Craving Kara (The Aces' Sons 7)

I hiccupped as I tried to get myself under control, and after a few minutes, the tears finally stopped and I let out a huge sigh. By then, we’d made our way back to the couch in the back office and I was sitting hip to hip with my dad, his arm slung around my shoulders and my head on his chest.

“Didn’t go well, huh?” he finally said.

I huffed out a breath. “You could say that,” I rasped. My throat ached and a headache pounded behind my eyes.

“It’ll all work out in the end,” he said, rubbing my back. “Probably don’t feel like it now, but I promise you it will.”

“I fucked up,” I whispered, staring at the wall.

“Then try to make it right,” he said simply.

“I did,” I said, scoffing. “That’s why I’m here.”

Dad was quiet for a moment. “Well, that’s all you can do, princess.”

“He didn’t want to hear it,” I replied.

“And that’s on him. You can’t control other people. You just make sure you’re doin’ right by them. If they don’t want to see it, that’s their issue. Not yours.”

“I thought I was doing right by him,” I said softly. “That’s why I was keeping my distance.”

“Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were dealin’ with shit back then?” he asked, tipping his head down to look at me. “I woulda taken care of it.”

“That’s what I was afraid of,” I replied glumly. “When those photos and videos came out, Draco ended up going to prison.”

Dad laughed. “Kara, we woulda switched you to a different school or homeschooled you or somethin.’”

“I couldn’t take the risk,” I replied.

“I know you’ve been dealt a shit hand,” Dad said, kissing the top of my head. “First your mom and then all that shit with me and Rose, and then Draco. I get it, sweetheart. But you gotta learn to trust people.”

“I do trust you,” I protested.

“You didn’t trust that I wouldn’t fly off the handle and beat some little high schoolers to death,” he replied dryly.

“When you say it like that, it sounds stupid,” I muttered.

“Ya think?” he asked jokingly. “I woulda helped ya, princess. You didn’t have to go through that shit alone.”

“I’m sorry,” I said with a sigh.

“Yeah, me too, kid,” he replied, kissing my head again. “Why don’t you come home with me? You can have dinner with us and let Rose fuss over ya.”

“Okay,” I said.

“Yeah?” he asked in surprise. “Alright. Come on, I’m pretty sure Molly left her helmet over in Will’s bay the other day. You can borrow that and I’ll bring it back in the mornin’.”

“You want me to ride with you?” I asked, laughing as he towed me through the garage.

“Just what the doctor ordered,” he said, shooting me a grin. “The wind in your face and the open road.”

Chapter 16

Draco

“Mind your own business,” I snapped at Tommy as he strolled over to where I was standing, frozen, after I’d watched Kara leave.

It was for the best, for both of us. There had been too much back and forth, not knowing where we stood. I didn’t want to do that shit anymore and Kara couldn’t be enjoying it, either. Who would? I’d come to the realization while she was gone that she’d obviously been having a hell of a time keeping me at a distance, but she wasn’t any better at keeping me close. I was sick of it and I didn’t want that for her, either. Both of us deserved a little stability.

“Man, she came in here lookin’ for you,” Tommy said, setting his empty beer bottle on the bar. “And you blew it.”

“Seriously, Tommy,” I said through my teeth. “Drop it.”

I wondered if she’d made it to her car yet. I could still stop her if I hurried.

“She came in here lookin’ for you,” he said again, staring at me. “She ever do that before?”

“You know she hasn’t,” I snapped. “Everyone gossips in this fuckin’ place.”

“She came in here, knowin’ that we’d all be here,” he continued. “Knowin’ that she might not get the reception she was hopin’ for—”

“Jesus Christ,” I muttered in annoyance.

“What else did ya want, kid?” he asked in disgust. “For her to get up on the bar and shout her everlastin’ love?”

“Stay out of it, Tommy,” I replied.

“You’re a fuckin’ moron,” he said, shaking his head as he turned to leave. “And in the future, you better watch how you fuckin’ talk to me, prospect.”

I stood in that same place even after he’d left. My boots seemed glued to the floor. I’d been waiting all week for her to come back so that I could finally put an end to our cat and mouse shit, and now that it had happened, I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. Part of me still wondered if I could catch her and tell her that I did want to hear whatever it was she wanted to tell me, that we’d figure it out and it wasn’t too late. The other part of me remembered how it felt when she’d stopped coming to see me, how she’d dodged me for months, how she’d kept secrets and—