When I'm with You (Hope Town #3)(7)

“Son.” I hear in the way of a greeting from the front of the dungeon.

“Morning to you, too, old man,” I reply. I don’t look away from the monitor, nor do I stop the rapid speed in which my fingers are dancing over the keys in front of me.

“Yeah, Nate, mornin’. Want to tell me why you’re here, again, hours before any other of these sorry bastards even got out of bed?”

I let out a laugh. “You know you’re not just talking about yourself since I beat you here, but also the golden boy who shares a bed with your little princess?”

I don’t need to look to know my dad has a scowl on his face. He still can’t handle the fact that his little girl is grown up and married with two kids of her own. It’s way too much fun to remind him just how his grandsons got here.

Just the thought of Owen and Evan is enough to lighten a little of the dark mood that has followed me around since the dream that woke me up way too f*cking early this morning.

“Don’t be a punk, Nate.”

I laugh, making sure to write down where I was in my coding before I drop the pen next to my log sheet and turn to where my father is now sulking.

“What’s up?”

“Not what’s up with me, Nate. What’s up with you?”

“Yeah, not following you. Old age making you go nuts already?” I lift my hand and point at the top of my head. “A lot more gray in there these days. You’re starting to lose the whole salt and pepper look and become more salt only.”

He shakes his head, not falling for my taunt, and pushes off where he had been leaning against one of the large floor-to-ceiling columns that hold our storage drive systems, or what I like to call ‘mother ships.’ He might ignore it, but I watch as he rubs a hand over his head while pulling one of the chairs around the hub monitors. I bite back the laugh as the few streaks of gray shine in the light of my computer screen when he pulls his seat toward my desk, settling his six-foot-six frame down with a grunt. I have to force my silence when the urge to take a jab at his struggled grunt when he sat hits my mind.

“Your mother is worried. When she’s worried, she isn’t happy. And, Nate, I hate it when she isn’t happy.”

And … there went the playful mood.

“Why do you automatically assume that I’m the reason she is worried?”

“Because she’s been like this since she found out you’ve been working yourself to the ground here, showing up before the sun, and then staying at that club until who knows when at night.”

At the mention of that club, I feel my temper rise. It doesn’t help that he still can’t seem to mask his disapproval when it comes up. It’s been a constant fight between my father and me since I bought that club.

“I’m fine. It’s taking longer to finish the renovations, which is the only reason I’m there late. I don’t know why she’s worried. I’m a grown man, Dad.”

He laughs, his deep booming chuckles breaking through the silence harshly. “Grown in age, maybe.”

I flip him off, brushing off how annoyed I get when people assume that I’m not mature simply because I enjoy joking around. Especially since I’ve done nothing to substantiate that assumption. Sure, I like having fun and living the kind of life where laughter comes easy, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a brain in my head.

He slaps my hand away, still laughing. “She won’t ever stop worrying about you, son, and a mother knows when her kids are hurting.”

Not liking how serious this little chat has turned, I can feel my hackles rising. “Well, this kid is just fine. Just stressed with getting everything finished over at that club,” I snap.

“Nathaniel,” he starts, and I take a deep breath so I don’t blow up on him. One thing I’ve learned the hard way is no one blows up on Axel Reid without being burned in the process.

“Honestly, Dad, I’m fine. Stressed a little, but that’s normal since I’m in the middle of trying to get shit finished with Dirty Dog, you know that club, and keep up with shit here. I promised you when I bought the place that I would stay on here so you wouldn’t feel the weight of my absence. I’m allowed to feel stretched a little thin.”

“You wouldn’t feel that way if you wouldn’t have bought that place.”

“With all due respect, I’m trying really hard to remember you’re my parent and that you’re coming from a good place. I’m old enough to know what I want with my life. Too old to sit on my ass and not go after what I want, and what I want doesn’t involve me sitting in this room for the rest of my life.”

He’s silent, his green eyes bright, while he processes his words. Finally, he lets out a long breath. “I’m sorry, Nate. It’s just hard for me not to be concerned that you’re throwing away a f*ck load of money on that place. Club Carnal’s been closed for a long time and that place needed a lot more work than what it’s worth. I just hate to think that you’re setting yourself up for failure.”

“Well, shit. Once again, thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“I don’t mean it like that, Nate. I’m just worried. You’ve been so closemouthed about this whole club thing. This is new for us, and we’re allowed to be concerned. Your sister always had a clear path, no guessing games, so we’re just trying to figure it out with you.”