Chapter 8 - Fathers

Ana's POV

"Fuck, Christian! I'm cumming!" I screamed as he rammed into me from behind.

"That's it, baby. Cum for me," he grunted while pinching my nipple.

I felt a wave of pleasure rush through my body, and I sank down on the bed crying out his name. Christian spilled himself into me and rolled on his side of the bed.

Yes. He had his side of the bed now. Cute, right? Anyways, making love to Christian was my new favorite pastime, and when he took charge and fucked me… Mind-blowing.

He still wasn't completely comfortable with my touch. He never had a problem with me touching him while he was clothed. But when we were making love, I think he felt vulnerable, like that little four-year-old boy who lost his mother.

It was almost Christmas, and I was so excited for my father to finally meet Christian. He was taking a much-needed 3 weeks off from work, so he would be able to spend as much time with me as possible. I've been talking to him nonstop about Christian for the past few weeks. I knew that as a father, he would be a bit skeptical of me finally having a boyfriend. But he was very supportive of me because of how happy he knew I was.

Christian and I were now cuddling in bed, basking in the afterglow of our lovemaking.

"My dad's coming tomorrow," I reminded him.

"I'm nervous," he admitted with a shaky voice.

"Don't be," I tried to reassure him. "My dad's not going to kill you," I joked.

"I'm not worried that he's going to kill me, baby," he said, "But he might think I'm not good enough for his beloved daughter."

"Christian," I said, looking at him with hooded eyes, "Don't sell yourself short. I know my dad's going to love you. Just be yourself."

And just like that his nervous demeanor was gone and was replaced by an air of confidence.

He smirked at me and said, "Enough talking about your father."

He dove under the covers and attached his lips to my clit, sucking hard on the nub.

"Mmmm," I moaned and let Christian work his magic.

Christian's POV

Ana's father was having a driver pick him up from the airport. He didn't want to trouble Ana with having to deal with the airport traffic.

Ana and I were putting Christmas decorations around the apartment and cleaning up, preparing for his visit. Ana and I bought a Christmas tree and had it delivered too. We haven't decorated it yet, though. Ana said she wanted to save that for when her dad arrived.

Ana had been telling me that she spoke to her father about our relationship many, many times. She said that he's happy that she was so happy, but I knew how most fathers were. He was probably ready to grill me about my intentions with his daughter the moment he met me. Also, the guy was scary. He was in the military for goodness sake. And he worked for the president now, which was exponentially more intimidating.

I was also nervous as hell to meet Ana's father. This might be the most important person I would ever meet. Considering I wanted to marry his daughter someday (hopefully soon), I would need him to like me.

Ana was putting tinsel and garland on the fireplace and was also hanging the stockings. There was one for Ana, her dad, and what the hell? Was she hanging one up for me?

I snuck up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist.

"You got me a stocking," I murmured, kissing down her neck.

"Well, you're part of the family now," she replied, turning around and giving me a quick kiss.

Just then, the elevator dinged, signaling her father's arrival.

Shit, shit, shit! I didn't want the first time he saw me be making out with his daughter.

Ana broke away from my embrace and ran to the elevator.

"Daddy!" she shrieked, crushing him into a big hug.

"Annie," he replied, "I missed you so much, peanut."

"Where's all your stuff?" she asked.

"The doorman's bringing it up soon," he replied, as he walked into the apartment with Ana.

Raymond Steele was about 6'4" and was well built. He had a stern but caring face, and he looked so happy to see his daughter.

I could feel my nerves beginning to build up, and my heart started racing, apprehension setting in. Don't embarrass yourself, Grey.

"Daddy, this is Christian," she introduced us.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Steele," I greeted him, holding out my hand for him to shake.

"You too, son," he stated, giving me a firm handshake. "Annie's been telling me all about you."

"Good things I hope," I chuckled nervously.

"Of course all good," Ana said.

Sensing the awkward silence, Ana jumped in. "Daddy, I think you worked with Christian's dad before. Grey & Associates."

"Ah, yes," Mr. Steele recalled. "Carrick Grey is your father?" he asked.

"Yes, sir," I replied, "My dad speaks highly of you."

"Send your dad my regards then," he said.

"I will sir," I responded.

"Call me Ray, son," he declared.

Ana gave me a sly wink, signaling to me that I made a good first impression.

Ana, her father, and I were currently eating dinner at Canlis. Her idea. I wanted her to have some alone time with her father, but she insisted I come with them.

"Daddy, Christian helps me with math all the time. He's the reason I'm not failing," she declared.

"Wow, if you can help her with math, you deserve a medal," he joked.

I laughed along with him, but Ana admonished, "Hey, I'm not that helpless."

I raised my eyebrows at her and she giggled, "Okay, math is definitely not my strong suit. I'll admit it."

"That's okay, Annie," Ray said, "We all have our strengths." He then moved on to question me again and inquired, "So son, have you thought about college yet? Annie tells me you're absolutely brilliant."

"She's probably exaggerating my intelligence," I answered.

"Definitely not," Ana quipped.

Ray looked at me knowing I just dodged his question.

"As for college," I replied honestly, "Harvard."

"Ambitious," Ray stated.

"My mom went to Yale and my dad went to Harvard. My brother's doing his first year at Yale right now, so I think anything less will be met with grave disappointment."

"Fitz went to Harvard," Ray remarked, looking at Ana.

I was a bit confused until Ana mouthed to me, 'the President.'

"Ana's going to Harvard," Ray stated like it was no big deal. Ana rolled her eyes at her dad but he continued, "I'll speak to President Grant about making a call for you."

"That's really not necessary, sir," I protested, "I don't want to put you through the trouble. And I'm sure the president has more pressing matters to attend to."

"Don't worry, son," Ray replied, "It's not a problem at all. Welcome to the family."

Just then, Ray got a call. "I'm sorry kids, I have to take this," he declared, getting up from his seat and stepping outside.

"What the hell was that?!" I asked Ana.

She shrugged her shoulders and said, "My dad can be very pushy at times."

"You think?" I raised my voice.

She giggled at me and said, "I didn't know you wanted to go to Harvard."

"Who doesn't," I brushed her off. "What about you? You never mentioned anything to me about Harvard either."

"As if I had a choice," she stated. My dad and Fitz have practically been planning it since me and Fitz's son were kids."

"You're friends with the President's son?" I inquired, feeling jealousy run through my veins.

She sensed this and tried to calm me down, "I love you Christian. You. No one else. The president's son and I are like brother and sister. There's nothing there. Please drop it."

I raised an eyebrow at her in skepticism, and she grabbed one of my hands to reassure me.

"I know what you're thinking, Christian," she stated, "But really. I promise. Jerry and I are nothing but friends, honorary siblings if you will."

I knew Ana loved me. But the irrational part of me was jealous. Jealous and worried and angry. Jealous because someone like the President's son might be the better choice for Ana. Worried because I knew I was fucked up. Worried because I knew Ana was too good for me, no matter what she said otherwise. Angry because Ana had never mentioned him to me before.

"How come you've never told me about him before?" I questioned with anger laced through my voice.

"It never came up," Ana defended, "And he doesn't mean anything to me, baby. You're my whole world." Her face was begging and pleading at me to drop it, so I did.

When Ana's dad came back he apologized for the interruption.

"Consider Harvard a done deal, son," he declared.

I didn't know what else to say but, "Thank you."

The food came a few minutes later, and we all dug into the delicious meal. Ana got up needing to use the restroom, leaving me with her father alone. Fuck, fuck, fuck. This was when the grilling was really going to start.

"You make my daughter happy," he stated.

"I try," I replied, sheepishly.

"She loves you, you know."

"I love her too," I said, confidently.

"That's good to hear."

From his facial expression, I couldn't tell what he's thinking. He was impossible to read, unlike his daughter who wore her emotions on her sleeve.

"She doesn't let people in easily," he continued, "She's always been guarded. The girl has tons of friends, but only a few close ones. She doesn't usually let new people into her heart. Don't hurt her."

"That's the last thing I want to do, sir," I replied, scared shitless.

Ana finally came back to the table, saving me from her scary ass father, and we finished our meal over light conversation.

Ana's POV

My father seemed to really like Christian. Thank God. I honestly couldn't believe my dad bulldozed Christian over Harvard like that. He wouldn't do that for just anyone. My dad must have really liked Christian if he was going to go through all that trouble.

Christian was still a little pissed over the Jerry thing. I mean, I guess I should have told him that I was friends with the President's son. That seemed like a pretty significant friendship in my life. We practically grew up together. But it really never crossed my mind to mention it to Christian.
We haven't seen each other in a while with him moving to D.C. and everything, and we didn't talk as much as we used to.

I understood why Christian was annoyed, but at the same time, I didn't think I made that big of a mistake. I guess Christian was the jealous type, and that was something I was going to have to deal with later on.

Also, with Christian's many demons and his somewhat lack of self esteem, I could understand why he was so upset to find out about our friendship. Jerry Grant was our age, and was objectively very good looking. And let's not forget that he was the President's son. Christian must have felt like he had to compete with him. And I knew how deep his self-loathing issues ran. That was not a good combination.

I needed to reassure Christian that he was the only one I wanted. I had to convince him that he was good enough, that he wasn't competing with anybody. I loved him. Nothing was going to change that.

Christian was pretending to be alright with me in front of my dad, but I knew he was still upset. After dinner, my dad and I went back to the apartment and Christian left abruptly, barely giving me a kiss on the cheek.

Dad and I were sitting at the breakfast bar, talking over coffee and tea.

"You liked, Christian right daddy?" I questioned him.

"I did, Annie," he replied, "He's a fine boy."

"I'm so glad," I said with a beaming smile.

"Jerry misses you, you know," he said, reminding me of the elephant in the room with Christian.

"I miss him too Dad," I replied genuinely. There was without a doubt no romantic interest there. I meant what I said to Christian. He was like my brother, and I missed him.

"You have to visit D.C. again sometime. Fitz wants to see you too. And if that's not reason enough, your dear old dad loves spending time with you."

I pulled him into a hug, not realizing how much I missed having him around before.

When we broke apart he declared, "I've been having the secret service keeping an eye on you."

I went wide-eyed at his comment, in complete shock that he didn't trust me on my own.

"Are you kidding me?" I asked with an attitude. Now I was getting angry.

"It's for your safety, Annie," he tried to reason with me.

While I knew that safety is an issue, I was furious that he didn't tell me he had some goons spying on me.

I didn't respond and just gave him my irritated face.

He continued, "That boy really loves you, Annie. You could see it from a mile away."

The fact that my dad told me that warms my heart. I knew that was his way of telling me he supported our relationship.

"I love him too," I responded earnestly.

After my dad went to bed, I texted Christian, wanting to patch things up.

Ana: I'm sorry I didn't tell you

I got a reply almost instantaneously.

Christian: Don't be. I just have things I need to work out

My heart broke for him, and I was so upset that it was me this time who caused his distress, making him second guess himself and comparing himself to other guys. I needed to make this right.

I ran up to my closet and changed into some very sexy cherry red lingerie and grabbed two scarves. I put on a trench coat to complete this sexy cliche and snuck down to the garage to head to Christian's house.

When I arrived, the house was dark, signaling that everyone had already gone to bed. I quietly entered the house and tiptoed up to Christian's room.

I carefully opened the door and saw Christian lying in bed with the lamp on, staring at the ceiling. He looked surprised at my interruption. He immediately sat up and asked, "What are you doing here, Ana? Isn't your dad staying with you?"

I went to sit down next to him on his bed and, and I wrapped my arms around him, nuzzling my head into the crook of his neck.

"He's dead asleep," I responded, "And I needed to see you to make things right. And prove to you that you're the only one for me."

I lightly grazed my lips over his neck and continued, "I know I already said this, but I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my friendship with the president's son, and I'm sorry that I'm making you feel this way. It was never my intention to lie to you or hide things from you. It just never crossed my mind as something important to tell you because he's not the most important person in my life. You are."

After my little speech, Christian pulled me into a passionate kiss.

"You're fucking mine," he spit out possessively.

"Yes. Yours," I managed to mumble out in between our kisses.

Christian began to unbutton my trench coat before I stopped him. He looked up at me, non-verbally asking me if something was wrong.

I shook my head 'no' and reached into my bag for the scarves.

"I know you're not completely comfortable with me touching your bare skin. And I know it's something you struggle with when my hands are free to touch you. I want you to tie my hands up, Christian," I said, handing him the scarves.

"Oh, Ana," he replied, grabbing my face and pulling me into another kiss.

"I want to show you that I'm all yours, Christian," I said in a whisper, "And I think you'll feel more comfortable if you know I can't inadvertently touch you."

He looked reluctantly at the scarves I placed in his hands, so I encouraged him, "You can tie my wrists to the bedposts, baby. It could be insanely hot too."

Christian looked as if he was pondering the situation and asserted, "I don't want to hurt you, baby."

"You won't," I immediately replied, "I know you won't."

He still looked reluctant, so I kissed him to convey my feelings. When I broke away I encouraged him, "Please, Christian. This is for you. Take me. However you want."

He didn't say a word. He deliberately undid every single one of the buttons on my trench coat and pushed it off my shoulders so it pooled at my feet. His eyes feasted all over my body, and the very scandalous lingerie I was wearing.

"You're so sexy baby," he said with a raspy voice.

I bit my lip while Christian unhooked my bra and placed me onto the bed. He carefully tied my hands to either side of the headboard so I couldn't move them. I felt exposed and vulnerable but sexy under his hot gaze.

He removed his clothes and climbed into bed with me, leaving a trail of kisses from my legs to my collarbone. I squirmed and moaned with every touch, and Christian continued his assault.

When his kisses reached my neck, he whispered, "You're mine."

He lightly rubbed my clit over my underwear, and my immediate reaction was to squirm and move around on the bed. However, I was stuck in place due to the ties on my wrist, and surprisingly, it turned me on even more.

"Tell me you're mine," Christian declared.

He slipped my panties down my legs and methodically slid two fingers into my soaking wet heat.

"Tell me you're mine," he repeated.

"I'm yours," I managed to moan out, "God, I'm all yours Christian. Please fuck me."

Christian swiftly lined himself up with my entrance and forcefully thrusted into me.

"Ahhhh," I gasped at his sudden intrusion.

He started to pick up the pace and slammed into me harder and harder. I wanted to cry out in ecstasy, but I was forced to keep quiet, not wanting to wake anyone in the house.

"Oooh, Christian. Harder," I commanded, wanting more and more.

His thrusts became more forceful and his voice rang raspy in my ear, "You're fucking mine, Anastasia. Mine."

Mmmm, I fucking loved a demanding and possessive Christian.

"I'm yours," I whispered.

Panting and heavy breathing filled the room, and I submitted myself to feeling.

"Cum for me, baby," Christian murmured in my ear as his thrusts became more and more erratic.

The floodgates opened as I reached my peak, and Christian emptied himself into me.

He carefully untied my wrists, and I didn't know what came over me, but I started crying as he wrapped me in his arms.

He caressed my head and asked sincerely, "What's wrong baby? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

I shook my head as the tears streamed down my face. I shakily replied, "No, no, baby. I, I just. I'm so overwhelmed."

He wiped the tears off my face and blurted, "Touch me."

"What?" I croaked in surprise.

"Touch me," he repeated, "I want you to touch me. Your touch means everything to me. I want you to have all of me." The tears were still running down my face, and this time he kissed them away.

Trembling, I reached out my hand to his chest, looking for a signal on his face telling me to stop. Christian's eyes were closed, and he looked like he was shaking.

"Are you sure, Christian? I don't want to hurt you," I asked earnestly.

He shook his head, still with his eyes closed. "I need you to touch me. Please."

With a shaking hand, I laid my palm against his bare chest, apprehensive of what his reaction might be.

Christian's eyes were still closed, and he looked like he was having a hard time. His breathing became more labored and his whole body was trembling.

In the soft light of the moon, I barely made out small scars and burns speckled across Christian's chest.

I felt more tears pooling in my eyes and started sobbing again.

Christian finally opened his beautiful gray eyes and pulled my other hand towards his chest.

I tried to pull it back, not wanting to cause Christian any more pain.

"No, no, no, baby," Christian breathed, "I need this. You're healing me."

I gently placed my other hand on his bare chest, and ran my hands all over his body, moving them to his back.

As I continued to roam my hands across his body, Christian's shoulders eased up and his breathing steadied.

I lovingly kissed each one of his scars and burns, in an effort to try to heal the wounds.

"I love you," I whispered in between kisses.

"They're so ugly," Christian said, referring to his scars.

"No," I refuted, "They're beautiful because they're a part of you. It shows you're a survivor. Your scars make you stronger. You're beautiful."

When he had enough, Christian grabbed both my hands and pinned me to the bed as he made love to me for a second, third, and fourth time.

After making love for the fourth time, Christian fell dead asleep. My poor boy still had so many issues, and as much as I would try to fix them, they would always be lurking in the shadows.

All I wanted to do was comfort him, and love him, and heal him. I made a huge fucking mistake not telling Christian about Jerry, and that was what brought out the worst demons, self-consciousness, and fear out of him.

I desperately wanted to stay in bed with him, but I knew I had to get home before my dad woke up. He was an early riser. I gave Christian a soft kiss on his forehead, reluctantly got out of bed, and tiptoed around the room to retrieve my clothing.

I snuck out of Christian's house as quietly as I snuck in and hopped in my car back home.

Christian's POV

I was awoken by a sliver of light shining through my window. Instinctively, I reached across to the other side of the bed, expecting Ana to be there. She wasn't. Ugh.

I knew I completely overreacted regarding the situation with the President's son, but I couldn't help it. I felt hurt, betrayed, even lied to. But I knew that was never Ana's intention. She was my angel.

When she came over last night, I wasn't expecting her at all. Knowing that I needed reassurance that she was all mine, she let me tie her up so I could have my wicked way with her. She knew exactly what I needed, and I couldn't thank her enough for that.

I had to give her something back in return, so I let her touch me. Before Ana, no one had ever touched me clothed or unclothed in over a decade. After I met Ana, I was comfortable with her touch over clothes but couldn't tolerate it on my bare skin. Last night, I finally let go of that fear, and I felt like I could really begin to heal now.

Maybe I would finally be able to give my mother a proper hug. She loved and cared for me my whole life, and the least I could do was show her how much I loved her and how thankful I was for her. Ana was truly healing me. My angel.

I wasn't wearing any clothes as a result from last night, so I hopped out of bed to put some on. I saw one of the scarves I used to tie Ana up from last night, and smirked to myself. She must've forgotten it.

I then heard my phone buzzing on my nightstand, and it was my angel herself.

"Hey baby," I answered flirtatiously.

"Hi baby," she greeted, "Are you doing anything today?"

"Nope," I replied, hoping to get some more alone time with her.

"My dad wants you to come fishing with us," she stated.

"Fishing?" I replied, incredulously. Ana's dad did not seem like the fishing type.

She giggled and responded, "I know. Not my favorite activity either. But it wasn't really an invitation. It was more of a demand."

I smiled and replied, "I'll be there. But I don't know how to fish."

She giggled again and said, "Yay! I'll see you soon. Be at the apartment by 10. Laters baby."

"Laters baby," I repeated to her and ended the call.

Well, it looks like I had a fishing trip to prepare was 8 am so that gave me about an hour to research everything I could about fishing. I needed to impress Ana's dad.

Ana's POV

When my dad said 'fishing,' what he really meant was sailing on a small yacht with a full crew and wait staff.

I didn't fish. That's why my dad told me that Christian should tag along. I would normally just watch my dad fish, not wanting dead fish to ruin my outfit. It was about time he had someone actually participating in the activity with him.

I put on some black Rag & Bone jeans, a white cable knit sweater from Maje, and a black puffer jacket from Moncler. I paired it with a black Givenchy bag and some Golden Goose sneakers then headed downstairs. Christian should be here at any minute.

"You didn't have to get all dressed up, Annie," my dad said when I saw him in the kitchen.

"I would hardly call this dressed up," I replied smiling.

"I remember a time you used to wear ratty sneakers and an old sweatshirt," he remarked, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"Well, let's be glad those times are over," I said, smiling at my father. "Christian should be here any minute," I informed him.

He nodded his head, and the elevator opened up with Christian coming out of it.

He looked so handsome with his messy hair, signature smirk, and his sexy casual outfit. He was wearing khaki-colored pants, with a light blue, long-sleeve button-down tucked in, and his favorite leather jacket. He was also wearing white sneakers from Common Projects, and he looked like a very well put together man. He also looked absolutely edible.

"Christian," my dad greeted him with a handshake.

"Hello Ray," Christian said, "Thanks for inviting me today."

"Not a problem son," Ray responded.

Christian smiled at me and greeted me with a kiss on the cheek.

"Shall we?" my dad asked, walking to the elevator to go down to the car.

We both nodded our heads and followed suit.

Christian's POV

"Dad," Ana whined, "Why are we being driven by the Secret Service?"

We were currently sitting in an unmarked, large black Suburban accompanied by 2 Secret Service agents.

"It's just a precaution, sweetie," he stated. "You know what? Think of this as a perk."

"What!" Ana admonished. "The lovely perk of being spied on by two goons!" she said sarcastically.

"You know they can hear you," I whispered into her ear. She was not exactly being quiet, and the agents were only a few feet away from us in the front seats.

"We're not offended ma'am," the agent in the passenger seat said.

She rolled her eyes and mouthed 'ma'am' to me, and I laughed at her childishness.

Ana didn't look amused and glanced at me.

"Oh for goodness sake, Ana," Ray declared, "Deal with it."

Ana pouted, but that did seem to silence her though. She didn't mention anything else about the Secret Service agents after that.

When we got to the marina, Ana was definitely in a better mood.

"Have you gone fishing before, son?" Ray questioned.

"No, sir," I replied, "But my family does go sailing often."

"Well, this is going to be fun then," he said, smiling at me.

Long story short, fishing was a disaster. Despite my multiple Google searches on fishing, I was definitely not an expert. Ray and Ana were laughing at me the whole time while I was trying to figure the fishing pole out. Ray caught three fish, much better than my zero.

Anyways, Ana seemed to be amused by my idiocy, and I fucking loved the sound of her laughter.

After the fishing disaster, Ana and I spent some time lounging on the deck while her dad had to make some work calls. Ana definitely noticed one of the Secret Service agents who was watching us from across the deck. She kept giving the man side eye, but if I were her I would have thought twice. I thought I was big, but that guy was almost twice my size! And I was also pretty sure he carried a gun.

Come to think of it, Ana did mention her dad was a gun nut. Fuck! That meant I would really have to be careful around him.

Christmas was in a week, and Ana said her father was staying until the New Year. My mom wanted me to invite Ana and her father to our house for Christmas Eve. I was pretty sure Ana would like the idea. Anyways, Elliot was coming home for Christmas this year, so my mom was pretty much going all out. She was excited to have all her kids under one roof this year. Plus, she now had the added guest of Ana, which I believed she was much more excited about than Elliot's return.

Ana's POV

After sailing, dad took us to our favorite little seafood restaurant right on the water, so that was where we were right now.

Christian seemed to be a lot more comfortable with my dad. He seemed more at ease, and he wasn't overanalyzing everything he was saying anymore.

"Oh, I almost forgot," dad remarked, "You're coming to D.C. for ski week right? You should bring Christian along."

"Ski-week?" Christian questioned.

"We have a random week off of school in February. Apparently it's an optimal time to go skiing, so the school calls it ski-week," I informed him.

Christian nodded his head and waited for my response.

"Of course I'm coming daddy," I responded. "Do you want to come with?" I asked Christian.

"Yeah sure," he replied nonchalantly, "Sounds like fun."

"I'll tell Fitz you're all set, sweetie," dad stated, "He's going to be so excited to see you."

Fuck! Chrsitian was going to have to meet Jerry. That might not be the best thing for him. He has already shown that he was insanely jealous. I wondered how he might act when Jerry was around. The Secret Service might have to kick his ass. Shit! I could only hope Christian forgot all about it when February rolled around.

Other than that, I was so stoked for Christian to explore D.C. with me. I was a sucker for political dramas, so being in D.C. made me feel like I was part of the show. I knew it was silly, but whatever.

Also, my dad kept on surprising me this weekend. Not only did he demand Christian come on our outing today, but he has also already invited him to spend the week in D.C. What the hell has gotten into him?

We were definitely going to need to have a talk later. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't upset that my dad liked my boyfriend. It was quite the opposite actually. I was just confused as to why my dad seemed overly friendly. He usually wasn't one to take to new people easily, and I was in shock that he was so taken with the guy who was dating his daughter.

He always had a protective streak over me, so I was puzzled and delighted that Christian and my father seem to be getting along so well.

After our meal, the Secret Service took us back to the apartment, where Christian politely excused himself despite my father telling him to stay for as long as he wanted. Christian insisted that his mother was expecting him to be home tonight to help with Christmas decorations.

After Christian left, I began questioning my dad.

"Is there a reason why you're obsessed with my boyfriend now?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"What! You want me to hate your boyfriend?" he retorted.

"Of course not," I replied, "But you seem a little too friendly, dad. What's your game?"

"What game," he tried to brush off my comment.

"You know what I'm talking about," I insisted.

"Fine, fine, fine," he relented, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

"Dad!" I admonished, "Christian's not your enemy!"

"I know he's not," he replied, "I do like the kid a lot. I think he's impressive. He's the first boyfriend you've had, Annie, and you picked one hell of a kid. I can't pick out any flaws about him. But he is dating my daughter. And a father can never be too protective."

I loved my dad for trying to protect me even when it was completely unnecessary. I guess that's what fathers were for.

I gave my dad a big hug and declared, "I'm so glad you're here daddy."

"Me too, Annie. Me too," he replied.