Part Thirteen

Making sure he looked presentable enough for his date, Peter straightened his tie and checked his hair before leaving Redstone Manor and making his way to his car where he picked up Wendy from her apartment building at The Royal Oak Hotel in the Rayton Heights area of the city and drove them both to Meadow Lodge in the Evergreen Woods area of the city.

Climbing out of the car before quickly making his way over to Wendy's door, Peter escorted his date through a flash mob of paparazzi, trying hard to avoid the flash of the cameras while Wendy on the other hand seemed to revel in the attention, something that didn't surprise Peter since Wendy was always in the public eye and it was no surprise to him that the location of their date, a women's charity gala that had been chosen by Wendy would have a large media presence.

Making their way into the building together, Peter spent the next several minutes talking to some people he recognised or some of Wendy's friends as she showed off her date to them until finally, he caught sight of a familiar blonde, dressed in a cocktail dress that showed off her slender legs and just enough of her breasts, that Peter found himself spending way too much time admiring, dancing with a woman who had fair skin, long brown hair, grey eyes, a slender body with large breasts and a curvy ass.

"Excuse me," Peter said to Wendy before leaving her and making his way across the hall until he reached Phoebe and Vivienne Young. "Sorry to interrupt but what are you doing here?" Peter questioned Phoebe.

"It's a charity event. I'm enjoying myself, Dad," Phoebe commented. "And Aunt Viv looked lonely so I asked her to dance with me. I didn't know you were bringing your date here."

"It was Wendy's idea and that's not the point," Peter shook his head. "You're eighteen, this is a public late-night event and you're grounded," Peter said before realising Vivienne was there. "Sorry, Vivienne, you shouldn't have to hear this."

"I told my wife you'd flip once you found out she was here," Vivienne told Peter.

"And where is AC?" Peter wondered.

"Somewhere, talking to a client I believe," Vivienne said before adding on. "I should go find her."

Vivienne then stepped away leaving Peter and Phoebe however they were alone for a brief moment before Wendy approached them, taking Peter's hand, leaning up to Peter.

"I was wondering where you disappeared off too," Wendy said in a teasing voice.

"Sorry, Wendy," Peter apologised. "I saw Phoebe here and I..."

"Phoebe... As in your daughter." Wendy said in realisation as she looked over at the younger blonde.

"The one and the only." Phoebe proudly spoke.

"You brought her on our date..." Wendy said while looking at Peter.

"She gate-crashed," Peter responded.

"Well, either way," Wendy said. "Can you stop focusing on her and ask me to dance?"

"He would," Phoebe interrupted. "But Daddy already promised me one," Phoebe told the blonde, and before any of them could react, Phoebe whisked Peter away onto the dancefloor, putting Peter's hand on her waist, taking his other hand in hers while they closed the gap between them.

"I hope you don't think I can't see what you're doing," Peter said to Phoebe as they danced.

"And what is it I'm doing?" Phoebe said, innocently.

"Setting Asa and I up for a date and now showing up here when I'm with someone else..." Peter commented. "It's pretty obvious. I just don't get why..."

"Because I want you to be happy, Daddy," Phoebe admitted. "And Mom makes you very happy. I see it, Cindy sees it too," Phoebe added. "Just you two don't. And if you're gonna waste time with women like her," Phoebe continued as she indicated to Wendy who was talking to some man he didn't recognise. "Then it is up to me to do something about it."

"That's not how this works," Peter responded. "Besides have I ever interfered in your love life to give you an indication it is okay to do the same to mine?"

"No, but if you had then maybe I wouldn't be alone..." Phoebe shook her head, before breaking away from her father and disappearing towards the door nearest to them.

Realising he shouldn't leave his daughter alone, Peter made his way after her, through the door which led to a staircase onto another more private floor filled with offices and no one around. Looking through some of them, Peter found Phoebe standing in an office, looking out of the window.

"People say I stand like that in my office all the time, brooding, it wasn't after the first time that I brought you to the office and you did the same thing that I believed them."

"You were so cute back." Peter smiled.

"And I'm not now?" Phoebe said as she turned to look over at Peter.

"You're beautiful now," Peter admitted as his eyes roved across her body, taking in the sight of her abundant cleavage and how sexy she really looked in that dress before he recalled that it was his daughter he was checking out and he brought himself back to the topic at hand. "But I don't get what's brought this sudden interest in my love life on and why you think you're alone."

"Because I am alone," Phoebe admitted. "Naomi walked out on me before I could talk. Cindy is smart, really smart and once we get to college she's gonna make friends with people just as smart as her and she won't want anything to do with me and Mom, once I've gone to college she won't have any reason to be with me..." Phoebe said out loud, tears falling from her eyes as she did. "And you..."

"And me?" Peter said curiously.

"You think I won't need you anymore, so you're planning on leaving too..." Phoebe told Peter.

"I..." Peter said in an effort to explain himself but no words were coming out.

"So, I'm alone. I got no one. No family, no boyfriend," Phoebe said. "No one."

"That's not true, Phoebe," Peter reassured. "You're never alone. You're my daughter and Wendy, Naomi, AC, Sara or even Asa can get between us because you're the most important person in my life," Peter admitted. "And even if I leave or even if you leave, I will always come if you need me."

"Will you?" Phoebe asked while looking up at her father.

"Always," Peter said with a smile as he hugged her. "Nothing's gonna keep me away from my little girl."

Cindy sat on her bed, avidly reading the latest Irene Austen novel when she heard a knock on her door and she looked up to see Asa standing there before walking in.

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you." Asa apologised.

"You didn't," Cindy responded. "I was just reading. What are you doing here though? Didn't you leave for your date?"

"I did..." Asa sighed.

"What happened?" Cindy said curiously as she let Asa sit down on her bed as she put her book on the bedside table.

"I was on my way, I was excited and..." Asa paused.

"And?" Cindy said expectantly.

"I was waiting at a traffic light and I couldn't help but think about Martin," Asa admitted.

"What about him?" Cindy wondered.

"Nothing bad. Just what he was like in college. The jokester. Liked to make people laugh, make me laugh," Asa explained. "And then that got me thinking about the last people who could get me to laugh like that," Asa continued. "You and Phoebe, Peter... Hollie..." Asa said as she thought about her wife. "And as I kept thinking about her, I realised I couldn't go through with it."

"So, you stood him up?" Cindy said in realisation.

"I didn't mean to but I kept thinking about you all and especially Hollie and the kind of person she was and I don't think Martin is who I'm supposed to be with." Asa said with a deep breath.

"But Mom would want you to move on. To find someone else." Cindy reminded the blonde.

"I know, I just don't think it's Martin." Asa responded.

"Then who? Peter?" Cindy wondered.

"Maybe if things weren't..." Asa said before stopping herself as she realised she was about to reveal Peter's secret. "I don't know. I thought so... For a long time I did think that if I couldn't be with Hollie then maybe it could have been Peter but now..." Asa sighed. "I don't know... Maybe I found my person and happiness all those years ago and now I'm supposed to just live with all those wonderful memories alone."

"That's nonsense," Cindy said, much to the surprise of Asa. "For one thing, you're never alone. Not while I'm here. I know Mom would never allow it."

"She wouldn't," Asa smiled before adding on. "Hollie would have been so proud of you."

"I hope so," Cindy softly said. "I wish I had more time with her."

"You had more than enough." Asa reassured her.

"Tell me about it," Cindy found herself asking. "About her."

"What would you like to know?" Asa asked her daughter.

"How about how you guys started dating?" Cindy suggested.

"Oh, that was a good one," Asa excitedly spoke. "Let's see, I guess that really happened when..."

Leaving with her father shortly after their conversation in the office with Peter making an excuse to Wendy about Phoebe needing to be escorted home and feeling glad that his date had ended early Phoebe waited outside the building for her father and decided to call Cindy to inform her about what had happened on her father's date.

"Of course you would be here," A familiar voice interrupted Phoebe who was about to dial Cindy's number only to look up and see the last person she ever wanted to see, standing before her. "But I guess you're so much like your father and I in that aspect. I've never been able to resist a party and it seems neither can you."

"Naomi." Phoebe said in a tone mixed with annoyance and anger.