Isabella’s pov

“Dad, you didn’t tell me Victor was coming tonight,” I said, my voice catching a little as I spotted him across the crowded backyard.

The family reunion barbecue was in full swing with smoke curling up from the grill and laughter bouncing off the trees, but all I could focus on was him. Victor.

My dad’s best friend since forever. The man who used to toss me in the pool when I was a kid and now looked like he could pin me against a wall without breaking a sweat.

He turned his head right then like he heard me, those sharp eyes locking on mine. Fifty-two years...