With These Four Rings - Book Five: Wedding Bonus (Billionaire Brides of Granite Falls 5) (23 page)

“It’s not. She didn’t, but since you brought it up, what’s going on?”

She dropped her head. “Mom caught me and Jason kissing.”

Erik groaned inwardly.
She’s not a little girl anymore, not your Little Muffin
, he told himself. He knew this day was inevitable, but Lord, not at twelve years old. Eighteen perhaps. She’d be legal then and he needn’t ever know about it.

“Dad. Did you hear me?”

“I heard you.” Erik got off the lounge, stumbled over to the alabaster railing, and looked down into the courtyard below. “I just… I need a moment to process it.”

“Am I in trouble?”

Oh yes. I’m locking you up and throwing away the key
. Erik wished the days of chastity belts were still prevalent. Michelle had warned him that the day would come when Precious would no longer think that sex was a gross act. He’d been hoping for age twenty-five or so, not twelve. He hadn’t even had his first real kiss until he was sixteen.

“Dad?”

At Precious’s impatient call, Erik turned and leaned back against the railing. He drank in the uncertain expression on his daughter’s face. “I’m surprised— Um, a bit—” He didn’t want to say
disappointed
. “I’m taken off guard. I didn’t realize that you and Jason were—” He cleared his throat. “I didn’t realize your friendship had turned into—” He flared his hands in the air, searching his brain for a word to describe their relationship. “Was that the first time you kissed?”

“Well, it’s the first time we kissed on the lips.”

I imagine that. If it were just a peck on the cheek we wouldn’t be having this conversation
. “Was it a—um—just a peck on the lips kind of kiss?”

She dropped her gaze and his heart dropped right along with it. “It was more than a peck, Dad. Our mouths were opened.”

Erik dropped his face into his hands. He liked Jason, but the thought of his tongue inside his little girl’s mouth made Erik want to throw up.
Okay, time to be practical.
He lifted his head. He didn’t want to screw up her curiosity about her sexuality like his had been screwed up. He didn’t want her to ever be afraid to talk with him about boys, although he guessed that he would not have been hearing about this incident if Michelle hadn’t caught them. Since she was her stepmother, Michelle had probably thought it best that Precious told him herself. He was sure she’d give him the news about Tiffany and Fiona when they came of age. This was just one more good reason, he needed to stop traveling and pay attention to his children, especially Precious, who was obviously growing up way too fast.

Erik went over to sit beside Precious. “Tell me what happened,” he said, taking her hands in his. He could better control the situation if he knew what was going on. “I don’t need the details of the kiss,” he added at the questioning frown on her brow. “Just what triggered it. Obviously you and Jason are developing feelings for each other.” Erik was driving over to the Fontaine Estate as soon as this conversation was over. He hoped his jets would be cooled by the time he got there.

“Well, he—Jason came over for dinner yesterday. I’d missed hanging out with him when he was away at camp. Kind of the way you miss Mom when you are away, Daddy. The way you kissed her in the kitchen this morning right there in front of all of us expressed how much you missed her. I missed Jason like that, but I didn’t know I missed him like that until I saw him. So when Mom and Catherine left the kitchen with Tiffany and Fiona, I just kissed him.”

Whew
. Lucky for Jason that he hadn’t initiated the kiss. Erik wished for the days when Precious refused to let boys kiss her because she thought that’s how babies were made. “Your mom and I are adults, Precious. We’re married. We are free to express our feelings in any way mutually pleasing to us. You’re still just a kid.”

“Dad, I’m twelve—and a half,” she added as if the half really mattered. “Just because we’re young it doesn’t mean our feelings aren’t real. Plus, you and my mom were teenagers when you started dating. You were about as old as me and Jason.”

For the first time, Erik wished she was not privy to that information. She was craftily using it against him to build her case. “True, but your mother and I were both virgins when we finally got married.”

Precious was taken aback. “Really? I can see Mom, ’cause she was a girl, but,
you
? I thought guys—” She stopped and dropped her gaze.

You thought that guys what
? “Yes,
me
.”

“Are you saying I have to be a virgin until I get married?”

Absolutely
. Erik squeezed her hands and held her gaze, the embarrassment he’d anticipated he’d have when he finally had this talk with her was gone. She needed sound advice, and Michelle obviously thought that he should be the one giving it to her since he had more experiences talking to girls her age about this particular topic. “Look, sweetheart, I understand that a lot of changes are happening in your body, and with those changes come desires. Sexual desires. There’s nothing wrong with those feelings. I don’t want you to ignore them. You shouldn’t ignore them. You should embrace them, but with boundaries. You can’t just give in to every urge you get. You’re not mature enough to handle the consequences.”

“Like getting pregnant?”

“I wish that was the worst of them, but no. I’m talking about sexually transmitted diseases—some curable, some not—but all leave a lasting negative effect, nonetheless. As a gynecologist, I encounter these medical issues on a daily basis. Some of my patients are as young as you, Precious, some even younger.”

Her face crinkled. “Really?”

“Yes. And then there is the mental trauma—broken hearts, broken dreams, and regrets, that even many adults still can’t handle. Your body will tell you that you’re ready for sex with someone you feel strongly about, but you’re not emotionally mature at this age. Sex isn’t just physical, Precious. It’s emotional, psychological, and spiritual. And if those areas of your life aren’t fully developed, indulging in sex can leave scars that can haunt you for a very long time, sometimes for the rest of your life. Don’t be in a hurry to grow up, baby.”

“Believe me, Daddy. I’m not ready to have sex,” Precious said, pulling her hands from his. “I just wanted to kiss the boy. That’s all.”

“Good”. He’d scared the thought of having sex out of her.
He hoped
. “Now, the kind of kissing you did yesterday can lead to other things that will eventually lead to sex. And because of that, I have to set some parameters.”

Precious grabbed his arm with one hand and placed the other over her heart. “Please don’t tell me I can’t see Jason anymore, Dad. He’s my best friend.” Tears glistened in her eyes.

“Of course not, sweetheart. I know how important that relationship is to you. But you have to promise me that there’s never going to be another kiss like that one. Not for a long time.”

“I promise, Daddy. Can I go call Jason now? Michelle said we couldn’t talk to each other until we spoke to you and Uncle Bryce.”

“Did you obey her order?”

She shook her head, negatively.

“Precious! You couldn’t hold off for twenty-four hours? How can your mother and I trust you when—”

“I just texted him this morning to tell him you were home and to see if he’d spoken with his dad.”

“Had he?”

“Not yet. He was at Ethan’s and he said he would talk with him when he got home.”

Erik held his hand out and Precious pulled her smart phone from her jersey pocket and placed it in his palm.

He entered her security code—something he’d promised never to do except in her presence, and for as long as he knew he could trust her. He scanned through her messages until he found the exchange between her and Jason.
Cute
, he thought, trying not to let his amusement show at the innocent infatuation going on between them. If Precious was going to have a crush on any boy, he was happy it was Jason.

He could forbid her to see him, but that would be foolish. She might decide to take up with some scumbag behind his back. Erik had dealt with many rebellious, vindictive teenagers who’d gotten themselves into trouble just to spite their domineering parents. He didn’t want his daughter to become one of them. He wanted to maintain the level of trust he’d built with her over the years. Jason Rogers was the safest boy with whom he could do that for now. He handed her back her phone.

“So can I call him?”

“Not until I have a chat with Uncle Bryce. Then we need to sit down with you and Jason and set some ground rules. The same kinds your grandparents set for your mother and me when we began dating. If you want to keep seeing Jason—as a friend—you will obey those rules.”

“I will, Daddy.” She grinned and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you for understanding. I love you. You’re the best daddy in the world.”

“I love you, too, Muffin, with all my heart.” Erik held her close, his heart racing with love and fear. There were so many bad wolves out there in the big wide world ready to gobble her up. He just prayed that when she did venture out on her own, she would be well equipped to handle all that life threw at her. It was the most any father could wish for his child, especially his baby girl, his Little Muffin.

His smart phone rang. Erik eased Precious away and went over to retrieve it from a table near the lounge he’d been occupying before she arrived. It was Cape Hill. He let it go to voice mail. They were probably calling to finalize some of the funeral arrangements he’d made with them earlier.

He turned to see Precious heading back inside. “Precious,” he called out. “We do need to discuss something—the reason I asked you to come see me.”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot.”

He pulled her down on the lounge beside him and wrapped his arms around her. “Honey, I have to tell you something about your grandma.”

She raised her head. “Grandma Felicia? She was just here this morning.”

“No.”
God no
. “Your Grandma Sarah.”

“What about her? Is she sick again?”

“No baby. Your grandmother passed away.”

She stiffened against him for a moment, then held him tight as reality sank in. “No, Daddy. No. I hardly got to know her. She’s all I have of Mom. No.” She beat her fist into Erik’s stomach as sobs rocked her slender body. “No. It’s not fair. No. Grandma Sarah. No…”

Hot tears ran down Erik’s cheeks as he held his daughter, his little broken daughter in his arms. Her pain of loss seared straight to his heart, so painfully, that he could hardly breathe. It took him back to the place seven years ago when he’d had to tell her about her mother’s death.

She’d healed and had come a long way, thanks to Michelle who’d entered their lives at just the right moment and brought them both back to life. He wouldn’t have survived without her. Precious wouldn’t have survived without her. He owed her everything.

“What happened, Daddy? How did she die?” Precious asked, her cheek against his chest and her hot tears scorching his skin.

Erik rubbed his hand soothingly up and down her back. “She had a cardiac arrest, baby. She went to sleep and her heart stopped beating. She wasn’t in any pain. She died peacefully.”

She shuddered. “When? When did she die?”

“Three days ago.”

She lifted her head from his chest. “On Monday?”

He nodded.

“They called and asked for you or Michelle. I took the phone to her. Why didn’t she tell me?”

“She thought I should be the one to tell you. I was married to Sarah’s daughter. She was my mother-in-law. It’s my job.”

“I wish I’d seen her one last time.” A fresh batch of tears appeared. “Tell her that I loved her.”

“She knew, baby. You told her each time you saw her.” His little baby was hurting, and it was tearing him up inside.

“Can I see her?”

“If you want to. Sure. I made arrangements for a small ceremony at the home tomorrow, then we’ll lay her to rest in the town’s cemetery.”

“I’m gonna miss her. All the stories she used to tell me about Mom when she was a little girl, and about my grandpa. I don’t have anyone to talk to about my Mom anymore.” Her head fell listlessly on his chest as her grief overtook her.

“You have me, Muffin. You have me. You’ll always have me.” Erik wrapped his hands around his little girl and laid back on the lounge, pulling her down on him. He soothed her as he tried to absorb her grief.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

A remote single-family house in suburban Evergreen – Thursday night…

The music pumped and the lights were low, creating an aura of enchantment, but Kaya wasn’t feeling it. The pole that was supposed to be her friend, her partner for the next hour felt cold and unresponsive, and like an indifferent lover, it had tossed her off a couple times already.

She glanced over at Michelle and Tashi, hanging upside down. They weren’t into it either. How could they, when one of their own was missing, and two were hurting? Kaya slid down the pole and motioned for Cookie, their dance instructor, to cut the music. Michelle and Tashi followed her to the floor.

“What’s up, Kaya?” Tashi asked.

“Come on. We’re not here. You’re home with Erik and Precious, and you must be worried about Mass and Shaina.” She pointed to them in turn. “And me—even though Bryce has given Desire the go-ahead, I’m still worried about what it’s doing to him. He still has to face the Summers family.”