A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the delay! As Always thanks for all the amazing reviews, adds and faves! You guys are the bests! Hope you like the chapter!
Alex heard a knock on her door and rolled her eyes. She ignored whoever might be on the other side and continued reading her book. She was angry. She had been angry ever since she left Olivia's place. And she had every right to be angry, didn't she? Olivia had made an incredibly important decision without consulting her; it was to expect that she would get mad.
The blonde heard another knock, this time being much stronger and accompanied by a voice. "Alex, dinner is ready." She heard her father saying.
"I'm not hungry." Alex replied without taking her gaze off the book and sharply turning a page.
The door opened and Thomas got himself inside of his daughter's bedroom. He walked a few steps and sat next to the blonde simply looking at her read. Alex avoided the meeting of their gazes. Part of her was mad at her dad too, because he agreed with Olivia's decision and let her quit but another part of her knew it wasn't his fault and it wasn't right to blame him.
"Your mom cooked lasagna." Thomas mentioned. As soon as he had entered to the room he realized Alex was fuming inside. He felt bad for Olivia, knowing Alex she probably hadn't let the brunette explain herself and had only listened to the parts of the story she wanted to.
The blonde continued focused on her book. "I'm not hungry dad, tell mom I'm sorry."
The man softly placed his hand over the book his daughter was reading and took it away from her. "Are you sure that's what's going on?" Thomas asked sweetly.
Alex looked at her father. "Everything's fine. I'm just not hungry." She said starting to get irritated and unsuccessfully tried to get her book back. "Dad, please. Just give me the book." Alex pleaded.
Thomas handed it back to her. "What's wrong?" He asked though he knew exactly was it was.
The teenager shot a deathly look to him. "Oh, so you don't know?" She said sarcastically and spoke again with a much more serious voice. "You know. What I don't get is why you all agree that getting me another guard is the best thing to do. You saw how miserable I've been during the time Liv was injured. Now that she's finally back, now I don't spend every second of my school day praying for it to be over, now you think it is better to get me yet another guard?" She told him taking in his gaze and took her book; she opened it and pretended to be searching for a specific page. "You really know best." Alex snapped with her eyes stuck to the book.
The older man sighed. "Alex, I know that you don't believe it now but it was the best decision. Olivia herself thinks that too. She doesn't believe she would be better for the job and I am sure it took her a lot of thought to come and speak with us." Thomas spoke softly to his daughter. "She cares about you and wants to keep you safe..."
Alex heard her father's words with shiny eyes. She knew Olivia cared about her and her safety, but hearing someone else saying it – that made it more real, it made her realized just how much the brunette loved her. And Alex couldn't help the small smile that wanted to appear on her face.
"…I know that and that's why I knew that I had to approve her request. Olivia did what she thought it was the best thing for your safety and I appreciate that. I consider her to be a trustworthy woman and that is the reason why I offered her the new position." Alex's eyes widened and suddenly she started paying much more attention to what her father was saying. "I thought you'd be happy she'd still be around the family."
Alex looked at her father wondering what was he talking about, what new position had been offered to Olivia? Why hadn't the brunette told her about it? Had she been so 'such a teenager' that Olivia hadn't even got her chance to speak?
Thomas smiled as he saw surprise in his daughter's face. "You didn't even give the poor woman enough time to tell you about it, didn't you?" The middle-aged man sighed and slightly shook his head before speaking again. "I was just like you when I was your age." He began and Alex couldn't help but roll her eyes. Thomas noticed the gesture his daughter made but continued without making mention of it. "When something was in my mind, no one could take it off. Not even the people I respected the most. I liked to think that my thoughts were the most important ones." Thomas made a small pause. "But growing up proved me otherwise. As I grew up, I started realizing that my thoughts and opinions mattered as much as everyone else's. So I started to listen, to stop my mouth from speaking and let my ears do their work. Knowing how to listen is a weapon as much as powerful as knowing how to speak. Opening your mind and letting something knew get in is an ability I hope you'll acquire. But guess that's one of the bad things you've got from me—the stubbornness."
"Oh, you mean the Cabot Gene?" Alex said and they both laughed.
Thomas nodded. "Yes, I guess we can call it like that too." He looked at his daughter and stared at her face for a few moments. The father realized how quickly the little girl with braces he had taken care of was being left behind and replaced by the mature, grown-up woman he had always hoped Alex would be. He was proud of everything she was. As he discovered this, his gaze turned sweeter and more relaxed than before. Thomas reached for Alex's hand and squeezed it caringly, then, he continued speaking. "I asked Olivia to be one of my guards and to cover your mother's, Amy's and Caleb's guards and their days off. There might be a conflict of interest if she's your guard but I know she's the woman for the job I offered her today."
He concluded speaking and Alex shook her head while she bitted her lower lip. She should have known Olivia wouldn't do anything that would risk their relationship. She should have heard the brunette's reasons to do what she had done. She shouldn't have acted like a kid. I should have shut the hell up and listened to her. Alex looked to her father and silently asked him for advice."What did you say about being stubborn again?" She joked and was relieved when she felt her dad's hand gently rubbing her back. "I was a bitch to her."
"Watch your language, young lady." Thomas said pointing his finger to Alex. The teenager just smiled. "But I'm sure that you'll figure out a way to get her forgiveness." His voice was soft again. "You two share an especial bond, Alex. I saw it that very first day when you came into my office and introduced me to Olivia. You have never before looked so relaxed and calmed with anyone else; even less with someone you've just met. That night during dinner, Caleb mentioned that you already had a crush on her – he might have said it joking but when I saw how you looked at her I knew it was going to develop in something much stronger than a crush."
Alex's jaw literally dropped. She listened to her father's words and couldn't believe what he was saying. He had known all this time? Even before she had? How? Why hadn't he confronted them? They had been so worried about what he might say and he already knew. How could that have happened?
'I saw it'. Alex replayed in her head what Thomas had said seconds ago. He had seen how her gaze lost itself in Olivia's, how her smile lightened up every time the brunette walked in the room. He had seen, he had heard; then again, he had opened his mind and let something new in.
"I should have mentioned it to your mother but I kept my gut to myself because, well, your mom would have probably hired her own investigation team – in that way I think she's much more possessive of her little girl than I am." Alex smiled. If you only knew, Dad. "Today at my office, when Olivia spoke about you, I saw such a passion in her eyes that made me feel the fathers' jealousy. She is so proud of you that she's now proud of herself for being close to you. That says a lot, Alex."
Her dad talked about pride and that was the only thing Alex felt at that moment. Hearing that Olivia was proud at her made her feel proud of herself and it certainly made her fall even harder for the brunette.
"That being said; you two have until your birthday to tell your mother or I'll do it. I was hoping that you'd come to us first but I understand the reasons why you didn't and I'm sure that you would have told us if you'd have known everything would be alright." Thomas said and cupped his daughter's cheek in his strong hand. "I love you, Lexi and though you'll be seventeen in little over a week, you'll always be my little girl. And I'm just like any other father; I want my little girl to be happy. And if that happiness consists in dating a 24-year-old woman..." Thomas speech faded off as he realized what he was saying. "Well, I think I will only stand it if that woman is Olivia." He said with a smile. "I respect her. I know she respects me. And more important, I know she respects you. So I'm okay with it – and as long as you tell your mother before your birthday I'm sure everything will be fine and you have nothing to worry about." He used his thumb to softly caress his daughter's cheek and noticed a cold tear falling from the corner of her eye.
"Thank you." Alex simply said before throwing her body over her father's and hugging him tightly.
They shared a special silence that made their father-daughter moment even more memorable. After a few seconds, Thomas pulled away from the hug. "There's another thing I wanted to ask you for." He told Alex.
The teenager desperately nodded yes as she dried her tears. "Anything." She said with a grin.
"Don't tell Olivia that I know yet. I may agree with it but I still have to give her 'the talk' and I have the perfect scenario in my mind." He said with a playful grin. Alex laughed and promised him she wouldn't say a word. "Great. Now, let's go back with the family. I want my lasagna."
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