My Dad's Bestfriend novel Chapter 182

Evelyn

The ride home felt like stepping back in time.

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from him, just like that first moment years ago. Back when I was a teenager with a hopeless crush on my dad’s best friend—the man who seemed larger than life. Whether it was his words, his smile, the way he laughed, or the sight of him swimming on those warm, sun-drenched picnic days, Jacob Adriano had always been the center of my world.

And now, sitting beside him, I felt like that younger version of myself all over again—heart pounding, filled with a giddy kind of love that knew no limits, no fears. I used to daydream about the impossible, about one day being older, wiser, and somehow stealing him away from the world, like something out of a forbidden romance.

But he was mine now. Even after all these years, it was hard to believe. Who would have thought that the silly teenage crush would blossom into this? That I’d be able to call him mine? The missing piece of my soul had been right in front of me all along, hidden in the man I’d loved for as long as I could remember.

"You know, if you keep looking at me like that," Jacob’s voice broke through my reverie, a teasing smile dancing on his lips as he kept his eyes on the road, "I might just pull over and do something we probably shouldn't right now."

"I can’t help it," I whispered, leaning closer, cupping his jaw and turning his face towards me. I kissed him softly, lingering in the warmth of his lips before pulling back just enough to whisper, “I still can’t believe you’re mine.”

His grin deepened, a spark of mischief lighting up his eyes. "You've fallen even harder for me, Evelyn Fernandez," he teased, biting his bottom lip. "Be careful."

"Why’s that?" I chuckled, raising a brow. "Why should I be careful?"

“Because I know how it feels,” he said, his voice softer now as his hand reached over to caress my cheek. His touch sent a wave of shivers down my spine. “Every second they’re not in your arms, it’s torture. Like pieces of yourself are being carved away."

For a moment, I just stared at him, and then leaning in, I pressed another quick kiss to his lips. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to fuck things up like you did. I am not stupid ike you,” I said with a playful glint in my eyes.

His brows shot up before realization dawned, a low chuckle escaping him. "Outrageous little vixen," he laughed, before pressing a soft kiss to my forehead and turning his focus back to the road. Just then, a double-decker bus zoomed past us.

I smiled, glancing at him. “You do realize we could’ve just died if you were a second late getting back to driving, right?”

He shot me a knowing look, a slow smile spreading across his face. “To die by your side would be such a heavenly way to die.”

As the words left his mouth, I knew it wasn’t just the song, he meant those words, just as I did. I could die by his side and have no regrets.

Unable to resist, I leaned in once more and kissed him—harder this time, with a wild, reckless abandon that didn’t care if we’d crash and burn.

***

As we stepped out of the car and Jacob handed the keys to the caretaker, I impulsively grabbed his sleeve.

"How about this?" I said, voice low and teasing. "You and me… a little moment in the car?"

He glanced down at his sleeve, then back at me, one eyebrow lifting in amusement. "A quickie?" he asked, his grin widening, his eyes sparkling with playful challenge.

Heat flooded my face. Before I could even think of a retort, he stepped closer, closing the space between us. The warmth of his body, the nearness of him, made it impossible to breathe. Suddenly, I felt like teenage Evelyn again, flushed with excitement, overwhelmed by the man who’d once been nothing more than an untouchable fantasy. Maybe it was because we had been distant for too long. Maybe it was the realization that this was it—the man I’d be spending the rest of my life with.

Yes, that had to be it.

“Since when,” Jacob drawled, his hands sliding to my waist as he pulled me against him, our bodies aligning, “have you become a fan of quickies? As far as I know, you prefer sleepless nights and entire days of doing nothing but fucking, just as much as I do."