Rebound (Seattle Steelheads #1)(62)

Eventually, the GPS told me I’d arrived at my destination—Geoff’s apartment—and that made me feel a little less shitty. Still like a fucking coward, but I was going to be in the same room with Geoff soon. It was hard not to feel better.

On the way, I’d stopped to pick up some takeout. Geoff had mentioned he was still hurting from last night, so I’d offered, and now I had an armload of dinner and drinks for us and his kids. It wasn’t the healthiest thing in the world, but oh well. One night of junk food wouldn’t kill me.

I took the stairs up to the third floor, double-checked I had the right apartment, and knocked.

To my surprise, Claire answered. When she saw me, she smiled shyly. “Hey.”

“Hey.” I smiled back, still not quite sure how to interact with my boyfriend’s teenage daughter. “I, um…” I gestured with the bags. “I brought food.”

“Oh!” She looked at the bags and held out her hand. “Here, let me help.”

“Just grab the drinks, and I think I can handle the rest.”

Claire took the carrier containing four large sodas. Without having to balance that anymore, maneuvering the bags was a hell of a lot easier.

She led me into the apartment, pausing so I could toe off my sneakers, and then across the living room to the kitchen.

Geoff was on a leather recliner, and he carefully stood. “Hey. Thanks for getting food.”

“No problem.” I set the bags on the counter and watched him gingerly coming into the kitchen. “How are you feeling?”

“Like we switched jobs for an evening.”

David, who was on the couch, laughed without looking up from his phone. “You wouldn’t last a period, Dad.”

“Hey!” Geoff tried to scowl but failed miserably. “I can hold my own on the ice.”

His son lifted his gaze. “Not with the PHL.”

“Oh, he’d probably do okay.” I squeezed Geoff’s shoulder. “We’d go easy on him.”

Geoff glared at me, but both of his kids snickered. Elbowing me, he muttered, “Whose side are you on, anyway?”

I just laughed, and Geoff kissed me lightly on the mouth. The kids didn’t seem to notice or mind; I supposed it wasn’t that unusual for them, seeing their dad show affection with a man. All we needed now was for me to get used to this whole “boyfriend with kids” thing.

While Geoff and Claire arranged food on to plates, I stayed in the kitchen doorway where I wouldn’t get in the way. There, I noticed some framed pictures hanging in the hall, and curiosity got the best of me.

One was a very young Geoff in Marine dress blues. Probably from boot camp. Beside that was him in a much more decorated uniform, and underneath that photo was an engraved plaque: To Staff Sergeant Logan, Congratulations on your retirement. In between, a few framed snapshots showed him in camouflage, smiling with some friends in what looked like the desert.

Damn, he’d made a hot Marine.

I moved from the military photos to some family pictures. One was obviously a long time ago and showed Geoff and Valerie with two young boys. Disneyland or Disney World, judging by the Mickey Mouse ears on the kids and the castle in the background. It was kind of odd, seeing a picture of him with his ex-wife on his wall, but it was nice. I loved how they still had such a good relationship, and whether their marriage had worked out or not, they were still a family.

The kids in the picture definitely looked like Geoff and Valerie, and one was obviously David, but the other one? Maybe a nephew?

I gestured at the two kids. “Who’s the other boy in this one?”

Geoff leaned out of the kitchen. “Oh, that’s—”

“Me.” Claire appeared beside me, gaze fixed on the photo. She pointed at the taller of the two kids. “That was me when I was nine.”

I glanced at her, then at the picture, and the resemblance was obvious now. “Oh.”

“I had Dad take these down for a while.” She gestured at some older photos of her and her brother. “But I missed having pictures from those trips and holidays, so I put them back up.”

I nodded, not sure what to say. “So was this Disneyland or Disney World?”

“Disneyland.” She smiled, glancing at her dad. “That was when Dad was stationed in San Diego. I think we went like four times.”

“Well, you two went four times with your mom.” Geoff chuckled. “Some of us had to work.”

“Eh. Sucks to be you.”

“Uh-huh. Here, take this to your brother.” Geoff handed her a couple of plates. After she’d joined David in the living room, he turned to me and lowered his voice. “By the way, I talked to my partner earlier. About Nathan.”

My spine prickled. “Oh yeah?”

Geoff nodded, plucking a fry off his plate. “He’s out on bail, but—” He put a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t freak out. I’m not done.”

I exhaled. I hadn’t even realized I’d started tensing up until Geoff told me not to freak out.

His voice soft, he went on, “He’ll go to trial soon. My partner said the judge told Nathan in no uncertain terms that if he so much as texts you, he’ll get the maximum sentencing for all his charges. Considering he’s looking at felony assault and battery charges, that’s not a small threat.”