Hold On (The 'Burg #6)(147)

He never got why his father didn’t sell it before Rocky and him moved out, and he definitely never got why he didn’t after.

He also never questioned his dad about it. The Merricks didn’t do shit like that.

Which might be one of the reasons why they were all, in their own ways, f*cked up.

Dave didn’t meet him at the door. It was cold and cold could f*ck with Dave and the injuries he’d sustained that had healed okay but not completely when the man who’d murdered Garrett’s mother shot his father full of holes.

But when Garrett hit the front door, he found in the time between his phone call and now, his dad had unlocked it.

He went in and called out.

“Kitchen, son!” Dave called back.

Garrett headed to the kitchen and found his old man at the coffeepot.

“Joe?” he asked the pot.

“Yeah,” Garrett answered.

His father poured him a cup like he liked it—no milk, two sugars—and Garrett waited to see where he took it—kitchen table, the bar or if he was good to stand, drink and talk.

Garrett knew the cold was f*cking with him when his dad took it to the table, handing Garrett his mug on the go.

They sat. Dave stretched out his bad leg and did it almost without wincing.

Watching that, Garrett felt the sour hit his gut. But this was a different kind of sour. One he’d lived with a long time.

“So, seein’ Cher Rivers,” his dad muttered, lifting his coffee to his lips.

“Yep,” Garrett answered, then sipped his own, swallowed, and lowered his mug. “Been busy. No excuse. Since it’s serious with Cher, should have found time to connect with you.”

Dave’s mouth quirked. “My son’s finally got a woman in his life with staying power, not sure I’m priority.”

Garrett held his eyes. “Like I said, it’s serious, Dad.”

Dave didn’t break eye contact. “Had Devin here a few days ago, drinkin’ my bourbon and tellin’ me Mia staked a public claim that’s no longer hers to stake, doin’ it blindsidin’ your girl at work. You not there, Tanner took your back…and hers. So, from that, already got it’s serious, Garrett.”

“She’s a good woman.”

“Know Cher,” Dave returned on a firm nod. “Know that. Know she’s got a good kid and Ethan’s good ’cause he’s got a good mom. Just glad you finally got your head outta your ass, seein’ as every time she got anywhere near you, she ratcheted up the tough broad, smartass, cute routine with the sole purpose of makin’ you smile at the same time hidin’ she was doin’ it ’cause you caught hold of her heart.”

At his dad’s words, his heart clenched.

He didn’t know that.

Or, more accurately, he hadn’t noticed that.

The Merricks were about family loyalty and being nuts, managing to do those closed off emotionally, which was only part of them being nuts. But Dave was an ex-cop. So not for a second did Garrett doubt what his dad was saying about Cher was true.

“No shit?” he asked quietly.

“This would be the part where my son’s head was up his ass, you didn’t notice. Think probably the whole ’burg did. But you didn’t.”

Fuck.

“No one said anything,” he noted.

“Boy, Cher’s had it bad for you for years. Don’t know why no one else said anything. Just know why I didn’t. And I woulda said somethin’ if I thought you were in the place to do somethin’ about it without breakin’ her. But I thought you were still tied up in Mia.” Another lip quirk before he lifted his coffee mug in a pseudo-toast Garrett’s way. “Seein’ as you’re not, I’ll repeat, I’m glad you finally got your head outta your ass.”

“Things have not gone smoothly with Cher, and Mia’s only part of that,” Garrett shared.

Dave shook his head knowingly. “Things that’re worth it never do. You got a woman where it goes smooth, you get rid of her. There’s no passion in smooth. There’s no challenge in smooth. You got smooth, that mean’s she’s bustin’ her ass so you can sail along without a hitch in the road, which in turns means she’s all about lookin’ after you rather than gettin’ what she needs out of the deal. Man’s no man at all, he doesn’t meet his woman’s needs. Woman’s no woman at all, she doesn’t got it in her to look after gettin’ what she needs. That might not make sense to you until you live it, so I’ll just boil this down, son. Smooth is boring.”

Garrett grinned at his dad. “I wouldn’t know. Not sure I’ve ever had smooth.”

His dad shook his head again. “Rough road you’ve been travelin’ wasn’t about that. Journey you took with Mia…” He kept shaking his head as he trailed off, then he grinned back. “But a woman who throws down in a bar full of people when she hears your five foot three ex shoved you, that’s the good kind of bumpy.”

Garrett hadn’t heard that. “Cher threw down with Mia because she shoved me?”

“Oh yeah.”

It was then, Garrett shook his head but he did it still grinning.

“Lucky for you, you’ve already proved you’re a hardass, so Cher defendin’ you at J&J’s isn’t a hit to your cred,” his dad teased.