The next month passed in a similar fashion. During the week, we stayed at my place. On the weekends, we went to Dillan’s. One Saturday, I asked if he wanted to go meet my Dad. Dillan jumped at the idea. I was not expecting that response. But it did make me happy.

The two men hit it off from the beginning. Laughing, playing games. And telling stories about me. Dillan ate all of those up. Along with the cookies I made before we went there. I wouldn’t let him touch them in his apartment, even though he kept trying. I slapped the back of his hand with a serving spoon, he slapped my butt harder with the same hand. Considering I had only been in one of his shirts at the time, it really hurt. He then took the spoon from me, spun me around to face him, and proceeded to use the spoon for an entirely new purpose. I would never be looking at that spoon the same way again.

We had only been there for an hour when Dillan asked to use the bathroom. Dad took that opportunity to make his opinion known.

“I like him for you.” He said nonchalantly, one eye on his Scrabble tiles and one on the bathroom door.

“Good, so do I.”

“He may not know it yet, but that boy is head over heels in love with you.”

“Daddy!” I silently admonished him. “It’s only been a month. You don’t know that.”

He scoffed and waved my denial away. “Please. I fell in love with your mother the moment I first laid eyes on her. It just grew stronger the more I got to know her.”

I nibbled on my nails nervously. “You think?”

He smiled down to where I was sitting on the floor and patted my head softly. “Yes, Pixie. I see how he looks at you, how he always has your needs on the front of his mind.” His eyes dipped to the pillow I was sitting on. Dillan had refused to let me sit on the hard floor. “You are it for him.”

“But his job…”

“So what? Does a job define a person? Just because people may do bad things in his club doesn’t make him a bad man. What if one of your analysts decided to hack into a bank and steal money? Would that make you a criminal too?” 

I felt like he was glossing over the things we both knew Dillan was also involved in, but I got his point. I shook my head in answer. 

A few hours later, as we left, my father shook Dillan’s hand. “You do right by my girl, now, you hear? She deserves someone to take care of her, instead of the other way around.”

Dillan wrapped his free hand, the one not being squeezed the life out of by my father, around my waist and held me close to his side. “With my life, sir.”

My father nodded once, kissed me on the forehead, and shooed us out of his apartment. 

As much as I would have loved to have Dillan at family dinners, I wasn’t sure Randy was ready for that yet. He was growing distant again, and frequently missed dinners with Dad. I was getting worried. The only times he did that in the past was when he felt guilty about something, or he was focused on a new play.

There was a time I would have obsessed over it, nagging to find out what he was doing. But I was enjoying my life too much to let the stress of Randy’s life bother me. I trusted Dillan to do what he could to keep Randy straight. 

And, for once, I just wanted to enjoy my life and not worry about my older brother. 

A little over two months after Dillan and I became official, I once again met with a potential new client and one of the Senior Partners. 

“Miss Reynolds, I’d like you to meet Ivan Smirnov. He runs a chain of hotels and sports bars here in Los Angeles.” Gary waved a hand toward the man standing near him in the conference room.

I walked over and offered my hand. “Mr. Smirnov, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

His hand was rough and calloused, but he did not squeeze too hard. I was grateful for that, because he looked like he could break my hand with one shake. 

“Call me Ivan, Miss Reynolds.” His accent was thick, but I didn’t know where from. The down side to life behind a computer. 

I smiled sweetly at him, hiding the fact that he gave me the creeps. It had been a while since I tried so hard to hide my true feelings. It felt weird. I also had to keep myself from wondering when I had let my guard down so completely.