My Dad's Bestfriend

Chapter 107 Tyler's Ploy

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"You're leaving?" I murmured, pushing myself upright, still groggy, and rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I squinted, piecing together the sight of him fastening his watch and slipping on his coat.

"Yeah, love," he said, walking over to plant a soft kiss on my cheek. "Go back to sleep. It's too early for you to be up. I've got some business at the office. I'll make sure breakfast is on its way for you, alright?" His touch lingered on my cheek.

Truth be told, I didn't want him to go. But was it right to hold him back? Not a chance.

His work mattered, and I understood the dedication he had towards what he'd built, despite how unaffected he tried to appear yesterday. Tyler's antics had rattled things for him, and as much as I craved his presence-right here, close to me I couldn't ignore that it would be selfish.

The last thing I wanted was to exacerbate his problems any further.

"You haven't had breakfast yet, have you?" I blurted out.

"I'll grab something on the way, don't worry," he reassured, attempting to step away, but I caught his arm.

I knew he wouldn't. I knew him too well to believe that. He was the kind of person who forgot about himself when consumed by something, whether it was me or his work.

Jacob Adriano was never his own top priority. But he was mine.

"You've got fifteen minutes to spare?" My gaze softened. "I can whip up some pancakes. It's not much, but at least you won't be wandering around on an empty stomach. Please?"

"Evelyn... it's too early for you to be up anyway," he sighed, trying to coax me. "You don't have to do this. Just lay back and get some sleep. I'll be fine."

"I didn't ask if you'd be fine or not, Jacob. Do you have fifteen minutes? You wouldn't say no if I asked for a cuddle."

I saw defeat flicker across his face before he let out a resigned sigh, probably realizing I wouldn't give in today. "Fine. I'll stay."

A smile crept onto my lips, and I leaned in to plant a quick peck on his lips. "I'll be right back. Wait here for me."

I swiftly tied my hair up with a claw clip and made my way to the kitchen. I'd scoped out Jacob's kitchen before it wasn't exactly equipped. He seemed to live off fast food or restaurant meals. Pasta was a staple, but I couldn't justify cooking that for breakfast. That was more of a dad move- probably the only person in the world who'd indulge in morning pasta.

Whatever, back to the discussion-Jacob's less-than-functional kitchen miraculously had some pancake mix, much to my relief. Without further ado, I embarked on my mini-cooking adventure.

To be painfully honest-I'd never even brewed coffee at home for myself, let alone cooked. But luckily, the packet had clear instructions, and I knew enough to turn on the stove. That, in itself, felt like an achievement.

As I began frying the pancakes, carefully flipping them, I soon felt a familiar hand slide around my waist, and a chin rest on my shoulder as the very person I'd asked to wait in the bedroom hugged me from behind.

"You've never lifted a finger at home, and here you are making breakfast for me..." He murmured, planting a kiss behind my ear. "You know Samuel will kill me if he finds out about this. He'd love to think I'm making his precious daughter do all the hard work."

"You do make me do hard work," I chuckled, sliding one pancake onto the plate before placing another. "Lots of hard work."

He caught the innuendo. "Your dad's got Clara doing similar 'hard work,' especially now that he's newly married," he laughed. "Can't blame us for that. But let's not give him those details, shall we? He'd get embarrassed."

"Dog," I nudged his stomach with my elbow, unable to stifle my giggle.

"Seriously, I wouldn't mind sharing those details with him, but I doubt he'd let me off the hook after that."

"You're a devil, you know that?"

"I'm well aware," he murmured into my neck, planting a kiss there.

Deciding to leave him to his own, I continued making the rest of the pancakes, frying them and setting them aside. "Chocolate syrup or maple?"

He still clung to me from behind, his face nestled into my neck, his embrace akin to that of a baby.

Boyfriends, regardless of age, were simply oversized babies—I had no doubt about that anymore.

"I'm not even sure what I have in the kitchen," he chuckled. "Anything's fine."

"Luckily, even if you don't know,

you've got both," I said, extricating myself from his grasp, eliciting a soft groan from him. I moved to the shelves, and grabbed both bottles, meticulously checking the dates. I couldn't trust Jacob with this who knew if he had expired food in his house? He seemed like the kind of guy who wouldn't mind eating it without a second thought. "And even better, none of it is expired."

"Why the long face? Let me guess you're less interested in breakfast and more interested in squeezing me tight." I chuckled, leaning against the counter in front of him.

"I wasn't squeezing you," he protested, looking at me with mock disbelief. "I just... enjoy having you in my arms."

"Okay, okay, I get it. But enough of the arm talk; you need to eat your breakfast," I said, attempting to separate the plates. He suddenly turned me around, prompting a small gasp to escape my lips.

"Why not feed me since you've done so much already?" He grinned, "I love being pampered."

"You're not a kid, Jacob," I playfully pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to turn away, but he pulled me against him once more.

"I'm willing to pretend I am."

Goodness, he sounded so serious.

I couldn't believe him.

But... I wasn't about to deny him either.

"Alright, let's feed the big baby," I

chuckled, turning around and

drizzling chocolate syrup on the

pancakes He, on the other hand et

helped me hop onto the counter, drawing me closer as he looped my legs around his waist, the plate sitting between us, on my lap.

"Here comes the big baby," I teased, cutting a piece of pancake and offering it to his mouth. He took a bite, and we couldn't help but break into smiles -there was a magical essence to this moment, to him, to us. Even amid all the chaos, we felt free.

"Your turn," he said, taking the fork from my hand and offering a piece to my mouth. "Can't let my beautiful hungry girl go unfed, can I?"

"Not at all," I replied, shaking my head, and took a bite.

And so the moments passed, filled with laughter and shared bites while he occasionally smeared chocolate on my lips and cheek before licking it

away.

***

The doorbell rang as I scrolled through the photos of Jacob and me, a smile lingering on my face.

It had been a few hours and about ten texts from Jacob. He mentioned he'd be back soon...

Wait, was he already here?

My grin widened as I made my way to the door, swinging it open without a second thought. But what unfolded before my eyes was unexpected. Two unfamiliar faces-two rather elderly men.

"Can I help you?" I asked, my brows furrowing as I observed them. They regarded me oddly and glanced around the apartment with an unusual expression.

"Jacob isn't home?" the balding man inquired. His eyes were peculiar reminiscent of a cat's eyes but with a strange hue, something unsettling and tinged with a hint of greed.

The other man, with long hair just

past his neck, sported heavy silver bracelets on his wrists and appeared somewhat larger in size. Together they gave off an initial impression of potential intruders or thieves. Yet, the only thing that prevented me from slamming the door shut was the mention of my boyfriend's name.

Who were they?

"I'm sorry, but who exactly are you? Do you know Jacob?" My words came out in a hesitant stutter.

The bald man chuckled, finding my question amusing. "Do we know Jacob?" He laughed, exchanging glances with the other man, who also joined in the laughter. "È divertente, vero?" (She's funny, isn't she?)

"Ah, you're the new girlfriend, aren't you?" The other man chuckled as he extended his hand toward me. "Let us introduce ourselves—we're here to fill in the roles of your not-so-alive father-in-law. We're Jacob's uncles. He's Luigi, and I'm Mario."

What in the hell...