Page 25 of Accidental Dad’s Best Friend (Unintentionally Yours #7)

Izzy

S omeone knows.

Ethan was supposed to go to the office, make sure he has access to everything we need so we can slip the article in with as few fingerprints as possible.

Then he was going to come back to his place where I am waiting on the couch in one of his dress shirts, snacking on trail mix (it’s the only thing I could find in his pantry) while counting down the minutes till he gets back.

Instead, I get a call from him.

“I found an envelope on the corner of my desk with pictures inside.”

That is enough to make my stomach go sour. “Pictures of what?”

“Us.”

My mind races in a thousand different rampant directions. “Us where? When? Doing what?”

“Everywhere. My front door, your front door, the coffee shop. Basically everything shy of the bedroom.”

I mean I supposed I should be relieved that whoever is snapping photos didn’t take it as far as the bedroom window but still. Someone knows. Someone who is also aware that it can be used against us.

“We’re being blackmailed,” I whisper into the phone. “Do you think it’s just one person? Oh my god, do you think it was my dad?!”

My breath is getting choppy as my heart races over the possibilities of what this could mean.

“Nah, if it was your dad he would have hired a hitman, not a photographer.”

“So someone threatened to show him the pictures then. Do you think more people know?” My head is spinning.

“Well. The last photo was of us at the baseball game…”

“Oh god.”

“Kissing.”

“Shit.”

“On the Jumbrotron.”

“Fuck! Ethan!”

“Calm down, Izzy. It’s going to be okay.” Ethan tries to reassure me but I don’t see how this is going to be okay. I don’t see how it could possibly be anything short of catastrophic.

“If we were on the Jumbotron, who knows how many people know!”

“It was probably only for two seconds, max. They don’t show people for that long before moving on to the next. Besides, we were in regular Rockies attire. And I had shades on. We literally looked like everyone else in that crowd.”

Yeah, except for the obvious fact that I am in my early thirties and he is clearly a hot cradle robber. Of course, I don’t say that. But he’s got to be thinking it.

“I don’t understand why someone would blackmail us,” I say, my chin starting to tremble.

“My guess? Whoever it is is trying to stop us either from being together…or they know about the article.”

Both of those possibilities are enough to make goosebumps crawl up my spine.

“What are we going to do?” I ask.

“I say we lay low. Other than the photos on my desk, everything else is good to go. The next issue goes to print in just a few days. So until then, we have to be careful.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t be doing this,” I shake my head. Meanwhile, I’ve paced back and forth across his living room since this conversation started that I am probably starting to dig a rut in the floor.

“That’s not the answer. We can’t back out now, Izzy. We are so close. The fact someone might be trying to stop us just goes to show how vital this article is.”

“And if my dad finds out we are…whatever we are?” I ask and my heart slows to a stop.

“Together? I mean he’s going to find out soon enough. Because once this article is out, everything is going to come to light. But I think it’s safe to say that by then, none of our secrets will matter anymore. The chips will just fall where they fall.”

“I still don’t understand how those photos got on your desk though. You think it’s an inside job?” I ask.

“Most likely. Someone in the office must know something.”

My heart stops beating in my chest and I look up at him. “What if my dad knows? And he’s leading us on. What if it’s all a trap? What if–”

Ethan stops me. “Don’t let your head get away from you, Izzy.

Yes, it’s conspicuous but I think if he knew, things would have exploded by now.

I will keep a closer eye on who goes in and out of my office.

Look into some of the new writers. But for now, we have to stay calm.

We don’t want to make ourselves even more obvious. ”

I swallow hard. He’s right. It’s going to be what it is.

People will know what a monster my dad is.

Ethan and I will be free to go after any journalist jobs in the industry we want.

Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if people start knocking our doors down before we even apply for jobs. Everything will make itself right.

Except for one thing.

I still have one secret. A huge one–

Ethan doesn’t know he has a son.

I was going to tell him today but then he started taking my clothes off and well, it didn’t seem like the best time. Unfortunately, now that shit is hitting the fan prematurely, I’m not sure that now is the right time either.

Ethan comes home and immediately envelopes me into his arms. How he is so calm right now makes no sense to me.

The butterfly effects are rippling through my mind, all the things that could happen if this goes wrong.

But Ethan isn’t worried. His composure and confidence are solid.

Problematically, it makes him even more attractive.

While I am a fretting mess, he is just padding through the house in gym pants, no shoes, no shirt and with the mood in the room, no service.

He eats some beef jerky and washes it down with a shot of whiskey, brushes his teeth and then asks if I’m ready for bed.

I blink. “How are you so chill right now?”

“What do you mean?” He asks.

“Ethan. Someone is threatening to expose us!” I blurt out. “Someone who has been to our homes and knows where you work and followed us on dates. I mean, they even went to the baseball game! Not to mention, they have access to your office! This is full blown stalker mode.”

I am practically hyperventilating at this point. I probably look crazy. But Ethan is unshaken. He takes me by the hands and walks me over to the bed. He sits down on the edge and pulls me into his lap.

“I am not worrying because I am going to take care of it. Whoever this is may be a stalker. They may be working for your dad. Or maybe it’s someone else entirely.

But I’ve already talked to a PI. The police are already watching your house.

I’m sending a tech to amp up the security at both houses as well.

No one is going to hurt you or Jax. And no one is going to come between us. ”

Ethan’s words wrap themselves around my heart with sure, steady arms and I nod, even though I am fighting tears. I am still afraid. Afraid because someone wants to hurt us. Someone who knows what’s at stake.

“I will take care of you, Izzy. You and Jax. I am going to keep you safe. That’s a promise. But you have to trust me.”

I nod and we crawl into bed. We lay on our sides, his arms wrapped around me from behind. I can feel his body settling as sleep slowly takes him. But I lay away with my eyes open, my stomach raw with worry, and my heart aching with every beat.

Whoever is doing this might know about Jax too. Maybe it has nothing to do with the article and it’s a roundabout way to threaten me. Maybe they know that Jaxon is his and it’s a sideways threat to expose that.

I have to tell him. No matter what the consequences might be. I have to tell him that he is Jaxon’s father.

Before someone else does.