HAILEY

Chris has been avoiding me. I wish I could say he's just being polite and getting to know my family, but the truth is that he's making sure we're not alone in the same room for more than two minutes.

It's been raining all day, and it only serves to make me even more miserable. I thought after yesterday something had changed in our relationship. But apparently, it was just a one-night stand for him, and now he's awkwardly stuck here with me.

When I woke up early today, I was on cloud nine. Chris was sleeping soundly by my side and I decided to go downstairs to make him some coffee. I wanted to enjoy some quiet time with him before everyone arrived but my plans went down the drain when I went outside to pick up the newspaper and bumped into Tom.

I've been purposely avoiding him for years, so seeing him again after so long threw me off for a second. He asked if we could talk, and at the time I thought it would be better to talk to him outside than have him inside the house when Chris was around.

But damn... Talk about plans going wrong. He apologized for cheating on me and wanted to let me know he's regretted it ever since. I confess hearing him out brought back all the feelings of insecurity I had long buried inside.

So when he kissed me something in me broke and it took me a second to register what was going on. He was familiar in so many ways and the young girl in me who thought the world of him once ended up kissing him back.

However, when his hands went to my waist, I stilled. Everything about his touch was wrong and the only man I needed was in my old bedroom sleeping. It didn't matter Tom and I had a history. It didn't matter he was sorry. I would never go back to him. My heart already belonged to Chris.

"What's taking you so long?" My father's voice breaks me away from my thoughts as he joins me in the garage. He has asked me to get him a box of Christmas lights so he could fix the decoration on the front porch, and I've used the opportunity to hide for a while.

"Just taking a breather." I smile as I walk to a shelf in the corner to get the box, noticing he's getting comfortable in his old leather chair.

"You and Chris okay?" he asks.

"Uh, yeah. Of course." I open the box, carefully examining the items inside.

"You sure?"

"What do you mean?" I glance at him and find him studying me curiously.

"I saw you and Tom kissing.." He holds my eyes, and I flush under his gaze.

"I'm... That was not..." I shake my head. I hate Tom kissed me.

Narrowing his eyes, he tilts his head to the side. "You still in love with him?"

"No! I mean, I just... He just..." I look around, trying to think of something to say as a wave of embarrassment washes over me.

"I have all day, sweetheart." He crosses his arms over his chest, a look of understanding washing over his features.

Pulling a stool, I sit in front of him. "I got myself into a huge mess, dad," I whisper, feeling my eyes fill with tears when he leans forward and holds both of my hands in his. While I love my mom to death, I've always been a daddy's girl. And his patience and calmness have always been able to help me get through everything in life.

"Talk to me." He squeezes my hand, and I take a deep breath.

"Chris and I are not engaged," I blurt, and my eyes narrow when he lets out a heartfelt burst of laughter.

"Oh, sweetheart... Apart from your mom, do you really think anyone would fall for that?" He chuckles, making me gasp.

"I... Well..." I roll my eyes. "I had to put a stop to mom's nonsense. I've been working my ass off to get this doctorate degree. I'm working towards building a nice career. I live in a nice place and have good friends... But all she seems to care about is that I find a man and tie the knots."

"She's so proud of you, Hails. We both are. She loves you more than anything and just wants you to be happy."

"And I need a man to be happy?" I raise my eyebrows at him, making him smile.

"Hell no, you don't need a man."

"I like Chris." I look down for a second. "And I think... I thought he liked me too, but now I'm not so sure."

"Well, he agreed to this crazy idea of yours."

"He's a good friend." I sigh, my heart hurting at the thought he's pulling out after last night.

"He doesn't look at you as a friend, sweetheart. Trust me on that."

"He's been avoiding me all day."

"Why don't you two go out for a walk? Your mom will serve the lunch soon, so this way you kids have some alone time to work things out." He pats my hands, and I let out another sigh. I guess he's right.

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A/N: How do you think their talk will go? 

Please don't forget to vote! :)

XOXO

Celeste