Leo
I hadn’t been to my father’s office in a while, and now that I had big news, I couldn’t think of a better excuse to do a pop in. I stepped off the elevator and into the hall that used to lead to my office before I’d walked out, and as I went around the corner to my father’s end of the building, I hoped I’d caught him and Jon before they’d left for lunch.
Having worked with them for so long, I knew their routines, and neither had been in the habit of heading out early. Sure enough, when I approached his door, I could hear the two men talking.
Their heads turned as I rounded the corner and stepped into Edith’s office. My father’s secretary had announced her retirement and was going to be moving to California with her daughter’s family once she finished out her month.
“Hey, son. What brings you around?”
“Just thought I’d take the two of you to lunch and tell you the good news.” I looked around for Edith, but she must have been on an errand.
“Well, you caught us about to leave if you want to join us. I owed your buddy here steak and lobster for his recent win.” My father headed to the door, and Jon and I followed.
“Oh? Did you finally win a case?” I teased.
Jon rolled his eyes and huffed. “I’ve done quite well since your sorry ass left the firm and stopped hogging all the good cases.”
We approached the elevator, and my father pushed the button as he turned to us. “He’s done quite well filling your shoes, but I do wish you’d reconsider my offer to return.”
My father had offered me three different times to come back to work for him, but I’d refused. It was time I made my own way. Tabby and I had settled into the office, and she’d even hired a few others to come in and help us because business had picked up so well.
And even though things had been crazy playing the part of a single parent in Kya’s absence, I’d still managed to keep a high rating that I could be pleased with.
We filed into the elevator and made small talk as we headed down to the lot where I offered to drive.
Once we made it across town to the steak house, I handed over my keys to the valet, and we went inside and waited to be seated.
The hostess smiled and looked Jon up and down as she took us to our table. When she walked away, I leaned over and elbowed him. “She’s hot, and she couldn’t take her eyes off you.”
She still had his attention as she walked away, and before she slipped into the back, she turned and gave him a smile.
Jon cleared his throat. “She’s in here every time I come.”
“You should ask her out.”
“No, thanks. I’ve dated her type before. She’s probably working her way through school with a butt load of student debt and either she’d clean me out or be working so hard, I’d never see her.”
“You’re too picky,” said my father, and I had to agree.
Jon raked his hand through his hair. “I’m not ready.”
He’d had a four-month romance with a woman who’d not only broken his heart but smashed it into a million pieces. Things had seemed good for a little while with them, but two months in, she started taking off in his car, spending his money, and apparently, it was all to impress another man. He’d walked in on them one day when he went home early from lunch. She’d been using his house while he was at work. He took the key back and kicked her ass to the curb, but he’d been miserable ever since.
“You have to get back on the horse,” Dad said.
“And you’re one to talk. You haven’t dated anyone since Mom passed away.”
Dad squared his shoulders. “I see women. Just because I don’t flaunt it in your face, doesn’t mean I’ve spent all of my time alone.”
The admission surprised me. “How come you don’t bring them around? I’d like to see you happy with someone else. It’s way past time you moved on.”
“Maybe I will.” Dad smiled and turned his eyes to the menus.
Our waitress showed up to take our order, and as she sauntered away, she had my father’s attention. The woman was attractive, but a little too old for Jon’s liking, although she was a little too young for my father.
“Seems like this place has a little something for the both of us,” Dad said.
I knew it was time to tell them the news. “Well, maybe you should both leave here with a date. I have the perfect place you both can bring a plus one. Kya and I are getting married this weekend at The Regency.”
My father’s head snapped up in surprise. “This weekend?”
“Yeah, I surprised her with the venue when she got home. It all happened pretty fast when they had a cancellation, and since it’s the place she was hoping to be married, I wanted to make it happen for her.”
Jon looked at me as if I were crazy. “Yeah, I can’t believe you got that place. But a week to do a wedding?”
“Well, the good thing about marrying in the garden is you don’t need a lot of decorations, which they frown upon anyway, and since we’ve talked about the big day on more than one occasion and bought the rings and the dress, there’s not a lot to do but gather and do the ceremony. The restaurant at The Regency will cater, all I have to do is pay for the food and choose the menu, which is being done later today.”
My father offered me a warm smile. “That’s wonderful. I’m proud of you, son. Kya is an easy woman to please.”
I couldn’t agree more. “That she is. The very best.”
“Wow, I can’t believe Leonard the Legend is officially off the market.”
I gave him a sour look. “I’ve been officially off the market for over a year.”
“Yeah, but now it’s different. You’ll be married. Like, no going back.”
“I don’t want to ever go back. Kya’s the one for me.” I had been with enough women to know when I’d found the right one. Kya was everything to me, and my only regret was that I hadn’t found her sooner. With our lives getting adjusted and the tour, we hadn’t been able to marry right away, and that was part of the reason I wanted to hurry up and get it done. The ceremony was just a formality, but I already felt in my heart that we were husband and wife, two souls connected forever.
When the waitress came to the table, Jon nudged me as my father stared at the woman’s ass. I cleared my throat and tried not to laugh as she placed our food in front of us. “Someone’s getting a big tip,” I said with a chuckle as she strolled away.
We dug into our food and continued to make small talk.
My father took a sip of his drink and then cleared his throat. “What does my granddaughter think of this rushed wedding?”
“She’s happy that we’re getting married. I don’t think she understands much else. She’s excited about being the flower girl, and Kya’s asking Sadie to stand up with her. There’s actually another thing I need to take care of. Jon, I was hoping you’d stand up with me for the service. You’re my closest friend, and I can’t see anyone else doing it.”
“Of course, man. I’d be honored.”
“Perfect. We’re going to get tuxes for the service, and if you’re not busy this week, we’ll go in for a fitting.”
Jon cut into his steak and readied the piece to his mouth. “Sounds like a plan.” He popped the piece into his mouth.
My father pointed his fork at me. “Is Kya’s parents coming?”
“If they do, it will be because I invited them, and I’m not sure it’s a good idea. They loathe the lifestyle she lives and that she had a career in an industry that’s plagued with so much scandal.”
“I remember Donald and Elise. The two of them used to be a lot of fun until Donald got caught with his pants down. Then Elise gave him an ultimatum, and they started going to church. They probably weren’t happy when Kya started playing that devil’s music.” My father got a big kick out of calling it that, and he laughed when Jon held up the horns sign.
“Yeah? I never knew that.” Kya and I had talked an awful lot about our lives at home, but nothing of the sort ever came up about her father. I’d known her parents from living next door, but it was the same way that I’d known anyone’s parents. We weren’t close or anything.
“Kya might not know it either. They eventually stopped attending, but maybe her mother just doesn’t want her to have it as rough as she’s had.”
I’d never considered why her parents were so dead against her career choice, but I guess it kind of made sense. “I just don’t want to do anything to upset Kya on her big day.”
“Then stay out of it,” Dad said. “Don’t try and fix it for her.”
Jon leaned up to the table. “Did you know her parents growing up?”
“Of course. They were our neighbors. They seemed like nice people. The mother was a little quiet and kind, and the dad worked an awful lot of hours, but that wasn’t anything too out of the norm.” Even my father had worked long hours.
I let the conversation die down, and when my father spoke again, he changed the subject. “Did you tell him what happened to Whit White?”
Jon shook his head and finished his mouthful of food. “No, I hadn’t had a chance.”
“Having trouble on house arrest?”
“He was arrested for a probation violation. He and his girl, Mona Star, they were headed out of the country. Seems he tried to cut out early on his two years and got caught. He told Jon he didn’t think anyone would notice.”
“That man has an insane ego,” I said. “I’m glad I’m not the one stuck with his bullshit.”
Dad waved the waitress over to the table and then turned to look at me. “Oh no, I told him to get a new lawyer. I’m done with his bullshit too.”
“It’s about time.” I finished the last bite of my steak and threw my napkin on my plate. “You’ve already done more for the man that I ever would. His kind is what gives us a bad name as lawyers.”
As my father asked for the check, I turned to Jon. “I’ll get with you this week over the details, and I’m sure we’ll do a quick rehearsal on Friday.”
“As the best man, do you think I’ll be able to squeeze in a quick bachelor party?”
I thought a moment about our plans, and even though I wasn’t about to get sucked into some long night out of drinking and lap dances, I knew with some traditions, Kya might not want to spend the night before together. But since this wasn’t a traditional ceremony, she might have already thrown that out the window.
“Let me ask Kya. I think she and Sadie might get together.” I turned to look at my father, who was slipping the waitress his card along with a healthy tip. “Dad, do you think you could watch Addie for us on Friday night?”
“Of course, I can. She likes to stay with me.” He smiled proudly, and it felt good that he could help with my daughter. Their relationship had already grown stronger than mine and his, and Addie had him wrapped around her little finger.
“That’s because you spoil her and let her walk all over you. You can’t let her get away with that because then she comes home, and we get to spend a week getting her in line.” We shared a smile.
Dad shrugged. “When she’s at Grandpa’s house, she can do and have whatever she wants.”
He had never let me get away with half the stuff he let her. “How come you didn’t ever spoil me that way?”
“Because, your mother ruined you long before I had a chance, and because you weren’t as cute.”
“Ouch,” said Jon with a laugh. “The man is brutal.”
As we chuckled, I couldn’t help but think about how much my own father had changed when it came to his granddaughter. Addison had a way of making things all better, and it was my hope that she would do the same for Kya’s parents.