Your Dad Is Mine

I stepped out of the Lyft with a bottle of Rosé in one hand and a box of chocolates in the other. The December wind whipped through my coat, biting at my skin, but I barely felt it through the excitement. I was finally home.

Jayden's manor loomed ahead, glowing with holiday lights, picturesque as always. My heels clicked against the stone pathway as I buzzed myself in, replaying our last phone call.

'Katie, baby, please tell me you're coming home for Christmas. I don't think I can spend another week without you.'

I giggled, nursing a cup of coffee as my secretary passed me some files to sign off on. 'I'm sorry, but work has been so crazy. The firm had a last minute client and I'm this close to losing my mind.'

He sighed. 'I'll miss you.'

I smiled brightly, staring at the 24 karat diamond ring Jayden had used to propose. 'I'm so sorry. I'll be back as soon as I can. I love you.'

'I love you too Katie bear.'

That was two days ago. Luckily I was able to wrap up just in time to catch the last flight back home. I didn't call when I landed. I wanted to surprise him. Big gesture. Classic rom-com moment.

I punched in the gate code and waited as the iron doors buzzed open. My heels echoed in the cold as I climbed the familiar steps. The front door swung open and my breath caught.

Blue eyes. Salt-and-pepper hair. Jaw like a Roman sculpture. Mr. Turner. Jayden's father, looking every bit the man who turned heads without trying.

"Cathrine," his deep voice rumbled through the air, as smooth as aged whiskey. "I wasn't aware you were in town."

I offered a sheepish smile, struggling to balance the oversized chocolate box on my hip. "Yeah... I managed to make it in last minute."

A flicker of something unreadable crossed his face, but he stepped aside. "Jayden's around here somewhere. Make yourself at home."

As he walked away, I noticed, again, how strange it was that I'd never seen him with a woman. Not once in two years. My friends always joked I was dating the wrong Turner. "Ditch the trust fund kid," they'd tease. "Go for the silver fox with actual ambition."

They didn't understand. Jayden could be intense, sure. But he had his moments. We had our moments.

My phone buzzed and I smiled at the text. It was from my sister, Ellie.

I'm so glad you're back in the city. The hospital's like a literal cell. They threw a fit cause I left to get jelly! Save me!

Be good Ellie. I'll be there as soon as I can.

I shoved my phone into my coat and climbed the staircase with a flutter in my chest, careful not to spill the Rosé. His door was slightly ajar. I raised my hand to knock but stopped short.

I furrowed my brows, slowly pressing my ear to the door. Giggles, stumbling, I heard at least two people and from the voices, one was a woman. Confusion still wrapped around me.

Maybe it was Kyle. He always brought his sleazy hookups home and sometimes in his brother's room.

Then I heard his voice... Jayden's.

"You're so goddamn sexy," he slurred, followed by more giggles and the unmistakable sound of kissing.

The world stilled. My lungs forgot how to breathe. I should've walked away or stormed in or done something, but I stood frozen. Until the moaning started.

My heart cracked. I pushed the door open.

Let me tell you what was worse than finding out your fiancé was cheating on you. Your fiancé, cheating on you with your friend.

"Carol?" I whispered but they were too busy sucking each other's tongues off to notice me. Not until I snapped louder, "Jayden!"

They jolted apart like children caught with matches. Jayden fumbled for his pants. Carol scrambled for her shirt, hiding behind him.

"K...Katie?" Jayden stammered.

This had to be some kind of elaborate sick joke. "What... what's going on here?"

Jayden's gaze bounced around. "Baby it's not what it looks like."

"Oh?" I laughed but there was no humor behind it. "Because it looks like you were just cheating on me... with my best friend."

Carol whimpered behind him.

"Carol, why the hell are you hiding? I already saw you."

She stepped out, clutching her shirt to her chest. Her eyes were red.

"Someone better start talking, or I swear to God-"

"I'm sorry Katie!" She cried, curling her shirt to her chest and Jayden cursed under his breath. "I just... we don't..."

"Katie... baby," Jayden stepped forward, slipping into that familiar, manipulative tone. "It was just a dumb mistake." He exhaled, taking a hand through his hair. "We went to Kyle's party together and one thing led to another but I promise you baby, it was just a mistake."

"A mistake?" I repeated, voice rising. "I took an eight-hour flight to surprise you... and this is what I find? That's not a mistake, it's a choice!

Carol chipped in and I swore I would have committed murder. "Katie," she sobbed. "Please it didn't... it didn't mean anything we-"

"Shut the hell up!" I snapped and Jayden stepped in front of Carol, almost like he was... protecting her?

"Look Katie," he started, "I'm a man. And men have urges. I mean... you left for two months."

"I was working!"

"Exactly!" He snapped, "you're always working. You never have time for me. It was inevitable."

I flinched like he'd slapped me. "I spend everyday working my ass if ever since I graduated. I don't come from fancy old money Jayden," I shouted. "I don't have daddy's million dollars to cushion my fall. You know that and you..." I jabbed a finger in his chest. "I trusted you. You're the only man I'd ever been with in my life."

He tore his gaze me with his jaw screwed tight. "Even on those long days, those late nights I made sure we spoke, made sure you were around, moved my meetings around to have dinner," I inhaled. "And you say I didn't make time for you?"

Somebody wake me for this nightmare.

"That's the problem Katie," he said, Carol still clutching on him like a lifeline. "You only care about yourself. I begged you to quit your job. I have money! Heck I can buy the whole state if I wanted to!"

"Your father has the money Jayden," I corrected in a cool, detached tone and his face turned red with anger. Let's just say he didn't like being compared to his father.

"Screw you Katie," he said helping Carol with her dress and an obvious realization that I had been too dumb to notice hit me like a fiegn truck.

"How... how long has this been going on?"

Jayden paused, looking back at me while Carol was the poster of terror. He shrugged. "A few months. You know what?" He said, turning fully to me. "We're done, Katie. You can stay the night or not. Just keep your negative energy away from my stuff."

"Leave the ring on the nightstand," he growled. "That shit cost more than your yearly income."

He brushed past me with Carol and I was too dumbfounded to catch up to what was going on. Did that really just happen? Did he just break up with me, after cheating?

My heart pounded, fury rising like a wave that came too late. "I'M the one who gets to call it quits!" I screamed at the hallway.

They were gone.

I looked down at the ring on my finger, then at the perfectly made bed they'd just desecrated.

The familiar scent of old scotch and aged wood clung to my office. The only company I had in these busy days.

I tipped back the last of my drink, letting it burn down my throat as I flipped through the endless paperwork littering my desk. Contracts. Campaign proposals. Donation ledgers. All the makings of a mayoral run I never wanted... until now. This was a means to an end. This was all to find him.

I signed another document and dropped it onto the stack, trying desperately but failing to keep my mind off her.

Cathrine.

She'd showed up on my doorstep the minute I wanted for leave the bar. Those green eyes smoldering my thoughts, her skin flushed from the cold. That face still haunted me, even three years after our first encounter.

It was raining the night we met. I'd just flown back from Boston. She collided into me at the airport, coffee spilling between us. She apologized, flustered, and I nearly walked away until she smiled.

I was fourty five and convinced my heart was long dead. But then she smiled, and I knew I was screwed.

Yeah, I stalked her. I'm not proud of it but when I realized I was going in too deep, I stopped. Got rid of all her files and buried myself in work instead... that's until Jayden brought her home a few months later, grinning like the cocky little prince he's always been.

My hands curled into fists just thinking about it. And now, tonight, she was back, standing on my front steps, a storm in her eyes.

I sighed, running a hand down my face, holding the same contract that had been in my hand for the past ten minutes. This wasn't working. I-

My thoughts were cut off by the front door, slamming shut. I frowned. Catherine had just come in, and neither of them wouldn't leave unless something was wrong.

I shot up from my seat and out of the door in time to see Catherine run and stop at the top of the stairs, looking at the door that just closed. I moved closer, up the stairs until I stopped safe distance from her. She hadn't noticed me, her gaze was still glued to the door, her dark hair curtained her face from my view.

"Cathrine?" I called, carefully.

No response.

I walked up slowly, closing the distance until I was a few steps away. I caught the glint of her bare hand.

No ring.

"Cathrine," I said again, softer.

She turned to me slowly. Her eyes were swollen and red. Tear tracks stained her cheeks. My heart clenched in a way it hadn't in decades. I didn't think. My hands lifted to cradle her face, my thumbs brushing the dampness from her skin.

"Talk to me," I whispered. "Who hurt you?"

Her hands were clenched so tightly her knuckles were white. She looked at me like she was trying to remember how to speak.

"I don't... I don't understand what I did wrong," she said in a low resigned voice. "I just wanted something for myself. And now I've lost the only man I ever cared about."

I grit my teeth, forcing back the anger bubbling in my chest. I gently took her hand and pried her fingers open. Blood streaked her palm. Her engagement ring was still nestled there with the sharp edges biting into her skin.

"Come on," I murmured, guiding her down the stairs. "Let me help."

She didn't speak, didn't nod. Just followed me like a ghost of herself. I set her on the counter, ignoring the jolt that ran through me when my fingers brushed her hands. I rummaged the cupboard and found the first aid kit, crouched in front of her, tending to the wound in silence.

When I finished wrapping her hand, I straightened. "Do you want a drink?"

She didn't answer. Just stared past me like the world had gone gray.

I took her hand again and led her gently into my office. The fire was still burning low. She curled onto the couch, small and fragile. Too damn fragile. I grabbed the good rum. The expensive one. Poured two glasses and brought them over.

"Here," I offered.

She took the glass with trembling fingers and downed it in one go. I raised a brow and chuckled softly. "Easy, Cathrine."

She winced at the burn, then held out her glass. "Again."

She scrunched up her face, downing the second glass. I didn't scold her, I let her do what she wanted because I knew this girl. She'd never done anything for herself in a long long time. We drank. In silence. Then another round. And another. Somehow, somewhere in between the third refill and the fourth, the Monopoly board made its way out.

"I just bought a hotel, Mr. Rich Guy," she said proudly, her eyes were glassy with alcohol.

I chuckled. "One investment doesn't make you a mogul, Cathrine."

"Maybe not," she swayed slightly, "but I'll own the whole damn street soon. You better keep up."

I shook my head, amused and utterly entranced. We reached for the same stack of fake money and our hands brushed sending distress signals straight to my groin.

We both froze.

The laughter died. Her breath caught. Time slowed, the world zoomed in to just the two of us. Her lips parted and my gaze dipped. She tried to take her mind back but my body moved on it's own and I grabbed her wrist.

She didn't pull away. Instead, she inhaled, lips parting ever so slightly.

God help me, I wanted to kiss her.

My hand curled around her wrist and my thumb brushed against her pulse. Her skin was warm, soft, so alive.

"Ronald..." she breathed.

And then my phone rang. The moment shattered. I cursed under my breath, releasing her hand and answering it. My secretary, ranting about a scheduling issue. I barely heard a word.

When I finally ended the call, she was already halfway to the door.

"Cathrine-"

"Thanks for the company, Mr Turner," she said, not quite meeting my eyes. "I'll order a Lyft."

"No," I said too quickly. "Stay. Use the guest room. It's late, and I'd rather not have you wandering around outside like this."

She hesitated, chewing her lower lip. Then nodded once. "Goodnight... Mr. Turner."

Before I could respond, she was gone.

Damn it. What the hell was wrong with me?

The Detriot office buzzed like a beehive... deals, deadlines, and desperation hanging in the air. I inhaled deeply, letting the familiar chaos steady me.

"Miss Catherine," Shelly, my assistant, chirped. Her eyes flicked to my left hand,, my now bare ring finger. I pasted on my most polished smile, hiding the sting.

"Something wrong?" I asked, though I already knew.

She blinked, then gave a nervous laugh. "No, no! It's just... you'd already said you were done for the year. I didn't expect to see you back so soon."

"I changed my mind," I said coolly, adjusting my grip on my bag. "What's on the docket?"

Shelly hesitated. "Well... if you're sure. There's one project that's behind schedule. Local election in Detroit. The mayoral race. It's a mess but it's winnable." She handed me a folder with too many post-its.

I nodded, taking my coffee and heading toward my office. Shelly followed, rattling off deadlines.

"The candidate's high-profile, lots of donor traction. He's got the funding, just needs the polish. You'll whip it into shape."

"Who's the client?" I asked, eyes scanning the report.

"Mr. Ronald Turner."

I stopped cold. My breath hitched, my head snapped up to find a pair of blue eyes staring back at me.

"Good morning, Catherine," Mr Turner said smoothly. "I look forward to working with you."

No. No, no, no.

My brain short-circuited, flashing back to three nights ago... his calloused hands on my face, the heat in his gaze, the almost-kiss. Just a blur of Monopoly money, expensive rum, and dangerously frayed restraint. I shook my head. It was just the alcohol making overthinking. Nothing happened.

I took in a shaky breath and smiled. "Mr Turner, Star heights will take care of every of your needs. You just sit back and relax."

His lips curled into a faint smirk. "That's why I pay good money." He stood, buttoning his tailor made suit and stretched out his hand for a handshake. "Make me mayor Catherine."

I shook it, ignoring the way his touch lingered. "We're only as good as our clients."

We locked eyes for way too long.

Shelly cleared her throat behind me. "Here's the campaign schedule... it's tight, but nothing Catherine can't juggle."

Her voice faded into background noise. My thoughts screamed: What sin did I commit to end up stuck with my ex's father? One who nearly kissed me.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. As Shelly packed up for the holidays, I stopped her.

"Hey, Shelly," I said. "I don't think this project is the best one for me. I'll need you to write an email to the board."

She blinked. "Wait-what?"

"I called off the engagement. Jayden and I are done."

Her mouth dropped open. "Oh."

Just "oh." No sympathy. No shock. I guess I'd been the only one fooled.

"I just... I think it would be too weird," I said quietly.

She grinned. "Nonsense, you're a boss chick. Screw some trust fund kid. If you do this? It would open up doors for you Miss Catherine. I'm talking about you going straight to being a board member."

"I know, but-"

"No buts." She pointed a lacquered nail at me. "This is your moment. You want freedom? You want time for your sister? You finish this job. Nail this campaign, and you'll never have to answer to anyone again."

She slung her purse over her shoulder, pausing just long enough to deliver the final punchline:

"Besides, now you get to work up close and personal with Mr. Turner. Why settle for the colt when you could have the stallion?"

And with that, she sauntered off, hips swaying, leaving me speechless in the hallway. I shook my head chuckling to myself.

I grabbed my bag, getting into the car and the engine revved to life as I sped through the streets. My mind spun. If this campaign succeeded, I could slow down. I could breathe. Ellie and I could move into a bigger place. She'd have more space. Better care. Hell, we could even take a trip. Something normal. Something happy.

I pulled into the hospital parking lot and stepped out, the cold nipping at my skin. Inside, the elevator took me to the top floor... Ellie's floor. I guess the Turner family hadn't pulled their support just yet.

The door creaked open as I stepped into the room. The sterile smell of antiseptic clung to everything, the rhythmic sound of the EKG matched my heartbeat. She was asleep, clinging to her stuffed pillow.

I smiled, perching on the side of the bed and she stirred, her lashes fluttering open.

"Katie?" She croaked, rubbing her eyes.

"Hey, sport. Miss me?"

Her eyes lit up and she threw herself at me with her arms tight around my neck. "Of course I missed you! They dragged me out of class. I just fainted, that's all. Total overreaction."

She pulled back with a pout. "I'm sure everyone stared. What if it happens at the school dance? What if they think I'm some diseased freak?"

I ran my fingers through her hair. "I don't care what they think, Ellie. All I care about is that you're okay. Everyone else can shove it."

She giggled then coughed. I was on my feet instantly, grabbing water. She took it gratefully and drank but her eyes were glassy with defiance.

"I'm fine, Katie. You worry too much. Look at your frown lines."

I gasped, feigning offense. "How dare you."

Her eyes flickered to my fingers and I exhaled sharply, already knowing where this was headed. "Ellie-"

"Did you dump that douchebag?" she interrupted brightly. "Thank God. I was worried I'd be stuck with him as a brother-in-law forever."

I snorted. "That douchebag pays for your VIP room."

She arched her brow. "You mean his dad does?"

"Same difference."

She wrinkled her nose. "Still a douchebag."

And just like that, she changed the subject, typical Ellie, launching into gossip and stories. We spent the night trading laughter for worry, and for a little while, everything felt almost normal.

Almost.