piper’s palm. “We need to get started.”

Piper rolls her eyes. “Relax, we’re here now. Dad is on his way.”

The wedding planner plasters on a fake smile as we take our places at the back of the church, waiting for the music and our cue to walk down the aisle.

The doors open behind us.

As Mac strides in, my body shudders from head to toe.

He smiles at Piper before his gaze moves to me. It’s only fleeting, but it’s enough to make me fidget with the stem of the bouquet, and my face heats at an alarming rate.

I’m saved when the music starts, and the bridesmaids, including me, begin our slow walk down the aisle.

As I reach the altar, I glance at Piper as she walks down the aisle with her dad. A massive smile on her face as she stares at Connor.

Mac moves to one side, standing with the groomsmen opposite me. And now I take him in. It’s the same as the first time I met him. Then, like now, I’m not in the least bit put off by the age gap or by the silver streaks that cut into his dark hair. His body is still like the hockey players he coaches, but I know he keeps to the same exercise regime the guys do when they are not on the ice.

“And who will have the rings?” Father O’Brien asks.

Oliver, Connor’s best man, holds his pointer finger in the air. “I will.”

I glance from Oliver to Mac. He’s already looking at me—his expression is unreadable, like he knows I have a secret to spill.

I’ll have to let him know soon. But I’m only just getting over the shock of it myself.

Father O’Brien keeps talking, but I’m not listening because these high heels are making my feet ache. I need some fresh air. But it's not only because the rehearsal now seems to drag on forever, but I’m sure Mac’s eyes are on me the entire time. And my body is burning. My hands are sweating. And my pussy is slick just knowing he is there.

I wipe my hand over my brow when Father O’Brien thanks Piper and Connor, telling them he’ll see them tomorrow.

“Thank you,” Piper says.

After we made our way to a local restaurant that Piper and Connor found when they checked out the venue a few months ago, we enter and immediately the smell of garlic and tomato hits my nostrils and I thank god I don’t gag.

“You sit here.” Piper says, placing me next to her dad at the restaurant.

“Are you sure?” I ask. Then I curse myself for making my situation obvious.

“Yeah.” Her voice lifts, and she gives me a roll of her eyes. “He’s not sitting with the hockey players. He’ll talk strategies all night.”

Less than five minutes later, I sip on my soup I choose as I try to focus on the conversation at the table, but I can feel Mac's eyes on me.

“How are you?” he asks quietly, leaning in close as I splutter on a spoon of hot chicken noodle soup.

“Not bad. You?” I say, trying to act casual and not make it awkward just because we had sex. And trying my best to act like he is just my best friend’s dad.

“Still wondering what I did wrong that day.” He stabs a prawn with his fork.

My eyes widen as I whisper, “You did nothing wrong. But we made a mistake. What happened that night was a mistake, and I just knew it was time for me to go home. I didn’t want any problems arising with Piper.”

“What about me?”

I laugh. “You kept saying how young I was. How you should have stopped yourself from touching me.”

“But I couldn’t.”

“Until you did. I asked you if you wanted me to leave and you didn’t answer me.”

“I never wanted you to go.”

“But you never told me.” My teeth dig into my lip as I try to stop a sob from crawling up my throat. I’ve cried too many times over the past four months and I can’t start again now.

He sighs. “Can we talk outside before dessert is served?”

I nod, my throat tight. “I’ll make an excuse.”

“Then call me, and I’ll tell everyone I have to take the call.”

After dinner, I excuse myself from the table. I step outside into the cool evening air, make the call, and Mac follows only moments later.

“Kelly, I answered you. I asked if we could talk about it when I got back from work. I just…” he starts.

I hold up my hand to stop him. “You had to find a way to let me down gently. I gave you an easier way out.”

He shakes his head. “It wasn’t like that. I assure you.”

I glance heavenward. “Mac, please. Let’s not do this now. It’s Piper’s wedding weekend. I don’t want to ruin it for her.”

He sighs, running a hand through his dark hair. “I know, but we can’t avoid this forever. I never wanted you to leave the way you did.” He glances away for a moment. “I cared for you. I never wanted to hurt you.”

I wrap my arms around myself, suddenly feeling vulnerable. “You took my virginity, Mac, but I’m a big girl. I knew what I was doing.”

“I know. But—”

“Can we just get through this weekend? Please?”

He nods, his expression softening. “Okay. But promise me we’ll talk after the wedding.”

“I promise.” Not wanting to tell him of the bigger news I have for him. Not yet. I’ll let Piper have her day first, because the day she finds out, I may no longer have her as a friend.

He takes my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. “I never set out to hurt you.”

"I believe you." I give him a small smile before heading back inside, my heart heavy with the weight of my secret.

As I take my seat at the table, Piper leans over to me. “Everything okay?” she asks, her brow furrowed with concern.

I force a smile. “Everything’s fine. I just needed some fresh air.”

She nods, but I can tell she’s not entirely convinced. I know I can’t keep this secret forever, but for now, I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure Piper has the perfect wedding weekend. Even if it means hiding the truth from my best friend.