“No. If he wanted you dead, I would have been a widow already!”

"No," Elizabeth smirked. "If he wanted you dead, I would have been a widow already!"

"That reminds me, do I have a will?" I chuckled as we went back to finish cooking dinner.

While we ate, the three of us speculated what Amy's father had in mind.

"Do you think he knows what happened here last weekend?" Talia wondered.

"I don't think so," Elizabeth stated but without much confidence.

"It's not the type of thing Amy would to brag to her father," I added. She had told me back in our senior of high school that her dad did know she had slept around but kept his mouth shut unless she brought her lovers home -- and the one time he did catch her was with me!

We decided to talk about other things since there was no point of getting me anxious before I meet Amy's dad in a couple of hours.

"Do you mind dropping me off at the bar, honey?" I asked Elizabeth after putting the dishes in the dishwasher. "The last thing I want is to get arrested for drunk driving at a cop bar."

"Yeah, no problem," she smiled. "Wanna come along, Talia?"

"Sure, it may be the last time I see Ian!" she laughed.

We took Elizabeth's car because she was scared of driving my Ford Explorer.

"Wish me luck!" I cheered and kissed both girls before I opened the door.

"You'll be fine!" my wife assured me.

I waved bye to them and entered the bar, where I was greeted by silent stares by the regular patrons, whom I assume were mostly off-duty cops. I ignored them and standing at the door, I glanced around to look for Amy's father but couldn't see him.

"You, Ian?" the bartender asked.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Piers is in the corner booth over there," he said, pointing his thumb to a dark corner of the pub.

"Thanks." I felt the knot in my stomach grow while I walked towards the table where Amy's dad sat.

"Hey, son," he greeted in his usual gruff tone. "Have a seat."

"Thanks, sir."

"Call me Piers," he replied. "You're not a teenager any more."

"Okay, so why did you ask to come here tonight?" I asked.

"Direct to the point, huh?" he chuckled and waved a waitress over. "Usual for me, Sandra, and whatever you have on tap for the kid."

"Sure thing," she nodded and then turned to me. "Need to see a menu?"

"No, it's okay I just ate dinner."

She smiled and left to get our drinks.

"You didn't drive here, did ya?" he asked.

"No, Elizabeth dropped me off," I answered. "Last thing I want is for you to arrest me for a DUI."

"I'm retired, remember?"

I nodded meekly.

"Show some confidence, kid! I'm not going to eat you alive." Amy's father patted me on the shoulder like a thunderclap. "Anyway, I asked you to meet me here because I want to talk to you about Amy."

"What about her?"

But before he could answered the waitress returned with my beer and a Long Island iced tea, which he grabbed and gulped downed.

"About her moving in with you."

"It's just to help offset our mortgage payments," I replied defensively. "You saw how big the house is!"

"Don't worry, boy, I'm okay with her moving out of the house and living with you and your wife."

"So what's the issue then?" I wondered, trying to figure out what else would he talk to me about his daughter.

He took a sip of of drink before speaking. "I know you slept with my daughter..."

"I... I... "

"...back in high school," he continued. "Don't worry, Amy and I had a long talk after that incident."

I nodded, knowing what incident he was referring to.

"Unlike the other high school boys she fooled around with, she had a thing with you."

"We were friends."

"You were more than friends."

I looked at my untouched beer.

"Son, I'm not here judging you for what you did ten years ago," he said.

"Okay..."

"I know that she loves you," he said in fatherly tone, "and you love her."

I nodded.

"She is the world to me, even more so after she gave me a grandson," he paused to **** back a tear. "I don't want to see her get hurt again."

"I would never hurt her, sir," I assured him.

He looked me dead into my eyes. "I know you won't."

"Thank you, sir."

"Because if you did I will hunt you down..."

"I..." The blood drained from my face.

Then seriousness on his face evaporated and he let out a hearty laugh. "The look on your face, kid!"

"Wha...?"

"No, seriously, I will kill you if you hurt my daughter," he whispered.

I nodded, knowing he could get away with it too.

"Anyway, I'm a God-fearing man and I would have preferred Amy to be married before she had kids but that bridge has been crossed already," he said, waving the waitress for another drink. "I know it's hard for her to date these days as a single mother of a five-year-old boy. So when she came home Monday with a big smile I know you were behind it."

"Excuse me, sir?"

He eyed me intently, "I know you fucked her last weekend."

My mouth dropped, not knowing how to respond.

"I'm a cop, remember?"

I just sat there, wondering if I should run out of the bar.

"Just nod, kid."

I nodded.

"Again, I'm not hear to judge you, boy," he said just as the waitress came back with his Long Island iced tea. He took a gulp before continuing, "I cheated on Amy's mother and that's why she left us..."

"I... I'm sorry, sir."

"Don't apologize," he sighed. "Just don't cheat on that beautiful wife of yours."

"I didn't cheat on Elizabeth," I told him. "There was no affair."

"Your wife knew?" He took another gulp. "Huh."

I nodded.

"And the other girls?" he wondered.

I finally took a swig of my beer. "Yeah..."

"You love them too?"