Mercy (Salacious Players Club, #4)(10)

Grabbing a roll of duct tape out of the garage, I work swiftly to cover as much of the paint as I can, but I quickly run out and it’s not nearly enough. Anyone can still easily read the slur scribbled across the side.

Fucking wonderful.

I grit my teeth as I climb in the car, throwing the crumpled-up article on the passenger seat. Then I start the car and pull out of the driveway with PERVERT still mostly visible on the passenger side. It’s a good thing my dad doesn’t live far.





“Beau, I’m so sorry,” he stammers as he assesses the damages. We’re standing in his garage, where he has plenty of space to hide my sweet new paint job while we both stare at it. “You can borrow my car until we get this fixed.”

My teeth are clenched as I avoid eye contact.

“We’ve been receiving baseless threats from these people for a couple weeks now. I had no idea they’d stoop to vandalism. You know, we should really file a police report.”

“Just fix it,” I grumble, looking away.

“I’m sorry, Beau.”

“Yeah, you said that already. It’s fine. Let’s just go get something to eat.”

He clears his throat as he clicks the unlock button on his car, and we both climb in. Once I fasten my seat belt, I ask, “Why would they come to Mom’s house anyway?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. That’s weird, but I’ll take care of it.”

As we drive to our favorite burger joint, I notice him tensing in the driver’s seat. Something is definitely up. I study him as we park, order from the waitress, and eat our food. He’s being a little quieter than normal, and appears slightly uncomfortable. Maybe it’s just the spray paint incident that has him acting weird.

But when the meal is done and he doesn’t move to leave, my suspicions are confirmed.

“Beau, I have something to tell you, and I’m not sure how you’re going to take it.”

Oh shit.

“What?”

“I want to ask Charlie to marry me.”

I’m not sure if the sound that comes out of my mouth has a name, but it’s somewhere between a choke and a laugh, and it has me nearly spitting out my drink in the process.

“You’re joking,” I snap after I have composed myself.

The stern expression on his face says he’s not.

“You’re fucking forty-one. She’s twenty-two.”

“Keep your voice down,” he scolds, and I roll my eyes.

“I’m serious. Why on earth would you two get married?”

His brow furrows as he sits up a little straighter. “Because we love each other.”

“You really think she’ll say yes? She has her whole life ahead of her.”

“Yes, I think she will say yes, and I have my whole life ahead of me too, Beau.”

“Well, not nearly as much!”

He lets out a heavy sigh, clearly brushing off the insults I’m hurling at him, but he never responds with the rise I expect. Instead, he just pushes his shoulders back and waits. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. It’s like a joke that’s gone too far. I got over the fact that they were screwing, and I learned to accept that they were living together, but I expected it to end any day now. This weird little fling of theirs can’t last forever.

“You’re not going to have kids, are you?” I ask, racking my brain to remember if Charlie ever mentioned wanting them when we were together.

“No. We’re not going to have kids.”

“Then, what’s the point?” I ask.

“The point is that we want to make a commitment to each other. Someday, you’ll meet someone you want that with.”

“Not likely. I mean, it’s only been a year. How do you know in ten years she’ll still want you?”

He leans forward, letting his features soften as he scrutinizes me for a moment. “Not all marriages end in divorce, Beau. Not all relationships are bad. Some couples don’t work and some just do. Even if you think they don’t make sense or they come from different places or are different ages, when you meet someone that wants what you want, it just fits. Someone who makes being you a little easier. When you find that person, you’ll know.”

Right about now, I could throw something unfairly cruel his way, something about how I thought I had that with Charlie, but I’ve spent long enough making my dad pay for what happened with my ex-girlfriend. It never changed a damn thing anyway. So, this time, I don’t say a word.

But I do wish I could tell him that whatever the hell he’s talking about just isn’t in the cards for me. Because every girl I date never fits. They either want what I can’t give or give me what I don’t want. There is no compatibility with other people when you’re a self-absorbed asshole only looking out for yourself—or so I’ve been told.

“I hope you know I’m telling you this because I wouldn’t do it without your approval.”

“Bullshit,” I bark back. He’s lying, and I know it. “You want my approval, sure, but you would do it anyway.”

His mouth turns up in a small smile as he shrugs. “I do want your approval, though.”

“I don’t care. I really don’t. I think you’re crazy and probably a little stupid for expecting someone like Charlie to commit the rest of her life to you, but I’m not gonna stop you. It’s your funeral.”