Bestfriend or Best Lover

TWENTY SIX

Belle's POV

I brought my dinner plate into the kitchen and started helping my mom clean up. We might have staff that helped us with every day domestic things, but we were plenty capable of cleaning up after ourselves.

I stood by my mom as she rinsed off the plates. She handed them to me, and I loaded them in the dishwasher. My mind was consumed with Arden's proposal.

I cleared my throat, willing my face to not be so hot, not be so undeniably red.
"You okay?" my mother asked, and I saw her glance over at me through my peripheral.

"I'm fine." I said that a little too quickly, moved a little too fast as I put the plate she'd handed me into the dishwasher. I could still feel her gaze on me and knew she didn't believe me.

I exhaled slowly. I just needed to get this done and over with. I turned to face her, staring into her emerald eyes, ones that were the exact same shade as mine. I'd imagined saying this more times than I even wanted to count. She could obviously see how serious this was, because she stopped what she was doing to face me as well. Her eyebrows were pulled down low, a pinched expression between them.

"Belle?" She reached out and placed her hand on my shoulder, a comforting gesture any other time, but right now, it made me feel even more on edge.

I'm thinking on how would my father react if I tell him about Arden and me. I love him enough that I am willing to risk everything, even my father's disapproval, over it. I know, Arden told me that he will be the one to tell my dad about the proposal and him asking my hand in marriage. But, I know I should tell my dad about how much I love Arden.

I thought of a thousand different ways to actually say it, played it out in my head. But in the end, I decided to just ask my Mom for help. I know how he like Arden.

"Mom, I need help to tell dad about Arden proposing."

She blinked a couple times, and she glanced to her side just as my father walked into the kitchen, Caleb following along, a couple glasses and plates in their hands as they brought them to the sink.

When she looked back at me, she was still expressionless. "Really? Arden proposed?" My mother said out loud.

What I told her either went right over her head, or she was purposely dodging the subject, that I need help.

My father walked up to my mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek before putting the cups in the dishwasher. But before he turned away, he stopped and looked between us, clearly feeling that something was going on. And Caleb is just being quiet.

"Did we miss something?" My father asked, and my mother looked at him then.

"Belle said Arden proposed." In the end my Mom decided to repeat what she just said, fast and easy, painless. Like ripping a Band-Aid off.

My father's face showed he knew exactly what my Mom meant by that. He turned his focus to me then. "I know."

I felt my eyes widen at his simple, straightforward sentence.

"You know?" my mother and Caleb mimicked what he just said in unison.

He gave a sharp nod, his expression not showing disapproval, disappointment, or anything negative. "You'd have to be blind to not notice the ring on her finger, not to mention the way she looks at Arden for the past few weeks have change on some other level and I know that look before because I have that with your mother." My father rolled his eyes, and I found myself giving a nervous laugh as I looked between my parents and Caleb.

I'd been keeping the ring off my finger, hiding it for quiet awhile. Theirs this one evening i forgot to take it off, it slipped my mind and it didn't cross my mind that my dad caught it, he hadn't been obvious, that he have notice the ring and said nothing.

"And I won't even get started on how many times I caught Arden staring at you and sneaking his way in your bedroom window," he said, and his expression immediately went to protective father. "I almost took my shotgun out and cleaned it on the patio just so he could see."

My mother scoffed, and this time it was her turn to roll her eyes. "Ezra," she said his name in an exasperated tone. "That shotgun is an antique. You wouldn't even be able to shoot the damn thing."

Caleb chuckles at my mom's remark.

My father made a gruff noise and crossed his arms over his chest. "Arden doesn't know that. I'd just want him to know that even if we are bestfriends with his family he'd have to earn my approval if he wanted to marry my daughter." He leveled a stare at me, but there was no heat or actual threat in his voice. "I'd just want him to know he'd better treat her well or he'd deal with my wrath."

Caleb silently nodding on agreement with my father had said. My mother being on team Arden, defended my fiance.

"Ezra, you're ridiculous. You know Arden would treat Belle well. He's a good man."

I did laugh at my Mom and dads banter. My father was the least threatening person I'd ever known. He wouldn't even kill spiders we found in the house, and instead he released them outside. But its totally a different matter when his dealing with business.

What really struck me as surreal was the way he was talking about Arden. He was fine with it. I felt like I'd been shoved into a dream.

"Wait. Wait," I said and shook my head, trying to grapple with this. I had expected him to try to explain why I shouldn't marry Arden. I expected him to maybe tell me how I'm too young to get married.

What I didn't expect is that my father having absolutely no issue. In fact... he seemed okay with it.

"You're fine with Arden and me?" I may not need to explain anymore to my father how much I love Arden and why I would want to marry him, but either way, he doesn't need any reason, and he seemed totally fine with it all, even all this time when he was noticing Arden sneaking on my window. He might have given some faux fatherly anger, but it had all been done with zero heat in it.

My mother tightened her hand on my shoulder and gave me a small smile. "Belle, you have your Father's blessing and mine."

"Ditto." Caleb butting in and giving me a hug and pat on my back. Soon after my dad gave me a tight hug. And hold my shoulder in both his hands, trying to steady me, while looking directly into my eyes. Gauging my reaction.

"Did you think I wouldn't approve of Arden, because I am being strict with you?" My father continued.

I nodded slowly. "I just assumed you'd feel differently about me marrying Arden, rather than just being in a relationship." I did little air quotes.

My father had this almost hurt look on his face. "Belle, sweetheart, by default, I may be strict with you because I only want What's best for you. And I know Arden, your mother is right, his a good man."

I felt a bit shameful in the fact that I'd thought my father would have given me hard time over this. "I just assumed... and I feel like an ass now," I whispered.

"Arden is a good boy, is smart and hard working. What's most important to me is that, He looks at you like you are the world to him, and we also established that his willing to put his life on the line for you when it comes to your safety." My father smiled and said softly, "When asking for someone to treat our daughter well, we couldn't have picked a better person."

I felt myself choke up at the things my father said, and the way he looked at me.

My father loved me, and he approved of Arden. I might have thought things could have been a fight with him, but I should have known better. As I hoped, he just wanted me happy.

I hugged him tight. "Thank you, Daddy. You know, you will always be my main man." I know now that this saying is true, that No one in this world can love a girl more than her father. I'm thankful that Ezra is my father.

"I know, Sweetheart. I know." He pat me in my back. Then my mom and Caleb joins in for a group hug.

【To be continued...】
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A/N

Hello! I know, this is the shortest update yet. But I'll make it up to you, I promise. 😊. Please hit the ⭐️. Thank you