Page 105 of Mile High Baby

EPILOGUE II

Henry

Today was my daughter’s big day. Bigger than her first birthday. Bigger than graduating from high school and college. She was getting married. I wanted to be happy for her because she was beaming, but I struggled with the fact that she was marrying my college buddy. I’d spent nights clubbing and picking up women with him back in the day. He’d been a committed bachelor, scoffing at the idea of love and family. And that motherfucker slept with my daughter, got her pregnant, and was now marrying her.

As much as it felt off, I had to admit that Alex looked at Tori like she walked on water. And I couldn’t deny that even after all the challenges we’d put him through, he saved her life and made sure that George Pitney was no longer around to threaten me or her. More than that, I wanted to be in my grandchild’s life, so I’d do my best to play nice with Alex.

But truth be told, Alex marrying my daughter today wasn’t what had me on edge.

“Ready, Dad?” Tori looked up at me, and for a moment I saw my little girl. The one I would toss up in the air and catch. The one I’d take to the zoo.

“The question is are you ready?”

“I’m more than ready.” Her smile was like the sun, and as long as Alex could keep her smiling like that, I’d support this marriage.

We stepped out of the house on the beach in the Hamptons and made our way toward Alex. His eyes were on her and only her. God, this was weird.

I kept my eyes forward, focused on the minister. But with every step, all I wanted to do was look to his left. To the woman standing up for Tori.

The truth was, I was a hypocrite. I’d ranted and raged about Alex and Tori. It had to be wrong for my good friend to sleep with my daughter. Itwaswrong. I knew it was because I’d done something similar five years ago. I too slept with a woman over twenty years my junior. It was wrong for so many reasons, including that she was my intern.

But holy hell, never had a woman made me feel like I was Superman or excited me the way she had. I was the CEO of the company, but had I been exposed, the board would have sent me packing. My father was still alive, and he’d have likely disowned me for risking the company simply because I couldn’t stay away from a woman.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. No, what made me a hypocrite wasn’t sleeping with a younger woman. It was sleeping with my daughter’s best friend.

It wasn’t the same as Alex sleeping with my daughter, I kept telling myself. But it was a lie. Still, I did what Alex should have done and that was let the woman go. There was too much at risk for her and me. And for what? Yes, she was smart. An absolute delight to talk to. She was sexy as fuck, which was wrong, right? I couldn’t desire my daughter’s friend. But I had. And because it was wrong and on the verge of ruining lives, I’d ended it. I’d found her an incredible job on the other side of the country.

She’d known too that nothing would come of the affair, so she’d gone willingly. Hell, I suppose it was possible she’d been hoping I’d get her great job and that was why she was fucking me. I mean, what twenty-one-year-old woman wanted to fuck a forty-three-year-old man?

We reached Alex. Tori took his hand, and I stepped back, not as if I was relinquishing my daughter to him but to avoid staring into my taboo past.

I took a seat in the front row and gritted my teeth as I did my best not to look. But Jesus, I couldn’t resist her then. How could I now? My gaze drifted to the left of Tori. To Samantha.

Holy hell, she was even more stunning than I remembered. Her blonde hair was pulled back, but wisps blew around her face. She still had amazing green eyes and perfectly formed pink lips. The memory of her taste filtered into my mind. Kissing her had always been amazing. And when those lips had wrapped around my dick... Jesus fuck, I’d come like never before.

I shifted, crossing my legs to avoid the evidence of my lewd thoughts becoming apparent.

The minister presented Mr. and Mrs. Sterling, and Alex kissed my daughter, and it made my stomach churn. But I had to accept the truth. My daughter was now married to my best friend.

The small group of guests clapped and cheered. Samantha handed the floral bouquet back to Victoria, and she and Alex walked back up the sandy aisle toward the house.

Samantha followed them, her eyes straight ahead. Was she trying to avoid me too?

As she walked past me, her familiar sweet scent enveloped me, triggering me with wonderful sensations I’d experienced five years ago.

I couldn’t fucking help myself. As she reached me, I stood. “It’s good to see you, Samantha.”

Her breath hitched, and she stared at me like she didn’t know what to do. Finally, she swallowed. “You too, Mr. Banion.”

Her calling me Mr. Banion made me feel like I was a hundred years old. Like I was a dirty old man lusting for his daughter’s friend. Wasn’t there a movie like that? I think that guy ended up dead.

She continued up the aisle, and I was powerless to look away. She was fuller, rounder than before. It made her even more beautiful.

“How are you, proud dad?” Alex’s father patted me on the back. I was surprised he was here, considering he’d disowned Alex for not going into the family business.

“I’m happy for them.”

“They look happy. Who knows, maybe they’ll make it. You were lucky, Henry. Never getting married. Wives only make your life miserable.”