Chapter 14

Roman

"What the fuck!"

Dear god, kill me now. This can not be happening. Fucking hell, anything but this. Not right now. This is not how I wanted her to find out.

The coffees in her hands go crashing to the ground as her hands fly to her mouth. "I think I'm going to be sick."

I'm in a bit of shock from being ripped from my deep sleep. "Tasha!" The way Ava shouts her name and the desperate plea on her face as she looks at her best friend, my daughter, with devastation shatters my fucking heart.

"My dad!" Tasha screeches. "You're fucking my dad?!"

"It's not like that," Ava insists, scrambling to get dressed. Tasha turns away, her whole body vibrating.

"Tasha, sweetie," I try, but she whips her venomous gaze at me.

"My best friend, Dad? Are you fucking kidding me!" Tasha screams. "You could have anyone in the world, why the fuck would you touch her!"

"Please." Ava's dressed now, walking towards Tasha like she's a wild animal. The look on Tasha's face makes me think she might be. "It's not like that."

"Like what?" Tasha snarls. "How long have you two been fucking?" she asks, her eyes flicking between us before they widen. "Dear God, Ava, please do not tell me he's the older guy you've been fucking for work."

"This isn't about her job," I tell her, wishing like hell I at least wore boxers to bed last night and wasn't butt-ass naked.

"You mean you didn't pay her a shit ton of money to fuck her?" Tasha swings her angry glare at me. "Didn't think you were resorting to hiring whores now."

Ava lets out a sobbed gasp, the light leaving her eyes. Nope. I love my daughter, but I won't allow her to talk about Ava like this. Not my woman. Not the girl who's been her best friend for years.

"That's enough!" I roar, getting to my feet and wrapping the blanket around my waist. "You will not talk about her like that, do you understand me? Ava is everything good in this fucking world. Do not call her that."

"I'm just telling it like it is!" she shouts back. "You gave her money. She fucked you. That's what whores do." Shaking, Tasha turns to Ava, who's now crying. I want to go over to her, pull her into my arms, and tell her everything is going to be alright.

But that wouldn't help anything right now; it would just make things worse.

"I knew you had a thing for him, but I didn't think you would actually go so low as to fuck him behind my back." Tasha shakes her head. "Is that why you stayed friends with me all these years? To keep me close so you could get to him someday."

"What?" Ava gasps. "No. Of course not. Tasha, you're my best friend. My person. I'm so fucking sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. It just did. I never wanted to hurt you. You're like a sister to me."

"So you're into fucking your dad then?" she asks.

"Fuck." Ava runs a frantic hand through her hair. "Please, please believe me."

"Ava, Princess, please breathe. You're going to make yourself sick." I try to soothe her, but fuck up by calling her by the nickname I gave her.

" Princess ?" Tasha snorts. "Oh, that's fucking rich. You got a pet name for her and everything. You living out your Pretty Woman fantasy, Dad?"

"I'm gonna leave," Ava says, rushing over to her desk. She grabs her purse and car keys.

Panic fills me. "Ava, please. Don't go."

"I'm sorry, Roman." The look she gives me fucking kills. "This is what I was trying to avoid. This is why I ended things. You should have just left me alone. You shouldn't have come here." She shakes her head. "Everything is ruined."

Ava rushes towards the bedroom door. "I love you, Tasha. I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. I didn't do any of this on purpose. It just... happened."

Tasha glares at her. Ava gives her one last look before hurrying out of the apartment.

"Get the fuck out," I snap at my daughter. Her eyes widen as if she can't believe I'd talk to her like that. Neither can I. But I'm too far past caring.

She stumbles out of the room and I quickly get dressed before following after her. "I'm gonna make this quick because the love of my life just left, taking my fucking heart with her, but I will be back to talk about your behavior because I raised you better than that. I love you, Tasha. You're my daughter. I'd do anything in the world for you. But you're an adult. I'm an adult. Who I choose to be with shouldn't matter as long as they are a good person and treat you and myself well. And Ava? She's the best damn thing that's ever happened to me. I'm sorry that she's your best friend. I'm sorry that this hurts. Was it wrong to go behind your back? Yes. But it's complicated and something I'm not getting into right now. The girl you just called a whore," I spit. "Left me because she couldn't stand the idea of hurting you. She is willing to give up her happiness for you . And I don't think she should have to because, if you were her best friend, you would want to see her happy. Want what's best for her. And no, you might not like the fact that it's me, but I'm not lying when I tell you I love that woman. And I will do whatever is in my power to be with her."

I leave her standing there, shell-shocked and gaping at me, as I quickly kiss the side of her head. "I love you, Tasha," I tell her as I rush out of the apartment to go after my woman. "But I love her too."

My pulse races as I head for the stairs, skipping the elevator and taking the stairs two steps at a time. As I bust out of the building into the parking lot, I pray I'm not too late. But when I look around, I don't see her car.

"Fuck!" I shout. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Grabbing my phone out of my pants pocket, I dial her number. "Pick up. Pick up. Pick up!"

It just rings and rings before going to voicemail. I text her, telling her to call me. Telling her to be safe. To come back.

Part of me wants to freak out. She's gone, and I've lost her forever. But the other part of me is telling me to keep a level head. This was a big shock to everyone, and it's going to take some time for all of us to process.

I just hate that she's upset and in pain by herself. That I can't be there to hold her, to make everything better. It's my job, what I need to do, and I can't fucking do it right now.

I try her phone repeatedly, every call going to voicemail. I finally decide to leave a message. "Princess, I know you're upset and hurting right now, and it fucking kills me. I know you're wishing none of this happened. But I need you to know that I love you. I love you so fucking much that I can't breathe without you. I'm not giving up on us. You can tell me no. You can tell me to leave. But it won't matter. You're worth it, Ava. You're worth everything in this world, and I plan on giving it all to you. I will wear you down and make you see how loved you are. You're not getting rid of me, sweet girl. So don't even get that idea in your head."

After I hang up, I call my office in New York and extend my trip by a few weeks. I don't give a fuck about work. I've been needing to take a step back anyway. And what better of a time than when I need to focus on getting my Princess back. Because there's no way in hell I'm going anywhere.

I don't care how long it takes or what I have to do. I will get Ava back. I pray that I don't lose my daughter in the process, but if she's the woman I raised her to be, she will come around, too.

That's what I have to believe because the other outcome isn't an option. I won't let it be.

Ava, baby, wherever you are right now, I hope you're safe. I'm going to find you and win you back. Just wait, you'll see. It's you and me against the world. You're it for me, baby.

There is no life without Ava because she is my life. My heart. My Princess.

Ava

It's been a week since Tasha walked in on her dad and me. I took off from the apartment, got in my car and drove around the city for hours, crying, not having a clue what to do or where to go.

Tasha hasn't tried to contact me, and I've been too afraid to message her. She didn't handle finding out about her dad and me very well. And I don't blame her, not with the way she found us. She shouldn't have found out that way. She shouldn't have found out at all. That's why I was trying to end things with Roman. But of course, I had to have one last night with him.

I couldn't resist. Mostly because, deep down, I didn't want things to end at all. But I knew they had to.

And my point was proven.

As for Roman, he's texted me nonstop and filled up my mailbox with voicemails. I haven't read or listened to anything he sent. I know what they'll say. It would be him asking to talk, to work things out.

I don't get how he can't see that it's not possible. Things are over. I've lost the man I've fallen so hard for, the man who stole my heart, and the girl who's been my best friend pretty much my whole life.

Now, I have nothing and no one. I've been staying at an extended-stay hotel, only going back to the apartment when I know Tasha won't be there. I grab clean clothes and take a shower before leaving again. Thankfully, she hasn't changed the locks yet.

I can't live like this forever. I just don't know where I stand with Tasha. Does she want me out? Is she going to move out?

Before, I couldn't afford that place on my own, but with the money I made from my week with Roman, I could not only pay off my student loans but I could live off the rest of it for a short while.

A few days after the whole blow-up, I looked in my account to see if I had enough money for a coffee, and I found a life-changing amount of money instead. It wasn't even the amount that Roman and I talked about. There's a good extra few hundred thousand in there.

I'm not sure if I'm going to use the money; I don't think I'd feel right about it. And if I did, I sure as hell wouldn't be using anything but what we agreed to.

To sum it up, my life is a mess right now. I'm miserable, I haven't cried so much in my life, and I miss Roman. I miss Tasha.

"See you tomorrow," Ruby, one of the night girls, says as I sign out after my shift.

"Bye." I give her a forced smile and make my way out to my car.

Getting inside, I look out the window and sigh as I place my head against the steering wheel.

I have to do it. I can't avoid it forever.

Grabbing my phone, I send Tasha a text, asking her if she was at the apartment and if she was able to talk.

After a minute that felt more like a lifetime, I get a text back saying just one word: okay.

Biting my lip, nervousness fills my belly as I pull out of the diner parking lot and head to my apartment.

I'm a wreck when I step inside my place ten minutes later. "Tasha?" I call out.

She steps out of her room, hair tossed up in a messy bun. She's dressed in sleep shorts and a loose top, looking like she's been in bed all day.

"Hey." She pauses, meeting my eyes. I see a look of pain pass through them, and my heart hurts.

"Hi," I say softly.

"Well, let's do this," she deadpans, moving over to the couch. I tentatively move over to sit on the other side.

"First, I want to say I am so sorry. I didn't mean for you to see that. It should never have happened."

"Trust me," she snorts. "That's something I could have gone my whole life without seeing."

"I know. And I'm so, so sorry."

She nods, not looking at me as she plays with the blanket she pulled over her lap. "Can I ask you a few things?"

"Anything. I'll tell you anything you want to know," I say immediately.

"Was he the older guy you've been seeing for work?"

"Yes," I sigh, nodding.

"I wish you said no," she sighs, looking up at me.

"Why?" My brows furrow.

"Because... I've seen the change in you during that week, Ava. I even bragged to him about it." She laughs, shaking her head. "Had no idea I was telling the man who's made you feel more alive than you've ever been right to his face."

"You did?" My eyes widen, partly in surprise and partly in embarrassment.

She nods. "I'm sorry for how I reacted. It wasn't right of me to call you the things I did. I was just in shock. I didn't know how to react."

"You don't have anything to be sorry about. I'm the one who's sorry."

"I do." She bites on her lower lip. "My dad... he ripped into me once you left."

"Shit. I'm sorry." My face falls, more guilt filling me. Her dad got mad at her, and it was my fault. I didn't want to come in between them.

"Stop being sorry, Ava. Don't you see, I was the one in the wrong. As weird as it was to think about my best friend and my dad, the fact is he was right. You are both adults and have the right to do whatever you want with your lives with whoever you want."

"Wait... really?" My brows furrow.

"Another question. Was this just sex, or was this something more?"

Nerves wreak havoc on my stomach as I chew the inside of my cheek. "At first, it was just a job. I had no idea it was him when I showed up that first night. When I saw it was him..." My cheeks burn with what I'm about to tell her. "He invited me in. I offered to leave, he said no, and well..." I groan and put my face in my hands. "I took the chance to live out the fantasy I've had of him in my head for years."

"Eww. Gross," she laughs. "I do not want details on any of that, by the way." She shudders.

"Don't worry, I won't." I sigh. "We agreed to the week he was here, and then we would part ways. But as time went on... things changed. Our feelings changed."

"So you like him."

"I do." I nod.

"More than a friend?"

"Yes." I lick my lips.

"Do you love him?"

I stare at her, heart racing, not sure what to say. I could tell her no, but it would be a lie. "I'm sorry," I whisper. "I didn't want to fall for him. It just happened."

She nods. "I don't know what to think about all of this. But what I do know is I don't want to lose you. You're my best friend and anything that happened with you and my dad, I know you weren't doing it to be spiteful, to hurt me, or to use him for his money. I know you better than anyone else in this world. That's why I know whatever happened with you two must have been real."

Hope swells in my heart. "I don't want to lose you, Tasha. Roman and I, we're over. I don't want to come in between you and him. And I can't stand the idea of a life without you in it."

"Wow, now don't be so drastic. I'm not sure what's going to happen with the two of you, I just want you to know I won't try to come in between you two. You're adults, do as you please. He's still my dad, and you're still my best friend."

"Really?" Tears fill my eyes. "I love you, Tasha, so much."

"Ugh, girl, come hug me before I cry," she demands, eyes growing misty.

We lean forward and hug for a few seconds, holding each other tightly. "I hate to make up and run, but I've got to go to work," she says, pulling back.

"Okay. Talk more later?" I ask, wiping at my tears with the sleeve of my sweater.

She sniffs, wiping at her eyes, too. "I'm sorry for being a grade-A bitch, by the way."

"I forgive you." I laugh, a real smile finding my face.

Tasha gets ready and leaves for work. As for me, I curl up on the couch, not sure what to do. Tasha says she's okay with Roman and me, but is it worth tempting fate?

I have a lot to think about. And I pray I don't make the wrong choice.