Wild Fire (Chaos #6.5)(27)

Dutch had a question about that. “You call your mom ‘Mother?’”

“My mom is a ‘mother.’ Dad’s a dad. Mom’s worked hard at being Mother.”

“You said your dad wasn’t around—”

“He wasn’t. They split. He traveled for work so there were reasons he was absent in the beginning. He also found another woman, married her, they had a kid. Through all of this, Mom put a lot of effort into making his life hell. So he made the decision that life was too short to deal with her, and he put great effort into omitting her from it. The side effect of this was, to do that, he had to omit us. Carolyn and me.”

“The fuck?”

And back was the growl.

“There’s that cute again,” she whispered.

“There is no excuse to pick yourself over your kids. Christ, your daughters.”

“A son would be different?” she asked curiously.

“Okay, get this, it’s important. I don’t have any kids. I still know I’m gonna be protective as fuck if I get girls. Not that I won’t love and protect a boy. But it’s gonna be stratospheric with a girl. So my advice, file that away, and if you got a problem with it, get over it.”

“So…crazy…cute.” Again with the whisper.

“Georgie,” he warned.

“Dutch,” she replied, sounding amused.

“Haven’t met the man and already not a big fan of your dad.”

“He paid support. He sent us money, a good deal of it, on birthdays, Christmas, even Easter and Valentine’s Day, and sometimes we’d get a card with cash in it just because.”

“Money isn’t love. In this case, and brace, because this is harsh, it might be about guilt.”

“You’re right, honey, but he wasn’t totally absent. And when we got older, had some independence and could get away from her, we reached out and he latched on. He helped me with college, for one. And I told you he floated me a loan to buy my condo. What I didn’t tell you was, that loan is being deferred, month to month every time I contact Dad and tell him I’ve got his check, and he says, ‘What’re you gonna do without this month if you give me that, sweetheart?’ Then even if I say, ‘Nothing,’ he still refuses it.”

“Was he there to take pictures of you when you went to your prom?”

“I skipped my junior prom and went to my senior prom with my posse of chicks and we wore Doc Martens and combat fatigues in protest to the patriarchy.”

Dutch busted out laughing.

He kept doing it when she added, “That was my militant feminist phase. Somewhat literally. At least in terms of garments.” And he didn’t stop when she went on, “I’m over that now.”

“Those heels are hot, darlin’, that skirt is hotter,” he told her.

She whacked his arm like she did the first time they were in his truck, he liked it just as much as he had back then, except this time he could admit that to himself, and she said, “Shut up, Dutch.”

He grinned at the road, but did it knowing he had to get them back on track.

Something he did.

“Georgie, Carolyn.”

“Right,” she mumbled.

“What I was thinkin’ is that Jag doesn’t have to throw you under the bus. Carolyn doesn’t have to know you told me and I told him.”

He saw her hand coming his way, but even if he did, it surprised him when she ran it down his jaw before she stretched across the cab and he felt her kiss his cheek.

She stayed stretched when she said, “You’re unbelievably sweet.”

“Just lookin’ out for him and tryin’ to do the same for you,” he pointed out.

“Yes, and I appreciate it, but file this away, honey,” she used his words and kept on, “I don’t do that. It’s a white lie for kind reasons but it’s still a lie. And I don’t lie.”

That said good things about her and what might become of them.

But in this instance, it was inconvenient.

“Babe.”

She sat back in her seat and carried on, “What I was thinking is that whatever we’ve got going is happening with us and eventually Carolyn is going to know about it. It’s not cool what she’s been doing and it’s not cool I’ve kept my mouth shut she’s doing it. I’m not going to make the rounds of her guys and tell on her. I’m also not going to maybe start a relationship with someone that interests me a whole lot and have her mess sit there between us. She knows I’m that kind of person so she’s going to be angry, but she’s not going to be surprised. And the bottom line, maybe she needs some drama to shake her out of the disaster she’s making of her life. And losing your brother is going to shake her.”

“Interests you a whole lot?” he teased, did it careful, because he could tell not only by her words, but by her tone that this shit was heavy, and he wanted to lighten it for her.

She reached out a hand and squeezed his thigh, but she didn’t say anything.

Dutch didn’t say anything either, because even though she removed her hand, he still felt it.

And the touch on his jaw.

The kiss on his cheek.

Her hands curled around his neck earlier in her pad.

Her fingers tightening around his in the elevator.