My Dad's Bestfriend

Chapter 188 Us Again

Evelyn

I drew in a deep breath, feeling the thick silence that had settled over the room. Jacob and I had discussed this trip to Italy at the café earlier, and although nerves hummed beneath my skin, a larger part of me was thrilled. Going back would be a fresh start, a chance for us to be together without the cloud of past events hanging over us. Last time, circumstances hadn't allowed for much happiness, and yet here we were, hoping to rewrite that story.

This trip could be really be different and thousand percent better.

But there was one catch: my dad.

He'd always been protective, and after everything that happened there, I knew he might see this as a risk-a trip he wouldn't want me to take, not so soon. I glanced at Jacob, feeling his hand give mine a small, reassuring squeeze under the table as Dad emitted a long sigh. He reached for more veggies, placing them on his plate with a practiced calm, chewing as though he hadn't heard the question Jacob had asked moments earlier.

Was this his way of saying no? His silence could mean anything...or nothing at all. I found myself holding my breath.

Jacob cleared his throat, attempting again. "Samuel_-"

Dad cut him off, breaking his silence. "You can take her," he said, his words so casual yet shocking, as though he hadn't just flipped our expectations upside down.

Wait, what? Did I hear him right?

That easily?

"Wait, really?"Jacob's eyes widened, a smile already spreading across his face as if he'd won some invisible battle.

"Don't get too excited just yet," Dad added, narrowing his eyes, "Three months only. None of that open-ended vacation like last time."

"Dad..." I began, the protest slipping out instinctively.

"No arguments, Evie," he said firmly, wiping his mouth and pushing back his chair. "What I've said is final. You have three months, or you can enjoy America instead." He turned to leave, but then he paused, glancing back at Jacob.

more thing," he added, his voice turning razor-sharp. "If you make her cry again, you asshole, I'll forget every friendship we've

he strode upstairs, leaving the room heavy with a mixture of relief, shock, and a

breaking the tension. "Congrats, you

think you could

snag three months, so enjoy that while it lasts. By the end of your trip, I'll see what I can do but no promises. You know how Samuel is; once he's decided something, there's almost no changing

"Almost?" I asked, hopeful.

your dinner.

right. If I had any hope of keeping this trip secure,

smirk. "Your dad's unpredictable like that. If that piece

glare, and he stopped

"Piece of what, Jacob?"

slip of the tongue," he chuckled, flashing me an innocent smile. "Really,

as she focused

throat, but I bit it back, finally turning my attention back to my food. With Dad's eyes on us, it was definitely

***

hand traced gentle circles on

my back

on his arm, fingers lazily outlining the tattoos on his skin. Occasionally, I buried my face in the crook of his neck, inhaling the familiar scent that always seemed to calm me. But tonight,

effortlessly, even in silence? It was

"I could carry a bit of that weight

closer as I tilted my head up to

illegal to be this pretty," I whispered, a small smile playing on my

raising an eyebrow. "Alright then. Guess I'm 'pretty'

escaped me. "It's not a

don't hear 'pretty' much as a guy," he replied, tracing his fingers down my

of his rings making me