Off Limits(115)

“Slut,” she whispered under her breath, and I had to laugh. “What?”

“You know what,” I said. The light overhead went off and the bell dinged, and I undid my seatbelt, standing up. “Come on, let’s go see Dad and Layla.”

As we walked through the airport toward the baggage claim area, Alix looked over at me. “With the new baby, do you think Derek would mind if I started calling him Dad?”

“I think he’d take it as an honor. He knows how you felt about Paris Nova.”

Alix shuddered and nearly spit on the floor at the mention of her birth father. “Yeah, don’t remind me. Damn, was I screwed up on that one. I’m glad you straightened me out.”

“Don’t say anything, he thinks you figured it out on your own,” I informed her. “He was adamant that I respect Layla’s wishes.”

We got to baggage claim, and I looked for the one bag we’d checked, a suit of mine since I didn’t have any at the Laguna house. Alix had plenty of clothes, both at her house and at Dad’s, so she didn’t need any. Instead, she got to fidget while I waited for my bag. “Where are they?”

I pointed, seeing Dad and Layla just outside the security barrier, and any concern Alix may have had about awkwardness with seeing her mother again evaporated. Instead, Alix nearly sprinted across the gap between them, shouldering the door aside to embrace her mother. I was about a minute behind, my suit bag in my hand, and they were still hugging, the sound of twin muffled sobs coming from the two nearly six-foot-tall women. Dad had a gleam in his eye, and he quickly sniffled it away to shake my hand. “Kade, it’s good to see you, son.”

I set my bag down on the ground to embrace my father, hugging him tightly before letting him go so that we could turn to the two women we loved. Alix and Layla both turned to look at us, smiling with a bit of embarrassment. “Sorry,” Layla said, “must be the hormones.”

“There’s no reason for you to be embarrassed, Layla,” Dad said. “Alix, you either. It’s just the greatest thing I’ve ever seen that you two are reconciled.”

“It’s a good feeling,” Alix said.

After all the hugs were exchanged, Dad took us to his car, where I stuffed myself in the back seat, reminding myself why I liked driving instead. The Los Angeles area freeways always suck during the daytime, and it’s even worse when you’re sitting in the backseat, even when the backseat belongs to your father’s Jaguar XJ. At least as we drove, Dad explained what the day would be like. “I know you have some business to do while you’re down here, Alix, but if you can be back at the Laguna house by four that would be best,” Dad informed us from up front. “There is a local PAC that is putting on this whole gig, and they’re sending some people over around then. Probably nothing you aren’t used to, but they want to do the whole dolling us up. Makeup artists, hair stylists, the whole nine so that I supposedly look Congressional or something.”

“What’s the primary looking like, Dad?” I asked, and Dad grinned.

“Not bad at all. The Congressman is giving me his blessing at the event, so most of the establishment is falling into line behind me. There’s one other guy running in the primary, but he’s been doing it for the past five election cycles and never gets close. He’s a decent enough guy. We’ve done speaking events together and I’ve talked to him, but he just can’t seem to get a campaign staff behind him that’s worth a damn.

When we got to the house, Alix went inside with Layla while I helped Dad park the car. “You really don’t mind running Alix over to her house to get her car and everything?” Dad asked, surprised. “I mean, I trust you with the Jag, but I would have been happy taking Alix over myself.”

“It’s no problem, Dad. I’ve gotten used to it over the past few weeks,” I said honestly. “And you’re right in what you said before, she’s an amazing person, with the fact that she wants to go to college, giving up the modeling money for a while, and most of all, how hard she’s worked since getting to Portland.”

Dad gave me a look then, like he saw something in my face, and he shut the garage door. “Son, are you okay with Alix living with you?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? Like I said, she’s done a great job since coming to Portland.”

Dad nodded and glanced at the door to the house. “Yes, but you’re talking less like the tolerant yet frustrated stepbrother I’ve come to know for the past five years, and more like someone who has a crush on Alix. I don’t want to cross lines, but are you okay, Kade?”

I stepped back and nodded. “I’m fine. Alix is just a remarkable young woman, you’ve said it yourself.”

Dad’s eyes narrowed, but he nodded before tossing me the keys. “Okay. Just be careful, Kade. You know what that sort of scandal could do to your career.”

“And yours?” I asked, instantly regretting it. “Sorry, Dad.”

Dad shook his head and came around, patting me on the shoulder. “Son, I’m sorry.”

Alix came out of the house, a huge grin on her face. “Hey guys, guess what?”

“What?” I asked at the same time as Dad.

“I’ve maybe already got a buyer for my car!” she said. “You know that other model I’ve worked with, Karla?”