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

2. Mac

Chapter 2

Mac

“Thanks, Dad. Did you see Mom? She’s here.”

“I know, I saw her.” Her mother is a control freak and when she found out Piper was getting married on the east coast and not in California, she refused to turn up.

But Piper refused to back down.

Piper laughs as the makeup assistant spritzes her face. “Did she scowl at you?”

I chuckle and nod my head. “When did she never?”

"Thank you," Piper says to the assistant before she stands in front of me.

“You look beautiful, Freckles,” I tell her as I slide her veil over her auburn curls and position it over her face. She’s having a more traditional wedding than I had with her mother. Hopefully, my daughter’s marriage will have the longevity mine never had.

There's a tap on the door, stopping our conversation. I stroll to the door, open it and see the bridesmaids, Kelly and Sophie.

Kelly’s eyes are on mine as she says, “The cars are here.”

“I’m ready,” Piper calls as Kelly and Sophie stroll into the room.

As Kelly passes me, the first thing I notice is the faint scent of the same coconut shampoo I washed her hair with when I held her close to my body in the bathtub after that night.

The night she came for me.

The night she let me be her first.

My cock stirs at the memory.

“Hi Mac,” Sophie says.

“Yeah. Hi.” Kelly says shyly as she peers up at me with her big, beautiful blue eyes. Her golden locks are normally French braided, but today her hair is delicately groomed into a bun.

I turn away, shaking off the fact I am staring at her.

Since I arrived here, I’ve stared at Kelly. Today is worse. She looks stunning in her bridesmaid dress, a deep navy blue that contrasts beautifully with her golden skin. And her breasts have grown significantly in the past four months. They’re fuller and more rounded than I remember. I turn away, shaking off that thought.

“You look gorgeous, too,” Piper tells her bridesmaids. “Don’t they, Dad?”

I swallow as I look again.

Kelly’s makeup is impeccable, but as always, she doesn’t need it. Her eyes are bright, her cheekbones high, and she has a delicate turn up of her nose. She’s a natural beauty through and through.

I look away, because I’m sure not only Kelly will notice that I'm staring at her face, but Piper will too.

“You all look beautiful. But I’m sure your wedding planner will be on the phone, telling you to get your ass into that car very soon. Unless my little girl has changed her mind about getting married.”

Piper laughs. “No way. I’m marrying the love of my life.”

My heart aches, knowing I’m losing her once again. But I don’t let it show. “Let’s go then.”

Minutes later, I watch as Kelly gets into another car with Sophie and some groomsmen. She’s sitting on the backseat, her hands folded in her lap, staring out of the window.

I turn to Piper. “Is Kelly okay? She seems a little quiet.”

Piper looks at me with a small smile. “She didn’t know if she could come to the wedding because the flight was too expensive, and she’s saving up for something.”

My heart sinks as I wonder what that something could be. Is it a new apartment in California? A car? Something that keeps her on the west coast permanently. Or is it…something else?

“You must have an idea what it is,” I tell Piper. “She tells you everything.”

“Normally, I’d agree with you, but…” Piper looks at me, her eyes filled with an uncertainty I don’t normally see. “I don’t know what it is. She refuses to tell me,” she says, with a shrug of her shoulders. “But I promise you, I am trying to find out. I just hope she hasn’t done something stupid like...” She trails off for a moment.

I nod, trying to hide my concern from Piper. But as we drive to the church, my mind keeps going back to Kelly and what she might be going through. “Stupid like what?”

Piper shrugs. “I know Kelly is smart, but I don’t know, maybe…” she sighs. “Maybe she got with a boy.” My heart drops into my stomach as I think of her with someone else. “I just hope that she isn’t pregnant.”

“Pregnant? What makes you say that?”

“I don’t know. I’m jumping to conclusions.” Piper fiddles with her bouquet. “But she didn’t have any champagne. And she claims she’s stopped drinking, but…” Piper glances at me. “She loves sparkling wine, and she seems a little unhappy to me.”

“So you think she slept with someone, got pregnant, and he dumped her?” I ask.

I swallow.

Was that someone…me? Or someone else?

My mind wanders to the night we spent together. I can’t believe I let myself get involved with someone so young.

Is she pregnant with my baby?

“She doesn’t want to talk to me about it, so I can only assume she doesn’t want me worrying about her while I’m about to get married.”

“It’s nice that she looks after you,” I tell her. “And that you are still good friends despite you moving away.”

Piper sighs. “I know. But maybe if she can’t talk to me, this is her pulling away.”

“I doubt that, sweetheart. Kelly doesn’t want you to worry about her. Do you want me to have a chat with her?”

As we pull up to the church doors, Piper turns to me with a smile. “If you would.”

I glance down at my suit and tie, feeling a little self-conscious. “Okay, I’ll talk to her after the wedding.”

“Thanks Dad.” Piper leans over and gives me a quick peck on the cheek before stepping out of the car and fluffing her wedding dress.

Kelly’s eyes meet mine as she gets out of the car ahead. Then she turns to head to the cobblestone path leading to the church.

I stare at her a little longer than necessary. She looks radiant in her dress, her hair styled off her face, only a small tendril on either side frame her face perfectly. Her eyes are bright and full of life, but I can’t help but notice the way she keeps unconsciously touching her stomach. And the way her normally perky boobs now look bigger than ever.

Kelly is pregnant.

The way her dress fits tells me everything I need to know.

But is the baby mine?

If so, why hasn’t she told me?

She doesn’t want me to know.

I can’t think about it for now. My daughter is about to get married, and I need to keep my focus on her for now.

An organ sounds its first key and soon the Bridal Chorus plays over the air.

“Should we?” I hold out my arm for Piper and minutes later her arm is linked with mine as I walk my daughter to my soon-to-be son-in-law, Connor.

Connor is grinning ear to ear as he watches his bride getting closer.

I glance at Piper and she’s the same. They are two people who fell in love and despite how much I meddled in their relationship, their love was untouchable.

“I love you, Piper, and I know Connor is going to be a fabulous husband,” I whisper over the tune, not wanting anyone but Piper to hear.

“He’s perfect, dad. Thanks for not making it so hard.”

I made it hard in the beginning. I never wanted my daughter anywhere near any of my players. I thought she was too good and too perfect, but wow, did she put me straight on that fact?

She’s still perfect. Not sure how.

I glance over at my ex-wife sitting with her new husband. She looks happy. Happier than she ever did with me. But then again, I was never around much when Piper was growing up. I was always on the road with the team, chasing that next win, that next championship. I moved to different teams in different cities. I’m ashamed to admit my job was the most important thing in my life, and I missed so much of Piper’s childhood, her first steps, her first words, her first day of school.

Time I’ll never get back.

But now, with Kelly possibly carrying my child, I can’t help but feel a sense of déjà vu. Will I make the same mistakes again? Will I be an absent father to another child? Is the child even mine?

I know I need to talk to Kelly to find out the truth. Is she pregnant or not? And if she is, how can I be in my child’s life?

But a part of me is afraid to face the reality of the situation. What if I’m not ready to be a father again, especially not with my daughter’s best friend?

Or maybe…maybe I can give Kelly a father for her baby regardless of if I’m the dad or not.

As the ceremony continues, I find my mind racing with the possibilities of what this all means.

I steal a secret glance at Kelly while she’s focused on the wedding, her eyes fixed on Piper and Connor as they exchange their vows. And I can’t help but wonder what she’s thinking.

Is she planning to talk to me? Let me be a part of this child’s life? Or does she want to keep me at a distance, to raise the baby on her own? The uncertainty is killing me.

Piper turns and gives her bouquet to Kelly and only then do I catch Kelly’s eye. She gives me a timid smile before her eyes scan ahead.

I know I need to man up and have a conversation with her. I need to take responsibility for my actions and be there for her and the baby, if that’s what she wants.

But the thought of facing Piper’s reaction, of potentially losing my daughter’s respect and trust, is almost too much to bear.

Only when Father O’Brien declares Piper and Connor husband and wife, do I look away from Kelly, and look at my daughter, who is now married to a man who loves her, who respects her, and I know Connor will be there for her through thick and thin.

“You may kiss your bride.” I turn and smile as the church erupts into cheers when Connor sweeps Piper into his arms and kisses her.

I glimpse at Kelly once more. She quickly looks away, but not before I see a flicker of emotion in her gaze.

And I need to talk to her because I may have failed as a father once before, but I’ll be damned if I let it happen again.