“What do you mean?” she asked. “I thought you were going to try to get to know him.”
“That’s what I want to do, but I don’t know where to begin.” He raked a hand through his hair.
“Have you talked to him since you saw him?” she asked.
He nodded. “We’ve exchanged texts since he stopped by this weekend. But it feels... I don’t know.” Rubbing his eyes in frustration, he let out a heavy sigh. “It doesn’t feel like what I have with you, Heather. It doesn’t feel natural.”
“Simon, what you have with me is going to be different from what you have with other people,” she said. “Your father is your family. There’s so much history that you’re both going to have to sort out.”
“But that’s just it. I’m closer to you than I am to anyone,” he murmured. “You’re more my family than my own father, and that scares the hell out of me.”
She stared at him for a long moment, the heat in her eyes turning them from a dazzling hazel to indescribable gold. Simon had never seen her radiate this kind of intensity. Maybe revealing the depth of his feelings for her had come as a shock to her. If she was shocked, she shouldn’t have been. He loved her more than he could ever express in words. Heather was by far the most important person in his life. More important than his work at Dover. Hell, if he was being honest, more important than him. Heather’s life meant more to him than his own.
“Why does it scare you?” she asked slowly.
“It scares me because, even though you and I didn’t see each other for years, we managed to just click,” he said. “I haven’t connected with my father on that level.”
“Simon, you’re forgetting that when we first reconnected I lied to you, and we’ve had our share of differences,” she reminded him. “Don’t forget all the hard things we’ve gone through. All the hard things we’re still going through. You and I aren’t perfect.”
“No, but when I talk to you I don’t feel like I’m talking to a stranger,” he said. “I’ve seen the way you talk to your parents. Everything is so effortless with you guys. And I’ve seen how you are with Finn. I don’t have that with my father.”
“Your father hasn’t even been back in your life for a week.” She pulled her hand away and studied him. “Maybe you’re forcing this too much.”
He frowned. “What do you mean by ‘forcing’?”
“I just think you might be trying too hard to get his approval,” she said with a shrug. “That’s all.”
The judgment in her tone aggravated him. “How so?”
“You let him have a five-thousand-dollar-a-night room,” she said.
His jaw went tight as he battled his rising anger. “He’s my father. I’m not going to let him sleep on somebody’s couch.”
“That wasn’t your only option,” she pointed out. “You could have insisted he stay in your building. Or, you could have taken him to a cheaper hotel.”
“Heather, how I spend my money is really none your business.”
She flinched and turned away from him.
Damn it. He hadn’t meant for this to turn into an argument. Now he had managed to alienate and offend her, when that was the last thing he wanted. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No, you’re right. It’s none of my business,” she said harshly. “Spend your money however you want. Waste it. Give it away. Why should I care?”
With a contradictory mix of regret and indignation settling in his stomach, he reached for her. Placed a hand on her shoulder, hoping that she was still willing to hear him out.
“It is my money, but all this time you’ve tried to advise me to spend it wisely. You’ve never asked for a dime. Most of the time I’ve begged you to take what I offer.” He squeezed her shoulder gently.
“It isn’t my money.” She let out a weary sigh.
“No, but I shouldn’t have said it wasn’t your business. Especially since you’ve shared so much of your life with me,” he said. “You’ve let me into your home. Into your family. I’m sorry.”
She turned to face him, sadness etched on her face. “All I was trying to say was that I don’t want you to get taken advantage of. You’ve always kept people at a distance, and even though I’ve worried that you took that too far sometimes I see the wisdom in it in this case.”
“You think my father is trying to squeeze money out of me.”
“I’m not trying to accuse him of anything,” she explained. “But don’t you think it’s strange that he just happened to forget his wallet? Some of the things he said don’t add up.”
“I know that you’re having a hard time trusting him, but he’s my father,” he murmured. “What do you expect me to do? Turn him away when he shows up on my doorstep?”