All Chapters of Owned By My Best Friend's Father: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

207 Chapters

Chapter Forty-one

Leah POV “I'm downstairs, can you please come down? And dress comfortably. I have a surprise for you.”My phone lights up on the nightstand. I pick it up. It's a text from Ethan.My lips curve into a smile as I respond, “Where are we going? ”His reply pops up instantly. “It’s a surprise. Just come down.”I peel off the silk gown I was wearing and pull on my softest jeans plus the huge cream sweater that still smells faintly of last week’s detergent.I ran downstairs taking two steps at a time. Outside Ethan leans against his car, one hand in his pocket grinning when he sees me. He opens the passenger door with a playful bow that makes me chuckle.The moment I’m buckled in, he produces the black silk blindfold, his eyes sparkling with excitement “Put this on please” he says.I let out a half-nervous laugh shaking my head, “Absolutely not. I refuse to star in my own Dateline special, Ethan. This is how they all start.”He gives me that crooked half-smile that always gets him in troubl

Chapter Forty-two

Leah POV “Hope you had a nice time with your rich boyfriend,” he said his gaze sliding down to the silver heart pendant on my neck He doesn’t move just stands there staring at me, but the air between us thickens, like the porch has shrunk around us. I step around him walking past him towards the door without acknowledging his remarks.His fingers close around my wrist tight enough to leave a bruise. “Leah,” he says, his voice cracking as it used to when he needed Mom to stay. “I’m sorry. I’m desperate, okay? One month of nothing but rejection letters. Just enough to get through. You wouldn’t let me get kicked out tomorrow, would you?” Those same tired eyes he used on Mom when we were kids.For half a second my chest squeezes, the old ache flickering back—the nights he’d promise ice cream and a new start, then disappear before breakfast. I swallow hard. “No, Victor. I won’t.” He doesn’t let go. Instead, he leans in, breath sour with whatever he drank earlier, fingers sti

Chapter Forty-three

Leah POV “Dad!!!!!!”Emily screams at the top of her lungs. The sound is so loud it is like a fire alarm going off in the house.I sit up in bed fast, my heart beating very hard against my ribs.For a split second, I think something’s wrong or maybe someone’s hurt—then I hear the joy in her voice.I throw the covers off and run barefoot down the hall, the hardwood cold against my feet.I freeze when I get to the living room doorway Damien Cross is standing in the middle of the room in a rumpled charcoal suit, sleeves rolled to his elbows and his hair is a bit messy like he has been running his hands through it the whole time he was on the plane. .Emily is wrapped around him like a koala, her face buried in his chest.“I missed you so much,” she mumbles into his shirt.“I missed you too, princess.” His arms wrap her tighter. He keeps kissing the top of her head, each kiss slow and gentle like he is making up for all the days he was not here.They look so good together and for a mome

Chapter Forty-four

Leah POV “Thank you, Mrs. Hayes,” Damien says, voice low and warm as he pushes back from the table.He turns to me, “You should come by the house soon so we can go over the details—schedule, pay, whatever you need.”“It’s nothing,” Mom says, already standing, smoothing the front of her nightgown. “Anytime.” She glances between us, then adds, “I need to get dressed for work see you guys later.”“I need to pack my bag!”Emily says as he heads up the stairs Sophie trails after her, rubbing sleepy eyes, mumbling something about school.The dining room empties in seconds. Suddenly it’s just us.Damien watches me finish the last bites of pancake. His gaze doesn’t leave me, it remains steady and feels heavy, like he’s memorizing every movement. My skin pickles under his scrutiny. I set my fork down, push the plate away, stand, and start gathering dishes.He rises too, reaching for his empty glass and the syrup bottle.“No,” I say, tugging the stack toward me. “I’ve got it.”His fingers c

Chapter Forty-five

Leah POVI step back. The look in my eyes must be enough, because he stops cold.He searches my face for a long second, jaw clenched, then turns and storms out of the kitchen.The kitchen door swings shut behind him with a soft, final click.My legs give out and I collapse into the nearest chair, tears burn hot behind my eyes and no matter how much I try to hold them back they still fall. I sit there for a while, not knowing how much time has passed, until suddenly Mom's bedroom door creaks open upstairs.I stood up fast, swiping my sleeve across my face as I ran into the kitchen. I couldn't let her see me crying; she had too much on her plate already. Worrying about me shouldn't be one of them.I turn on the faucet to full blast and start scrubbing the plates.A minute later, I hear footsteps walk into the kitchen. Damien appears in the doorway but he doesn't speak to me, he just picks up a dish towel and starts drying the stack I've already washed.“No, this isn't something you

Chapter Forty-six

LEAH POV Ethan stands on the porch with that easy, lopsided smile, holding two paper coffee cups from the café down the street. The morning sun catches his dark hair and makes him look annoyingly perfect.“Hi, Leah,” he says again, “I was nearby because of some business, and thought you’d like this before things get busy here, it's a Matcha latte, extra caramel. My day’s packed with clients and it would be a very busy day for me, but I wanted yours to be a bit sweeter.”I blink, fingers tight around the doorknob. “Ethan… hi. Thanks. That’s really sweet of you.”Before I can step aside to let him in, Damien appears in the hallway behind me. Ethan glances over my shoulders and when he meets my eyes his smile falters but he recovers. recovers. “Mr. Cross. Good morning, this is the last place I'll think of running into you ." Then he turns to me whispering but I'm sure Damien heard him “I thought you said he traveled, what is he doing in your house?”Damien doesn’t answer him, he sto

Chapter Forty-seven

LEAH POVDamien’s smirk vanishes the second the words leave my mouth. His eyes darken, pupils going wide.For a heartbeat, he just stares at me, like he’s deciding whether to kiss me or punish me.He doesn’t say anything.He reaches down, hooking one arm under my thighs, the other bands around my back, and lifts me like I weigh nothing.My legs dangle for a split second before I instinctively wrap them around his waist. The matcha cups I was still holding slipped from my fingers and hit the floor with wet thuds but neither of us cares about the mess it makes.He carries me a few steps to the living room sofa and drops me onto the cushions.The landing makes me bounce on the sofa, making my shirt slide up a little and exposing the skin just above my shorts. His eyes drop and stay there, he gulps. Dark. Focused. Like he can’t look anywhere else.He kneels between my legs, big hands clamping around my waist, his fingers digging in just enough to make me gasp.He yanks me forward until

Chapter Forty-eight

ETHAN POVEthan stands behind Emily at the doorway, eyes moving between me and the hallway where Damien disappeared.The matcha pooling on the old wood, seeping into the cracks, suddenly becomes interesting as I try to keep my head down, making sure I don't meet his eyes.Leah?"Emily's voice cuts through my thoughts. I snap my head up. She's looking at me now, her forehead creased, her smile from thirty seconds ago completely gone."You okay? You look—""I need to clean this up," I say suddenly "I'll get a towel—" Emily starts."I've got it."I'm already moving toward the stairs before she can answer. I don't look at Ethan. I don't look at the hallway where Damien is probably leaning against the kitchen counter pretending he didn't just have his face between my legs.I take the stairs two at a time. My knees almost give out on the third step. I catch myself on the railing, haul myself up, and keep going.The bathroom door closes behind me with a click.I lean against it, my chest he

Chapter Forty-nine

LEAH POV I stand up, balling the wet paper in my fist "I'm fine. I just—" I looked at the floor, I still couldn't meet his eyes.The matcha is gone now, mostly, just a faint green stain on the wood. "I'm sorry about the coffee, it was a mistake. I didn't mean to…"He waves a hand. "Don't worry about it.""I will worry about it. It was twelve dollars each plus you drove all the way here to make sure I got it and I just…..""Leah." He takes a step closer. "It's coffee. I'm not worried about the coffee as long as you are good then I'm fine."I don't know what to say to that.He looks at me for a long moment. Then his eyes drop to my bag on the couch, then back to me. "You need a ride? To the diner?""No. I'll take the bus." I say hastily "You sure?" he raises a brow at me "I'm sure," I say nodding He doesn't push, nods at me "Okay. I'll see you later, then."He turns and walks to the door, then he paused and turns back to me "Leah.""Yeah?" I answer "You look like you could use s

Chapter Fifty

DAMIEN POVI retreat to the kitchen, pacing back and forth, my hands clenched at my sides.. I hear the front door close. Her footsteps on the porch. Then nothing.She's gone.I run to the window, through the glass. I see her walking down the street; her hair is still wet from the shower, and for some reason, she didn't dry it. Her arms are wrapped around her, like she's trying to hold herself together.Every muscle in my body wants to go after her, to grab her, pull her back, and make her stay. To show her how much I needed her. How much she means to me.I don't move.Emily is upstairs and she has been quiet since Leah rejected her help. Too quiet. If I chase Leah down the street, what would Emily think? What does she already think?And Leah came down dressed for work and wouldn't look at me, wouldn't meet my eyes. She needs space. Or she needs never to see me again. I don't know which. I can't tell anymore.I stand at the window until she disappears around the corner.Then I just sta

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