I had a feeling that he was going above and beyond normal protocol. I didn’t ask questions. It was probably best not to be in the know about Jake’s fate.
With that taken care of once and for all, I moved on to the next debacle. I thought I wouldn’t have to dial my dad’s phone number for quite some time, yet there I was. When he answered, I could almost hear the smug look on his face.
“Hi, Dan. How’s it going?”
“You know exactly how it’s going,” I growled.
“Have you heard the happy news?”
I took a deep breath. There were still employees in the building and I didn’t want them to hear me yelling about my personal business.
“Do you mind telling me what the hell is going on? Ariana just called me, freaking out because her mom just announced her marriage. She didn’t even know her mom was seeing anyone.”
“You just can’t plan these things,” he said.
“No, I think that’s exactly what you did.”
“What are you trying to accuse me of? You wanted me out of your house. I found a place to stay and that’s where I met Barb. So really, I should be thanking you for kicking me out. Otherwise, I’d still be in your guesthouse, all by my lonesome.”
I rubbed at my eyes. This was exhausting, arguing with an impossible person. “I have my theories.”
“Lay it on me,” he challenged.
“I don’t know how you did it, but I think she looked up Ariana’s mom after your little lecture. When you found out that she was single, you turned on the charm. You manipulated a kind woman into going out with you. You must have sensed that she was lonely and wanting a committed relationship, more than anything. You took her to Las Vegas because you knew you could convince her to marry you. Even for you, that’s pretty low.”
“I think you’re just bitter that I’ve given you a new stepsister. I told you that you couldn’t have it all. I’m sorry that things turned out this way, but you should have known better.”
“Known better?” I asked.
“To think that you could have it all. Did you not listen to anything I was saying?”
“Your lesson means nothing if you purposefully set me up. All it says is that you’re insane to go so far just to piss me off. What did I ever do to deserve this? I gave you a place to stay. I supported you, even after how badly you treated Mom. I just don’t get it.”
“Let’s leave the past in the past. I’m starting my life over now. I have a new wife who is pretty great in the sack. She’s got a pretty nice apartment that’s better than your guesthouse. I’m working toward a big promotion at the insurance agency. I’ve paid my dues and waded through enough crap in my life.”
“I thought you said you can’t have it all.”
“You can’t. But I can. I’m not soft like you are. I get what I want through hard work and persistence.”
I rolled my eyes. He had really gone off the deep end after his divorce. He had always been a bit of a jerk when he wanted to be, but this was something different. He was going out of his way to destroy lives.
“Just tell me the truth—did you marry that woman to ruin my relationship with Ariana?”
“I’ll talk to you later,” he said, purposefully ignoring my question. “We’ll have to figure out plans for Thanksgiving. I bet you’ll be really excited to spend it with your new stepsister.”
I slammed my phone down, my face burning with rage. I couldn’t believe him. I felt terrible for Ariana. She seemed really happy with me. What we had going on was a little taboo, but now, it was practically incest. I felt bad for the poor woman he married under false pretenses. If she was anything like her daughter, then she certainly didn’t deserve to be with a bastard like my father. I just hoped that he would minimize his destruction to her life.
I also felt a little sorry for myself. I knew I had a lot going for me, but was it too much to ask for a woman who cared about me?
There was no fixing this. I would have to break up a newly married couple, just so I wouldn’t be dating my stepsister. Even then, people would know that our parents were together. Then, I would still be her doctor. There was no winning with Ariana.
I turned off the lights in my office and sped home. I just wanted to be with Ariana for as long as I possibly could before the word about our new relation came out.
When I walked in the door, Ariana ran straight for me and jumped into my arms. Normally, I would have loved this gesture, but there was a certain sadness in her embrace.
“What are we going to do?” she asked. “This is a nightmare. I’m so scared that Jake is going to come back and I won’t have you around to protect me.”
“I have some news for you. I called in a favor with the police department. Jake is no longer a problem. The chief promised me that. You’re safe now.”
She squeezed me tighter and kissed me on the cheek. “Thank you so much. That really makes things easier.”
“I know. Now we just have to figure out what to do about our parents. Do you have any ideas?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know why, but she sounds really happy. It would kill me to take that away from her. Do you think that it’s remotely possible that he’s actually treating her well?”
I didn’t want to say it, but I knew he wasn’t going to. Not in the long run, anyway. Instead, I just shrugged. She got the point.
“He’s not going to hurt her, is he?”
“Physically, no. Emotionally, most likely.”
Tears welled up in her eyes. I felt partially responsible for this. I pushed my dad to lash out at me.
“Come here,” I said, pulling her toward the couch. I sat down and pulled her into my lap. “Let’s come up with a plan.”
“For what?” she sniffed.
“For us to be together, no strings attached. First, I’m going to refer you to a new specialist. I’ll find someone I trust enough to take care of you. You’ll always have me to go over your symptoms with.”
“Are you sure?”
“That’s the least of our problems now. You have another checkup in four months. I’ll find you another doctor by then.”
She nodded, nuzzling her face into my neck. I stroked the back of her hair.
“We’re going to figure this out. We’re going to get them separated with the least amount of collateral damage,” I said.
“We need to figure out how to do this and still keep our reputations protected,” she said. “I want you to have a successful practice. I want to be able to stay here and get a job. I want to be with you and have a life together.”
I kissed her on the top of her head. “I want that, too.”
&nbs
p; I slid her from my lap and walked into the kitchen. “All of this scheming is making me hungry. Should we order Chinese?”
I saw her smile for the first time all day. That was all the motivation I needed.
Chapter Fourteen
Ariana
“Did you talk to your mom today?” Daniel asked as we brushed our teeth before bed.
“Briefly,” I said after spitting out a mouthful of toothpaste foam. “She said she’s unavailable for a coffee date this week. Her husband has been taking up all her free time. Apparently, he’s more exciting than her own daughter.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, giving me a minty kiss on the cheek. “Do you want me to try to make you feel better?”
“How are you going to do that?” I asked, giving him a cheeky sideways glance.
He lightly slapped me on the butt. “I think you know how.”
I swirled around, pressing my pelvis against his. “I don’t know. I think I just want to go to sleep. I’m exhausted and I have a paper to work on tomorrow.”
“Really?” he said, a look of shock on his face. “I’ve never known you to not want to have sex with me.”
I playfully slapped him on the chest. “When this is all over, I’m going to need to go on vacation. Where do you want to take me?”
“Hmm,” he mused, getting into bed. “Have you been to Cancun? We can book a suite at a fancy resort. We’ll drink tropical drinks all day and make love all night.”
“Deal,” I said, pulling the covers up over my chest. “I hope this vacation actually comes to fruition.”
“Good night, Ariana,” Daniel said, rolling over to give me a peck on the lips. Per usual, he was out like a light the second his head hit the pillow.
On the other hand, I was up for at least another few hours. I felt like the wheels were just spinning in my head, but I was gaining no traction.
I woke up in the morning, feeling dreadful. I hadn’t slept at all and anxious thoughts kept nagging me. I needed to speak to my mom, but all her spare time was taken by Terry. I knew that the longer I went without speaking to her on the subject, the more ensnared she would become in his lies.