Page 14 of Accidental Dad’s Best Friend (Unintentionally Yours #7)

Ethan

“ F inish whatever bullshit you’re editing because we are going to lunch in ten.” Liam pats his hand on the doorframe of my office before walking off.

I grit my teeth.

It’s almost like he’s telling me to jump and I’m supposed to say how high.

This is the way it’s been for weeks now.

Months ever. He snaps his fingers and expects me to spring into action.

I swear to God, I hardly know the man anymore.

I’m this close to telling him to fuck off.

To just being done with him all together.

But I can’t. The article will be written soon and it needs to be executed perfectly for me to take him down.

I will never be freed from under his thumb and neither will Izzy if we don’t go through with this. So for now, I have to play ball.

And speaking of that…

Izzy is being stand-offish.

I get that I don’t own her, that she is just writing for me so we can bring down our common enemy.

I also know that I need to let her live her own life.

She’s a big girl and has done well on her own so far.

However, she’s living back in the city where there are more wolves than sheep.

I’d love to say that people in the world have forgotten about her stunt at Slay but that would be a lie.

Her name still comes up as what not to do .

Not only that, but people that Liam has fucked with know she is his daughter.

The internet is crawling with trolls that get off on smearing her on every platform they can get their grubby fingers on.

I don’t know if she knows that. Knowing Izzy, she avoids the public eye at all cost. It’s for the best. I’d love to get my hands on some of these cyber twats, though it wouldn’t be pretty.

So the fact that Izzy has been less responsive to my calls as texts definitely has my skin itching.

It’s not that she is full blown ignoring me.

It’s more that she’s being…curt. Everything is yes and no.

There’s no color in the conversation. She’s let me know that she needs space.

That part I do understand. As a journalist trying to cover a story, I know how obnoxious it is to have someone breathing over my shoulder.

But it’s like she doesn’t want to talk to me at all. And when she does, it’s all work.

It’s professional.

And I hate it.

Part of me wants to hire someone. Not a stalker or anything like that– I’m not that crazy.

But maybe just like an incognito security guy.

Someone who can let me know she’s okay when she’s not willing to let me know she’s okay.

There’s also the kid to think about. And trust me, ever since she told me about Jaxon, I have very much been thinking about it.

It’s wild, imagining her with a kid. I guess because I have always seen her as someone to watch over, someone I wanted to protect even when she was being a stubborn brat (which by the way is most of the time), I still feel this urge to guard her.

So the idea of her having a child that she is protecting from the world, my brain can’t seem to wrap around that.

But then again…

Seeing her as a mother, maternal and caring and nurturing.

I mean, fuck. That image makes me want to protect her even more.

Makes me want to wrap my wings around both of them even more.

It’s probably why she looks different than before.

Her hips are thicker (not a bad thing) and her skin is streaked with faint stretch marks (also, very much not a bad thing).

Everything about her is softer yet stronger and my fucking God is it sexy.

But I have to stop thinking about that. Especially right now. I close my laptop and make my way out of the office. As I pass the front desk, I pull my shades from my pocket and nod at Rose. “Where am I going?”

“Union Station.” She smiles while typing.

Liam never says where I’m supposed to be.

It’s almost like the prick has become so entitled that he expects me to read his mind.

I short cut that by asking the secretary because she always knows everything about everyone.

To a creepy fault at times. I guess that just means she does her job well.

“Thanks,” I nod again and head out the door.

The upside of eating at Union Station in downtown Denver is it’s just right down the street and I can walk, avoiding traffic all together.

The downside is the lunch rush of tourists that blows through there pretty much every damn day so I can’t avoid the crowd.

Still. They make a damn good Old Fashioned and I am absolutely having one.

You know, while I am on a break from “Whatever bullshit I’m editing. ”

Liam is seated at a table against the wall, flirting with the waitress.

She is flirting back, probably because of his suit (lunch shifts don’t make as much, I’m sure she’s digging for a big tip) and I have to mentally prepare myself for it.

I used to love going to business lunches with him, back when we first started out.

When we were high on the possibility of success and still good friends.

Back before his moral compass shot south, bulldozing everyone along the way.

I pull a chair out and set my shades on the table before sitting down.

“And whatever this joker wants as well,” Liam waves casually in my direction. “But put it on his own tab.” Then he lets out a hearty laugh and winks at her. “Nah, I’m just kidding. He’s with me.”

My jaw tightens as I force a smile. The girl, who can’t be a day over twenty one, smiles as well, but her eyes offer me an apologetic look.

“Old Fashioned. And the BLT.”

“A BLT, huh?” Liam goes on. “You know I just heard a podcast about the benefits of cutting nitrates out completely. All those toxins are poison.”

“I don’t think I could stop eating bacon,” the girl smiles more in my direction than Liam’s.

“Not with that attitude, you can’t.” Liam says before laughing. “Now how about those drinks, little lady.”

Once she is gone, Liam turns his attention to me.

“You’ve been out of the office a lot recently. What are you working on anyways?”

I lean back in my seat. It shows that he’s not getting under my skin, even though he absolutely is.

In fact, I think under my skin might be where Liam Sloane lives as of late.

It’s like his presence has taken residency in my nerves and it takes everything in me not to grit my teeth so hard my jaw hurts.

“I think the better question is, what am I not working on? I’ve got Daniel covering the stock market as usual, Emily is working on a piece about military expenses.

Dawson is in the middle of the pharmaceutical crisis post COVID.

And Jordan is all about covering Gen Z’s rebellion against fast food and alcohol and how that’s affecting–”

“I don’t give a fuck about Gen Z and their straight edge trend, Savage. What’s got you working as many hours as them and not just cracking the whip like a real boss should?”

Everything about that sentence is wrong. The waitress sets down our drinks and hurries off before Liam can address her. I take mine and swirl it a couple times before taking a sip. “I thought bosses were supposed to lead.”

“And they are. But you can’t do it if your balls are in their back pockets. Work smarter, not harder, Savage. You’ll learn.”

I take another sip of my drink and swallow slowly, letting the thick hot liquid pour over my nerves. It’s what’s keeping me from diving over the table and throttling the man.”

“Let’s change the subject,” he says, sucking the air through his teeth. That sound is another thing that’s come to grind on me over the last several years, but I am grateful for a conversational left turn. “When’s the last time you spoke to Isabelle?”

I’m glad I don’t have anything in my mouth because if I had, I would be choking right now. “I’m sorry?”

“Isabelle. Izzy. My daughter. You do remember her, don’t you?”

You have no idea…

I don’t say that, obviously. I can’t. Honestly, the question comes so far from left field, I don’t know how to respond.

“It’s been a while.” I lie, though it’s not really a lie. It’s vague. “Why do you ask?”

Liam rubs his chin pensively. “I haven’t talked to her in years. Not since she went rabid for that fashion magazine”

“It was a bold move for sure.”

Liam’s brow arches to his hairline. “Bold? It was insane. Do you have any idea how bad that was for press.”

“I can imagine it ruined her career, yes.”

“Who cares about her career. It was a tantrum at best and I’ve been mopping up the Sloane family name ever since.”

I chuckle at that, reaching for my drink again. If the food doesn’t come soon, I’m going to need another round just to keep my hands busy. “I think that’s a little dramatic. Sure what Izzy did was a little risky–”

“It was reckless and asinine. That girl always was a spoiled brat. I’m sure you can attest to that, what with the way she’s mouthed off to you all these years, paying no respect at all for you being my best friend.”

Mouthy she is. But spoiled? Izzy is a lot of things.

Driven, stubborn, determined to name a few.

But I wouldn't actually call her spoiled.

Even with her dad being well off–very well off– he never gave her anything.

Never did her any favors. In fact, he had little to nothing to do with her getting the job at Slay in the first place. That was all Izzy.

I would, however, call her a brat…but that’s between Izzy and me…

“Izzy has a mind of her own.” I say as a busser sets our food down for us. Liam looks annoyed at him for existing, probably mad that it’s not the young waitress doing it.

He cuts carefully into his cedar plank salmon, inspecting it for flaws. When it seems satisfactory, he takes a bite. “I have a mind to hunt her down. See what other trouble she’s gotten into.”

I’m in the middle of spreading mayo on my BLT and drop the knife onto the plate at his words.

“What makes you think she’s gotten into trouble?” I ask, keeping my tone as level as possible.

“The girl is a loose cannon, always has been. Kind of pisses me off that she just up and left town, what was it? Five? Six years ago?”

“I doubt she’s up to anything worth worrying about.” I say, picking my knife back up.

Not unless you count having a kid, hooking up with your supposed best friend slash business partner and then going in on an article with that business partner to bring down your empire.

“Still. I don’t like secrets. I want to know where she is and what she’s up to.”

I take a bite of my sandwich and talk around it. “You could call her. It’s a wild idea, I know.”

“And appear to be groveling to my daughter?” He shakes his head with a laugh. “That is one satisfaction I won’t give her. Besides, I don’t want to talk to her.”

I narrow my eyes at him, chewing more slowly. “Then what do you want with her?”

“Just to have eyes on her. She shares my name, Savage. And if she’s still dipping her pen in the journalism industry, it reflects on me. I need to do some digging and see what that girl is up to.”

I clear my throat and wipe my mouth with the cloth napkin before resting my elbows on the table.

“That’s going to be a lot of work, brother.

” The last word tastes bad in my mouth. It’s something we used to always say, something I haven’t said in a long time.

But I need to say it now. It’s detrimental that he heeds my advice right now. Not for him, of course. But for Izzy.

I go on. “I recommend having someone else do it. Someone who knows her. Someone who can be quiet about it, with good intentions and nothing more.”

“You mean like Rose?” He asks.

“No. I mean like me.”

“You?” He spits the word out, taking another bite of fish. “Why would I have you do it?”

“Because I know her. I’ve known her since the day she was born. Like you said, she’s a bit of a loose cannon but I can predict her movement. I practically helped you raise her, Liam. I can handle her and you can focus on more pressing matters. We both know how full your plate is.”

“I am burning at both ends and then some,” he nods, scratching his chin. I hold back the urge to roll my eyes. “You know what? Fuck it. You’re a good friend, Savage. And I owe you one.” He points at me and keeps eating.

Just one?

I don’t say anything though. I am just relieved he went along with it.

If he had started digging for himself, Izzy would be screwed.

Hiring someone would have been just as bad.

But if I’m the one he’s counting on, I can cherry pick what he knows about her.

Hell, I can fabricate the whole thing if I want to.

Soon, it won’t matter what he thinks anyways. Soon the truth will be out. Soon we will both be free of him.

But for now, I’m keeping her and Jaxon safe.

Period.