My Father's Best Friend

Chapter Four: Heading For California

-Natalie Romano-

I couldn't keep my eyes off of Jordan. Now, I could see him in daylight, I knew I underrated him at the club last night. This man looked like a Greek God with a smile that could make you go weak in the knees

My eyes were fixed on him even when we stepped outside. I needed to talk to my dad. I finally tore my eyes off him and looked at my dad who was watching me like he would cry any minute.

Jordan was directing his driver on how to load my luggage and I walked over to my dad

“Dad, how long am I going to be gone?” I looked up at him, tears threatening to escape my eyes too

He immediately pulled me in for a hug. “Natty, you'll be gone till when it's safe to come back.” He replied and kissed my forehead

“Why didn't I know of Jordan till now?” I asked

“Honey, I talk about Jordan non stop till a point where I could tell you were bored” He smiled sadly. “He left New York when you were five years to California but we never stopped talking and now he's here to do me a favour which is taking you far away from the dangers in New York. I trust him with my life and you should trust him too”

Uhhh dad I think you forgot to add in your stories about him that he was a f*****g s*x god. I mean look at that jaw and those biceps that threaten to rip his shirt apart.

Now that I thought about it, I remember my dad telling me about his college days and the name Jordan came up a lot.

“Rom, we're done loading. Time to leave” Jordan told me dad and I felt my n*****s stand, hearing his voice.

“Dad, can we at least wait till Amelia gets here. I need to tell her goodbye?” I pleaded

“Of course honey” my dad smiled

We waited for a few minutes and then I saw a cab stop in front of the house. Amelia alighted from the car and I ran over to meet her

I wrapped my arms tightly around Amelia as soon as I reached her, and she squeezed me just as hard.

"You're really leaving?" she whispered into my shoulder, her voice thick with emotion.

"I have to, Lia," I replied softly, pulling back to look at her.

She nodded, blinking back tears. "I get it. But God, it sucks. I thought we’d at least have more time together before... before everything got crazy."

"I know," I sighed, my voice cracking "I’m going to miss you like crazy, but I promise I’ll call every chance I get."

Amelia wiped her eyes and glanced over my shoulder, catching sight of Jordan. Her eyes widened, and she gave me a playful nudge. "So... is that your dad's bestfriend? Damn, Nat, you sure you're safe around that?"

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Yeah, that's Jordan. He's the same guy I kissed at the club last night”

Amelia let out a low whistle. "You’re in trouble."

"Tell me about it." I rolled my eyes, trying to shake off the butterflies that Jordan seemed to stir up just by standing there. “He’ll just keep me safe, nothing more”

Amelia raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Sure, Nat. Of course he'll just keep you safe"

I gave her a look but couldn't stop the laugh bubbling up. "I’m serious. Besides, he's like family or something."

"Mmm-hmm," she hummed, unconvinced. "Well, if you ever need a distraction from... all that, call me. I'll keep you grounded."

"Deal." I hugged her again, tightly this time. "Take care of yourself, Lia. Stay safe."

"You too. Don’t let that s*x god distract you too much." She whispered

I grinned, pulling away as Amelia gave me one last wave and hopped back into the cab. My heart felt heavier now, the weight of leaving everything behind settling in. This was happening, whether I was ready or not.

I turned to walk back toward Jordan and my dad, catching Jordan’s eyes as he watched me approach. Something about the way he looked at me made my breath hitch, but I quickly shook it off.

"You ready?" Jordan asked, his voice giving me goose pimples

"Yeah, I’m ready," I replied, glancing at my dad one last time. He smiled, though his eyes looked sad.

"Call me as soon as you get there, okay?" my dad said, pulling me in for another hug.

"I will, Dad. I love you."

"I love you too, Natty.”

Jordan's driver opened the car door for both of us and we got in. The driver got in the front seat and fired the engine

As the car moved, I kept waving at my dad till he was out of sight