“That right?” he asked, unimpressed.
“We worked shit out last night,” I replied.
“Musta been after I had her bawlin’ in my arms ’til she damn near hyperventilated,” he said, his eyes on me never wavering.
I took that blow, barely flinching.
“I screwed up,” I replied. “Fixed it.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah,” I gritted out, getting annoyed at his expression.
“Thought you were it,” he said. “Trusted that.”
“I am,” I replied.
“You got no idea what it’s like to have a daughter,” he said, his hand on the bar curling into a fist. “Daughter like Kara is worse. Keeps shit close to the chest, doesn’t come to me for nothin’.”
“I know,” I said. He ignored me.
“So when she does come to me, I know it’s bad.”
“I’m tellin’ you,” I replied. “I fixed it.”
“Better hope to hell you did,” he said. “’Cause if I find her cryin’ like that again, you’re a dead man. Member or not, grandson of the president or not, they won’t find enough of ya to bury.”
“Got it,” I replied.
“Then we’re done here,” he said, turning back to face the bar.
“That’s it?” I asked, a little surprised. I’d expected to be hit at least once. I was just hoping if I found him instead of him having to track me down, he’d go a bit easier on me.
“You expectin’ me to welcome you into the family?” he asked, his back still to me. “Boy, get the fuck outta here.”
I stood there for a second like a fucking moron and then turned on my heel just in time to see Kara come through the door. I forgot Mack even existed.
“I was hoping to catch you before you left,” Kara said happily as she walked toward me.
She must have gone home to shower after work because her hair was still damp and wavy around her face. She was in a sundress that I’d never seen before, but she was still wearing the same ratty ass sandals. God, she was fucking gorgeous.
“Just got off,” I said as she got closer.
“Good,” she replied. With a grin, she jogged the last couple of feet between us. I caught her around the waist as she gave a little hop, wrapping her arms around my neck. “You want to get out of here?”
I barely kept my hands off her ass and I was a fucking saint for it, too, because she smelled incredible and I could tell she didn’t have a damn bra on.
“Where you wanna go?” I asked, our faces close together.
Kara’s nose wrinkled. “I need to find Charlie,” she said.
“She was wrapped around Bishop on my couch this morning,” I replied.
“Interesting development,” she said, raising her eyebrows.
“No shit.”
“Her car wasn’t there when I got home,” she said. “I’d usually check her parents’ house, but—” She shrugged.
Charlie’s parents’ house was no longer there.
“We’ll find her,” I said, leaning the last inch to give her a soft kiss.
Tommy started whooping from the corner. Will was fucking applauding.
“Oh, shut up,” Kara yelled at them.
“It’s just so sweet,” Tommy sang, clasping his hands under his chin. “It’s like watching a soap opera.”
“Like you were any better,” Mack said, turning on his stool to face the rest of the room. “We watch your shit play out every damn time your woman is here.”
“We’re passionate people,” Tommy said, dropping his hands.
“You’re fuckin’ lunatics,” Mack shot back, making Will laugh.
“Hey, Daddy,” Kara said, smiling at Mack, her feet still dangling half a foot off the floor as she clung to me.
“Hey, princess,” he said, his lips twitching.
“Everything’s better now,” she told him sheepishly.
“That’s what I hear,” he replied. He looked the two of us up and down. “You look real pretty.”
Kara’s smile widened even further and she leaned her head on my shoulder.
“Gorgeous,” I whispered in her ear. “New dress?”
“I was feeling festive,” she told the both of us.
Mack chuckled. “Get the hell out of here,” he ordered. “I gotta get back to work.”
We left right after he did and after driving around a little while, we found Charlie’s car outside of Lily’s house.
“I’d tell you that I want to do this on my own,” Kara said, glancing at me as we walked toward the house, “but I’m too much of a coward.”
“It’s gonna be fine,” I replied, reaching for her hand. “You guys always figure shit out.”
Aunt Lily opened the door at Kara’s knock and without a word, took a step back to let us in.
“Nephew,” she said to me.
“Auntie.”
“She’s in the kitchen, Kara,” she said, giving Kara’s arm a squeeze.
Kara led us in that direction, and when she got to the kitchen, froze.
She and Charlie stared at each other for so long, having a silent conversation, that even I started to get uncomfortable.
“You two had sex,” Charlie finally said, standing up so fast that her chair tipped over backward.
“You slept with Bishop!” Kara replied accusingly.
“We were fully dressed.”