Just Kidding (SWAT Generation 2.0 1)

I knew who it was before he’d even gotten out of the vehicle.

I held my breath as Dax got out, one strong leg at a time.

My belly clenched.

“What are you doing in the truck today?” Max asked, bewildered. “It’s a beautiful day out.”

Dax grimaced.

“I had to pick up some stuff for Mom.” Dax’s eyes came to me where I was standing next to his father. “And I agree, it’s a beautiful day to ride.”

I felt his words in the pit of my stomach and shivered.

“Rowen,” he said, sounding calm and in control.

I waved.

“You’re here to get your car?” he guessed.

That was when Lenny came out of the office with a set of keys in one hand and a white sheet of paper in the other.

He handed them to Max who then handed the paper to me.

“Let me back you out of there so you don’t end up hitting my garage,” he said.

I gasped. “What the heck? Does my dad tell everyone that I can’t drive?”

Max chuckled and tossed me a look over his shoulder.

“I was there when you backed into a tree when you were eighteen. Remember?” he told me just as he maneuvered his large bulk into the front seat of my car.

I turned to see the man chuckling beside me. The witness of my embarrassment.

“You didn’t remember him being there for that?” Dax wondered.

I scrunched up my nose.

“I remembered,” I admitted. “I just hoped that he didn’t.”

Dax burst out laughing at that.

“That’s funny,” he said when he calmed down.

Seconds later he was crowding me over to the side so that his father could get past us. His hand was warm and solid on my elbow as he moved me. When I was out of the way, he still didn’t let go.

I didn’t remind him that he was holding my hand, either.

Mostly because it felt really good where it was at, and I knew that the moment I brought attention to it, he’d let me go.

He held me like that for long moments before finally allowing my arm to slip from his grasp, and the moment his hand left my skin, I felt like my soul did, too.

I ran my hands up and down the length of my arms as I tried to make myself warm again.

“Cold?” he asked.

I shrugged and said, “I should’ve brought a jacket.”

It wasn’t cold, per se, but it definitely wasn’t summer anymore.

“I…”

“Here you go, darlin’,” Max said, coming to me with a set of keys.

My keys.

Those were my keys.

I smiled as I extended a shaky hand in his direction.

“Thank you,” I said.

He winked and tossed a look at his son.

“Your mother’s at home, boy,” he said. “If she needs you…”

Dax snorted.

“I was going to get a bottle of windshield fluid,” he said.

His phone rang then, forcibly causing him to take a step back to answer it.

I took that as my cue to go and stop looking so starry-eyed.

“Thank you so much, Max,” I said. “I really appreciate it.”

He winked and gestured to my car.

“You do need new tires soon, though,” he said. “I can order some.”

I was already staring at my tires in annoyance.

“I just got some pretty good used ones,” I paused. “Though, if you’re telling me I’ll need new ones, that probably means that they weren’t ‘pretty good’ like the tire shop guy told me that they were.”

Max scowled.

“Where’d you get them?” he asked.

I groaned.

“Somewhere in San Antonio,” I admitted. “And probably somewhere that I won’t ever get my money back from.”

Max chuckled at my annoyance.

“Sometimes men like to take advantage of women because they don’t know any better,” he said. “Look on the bright side. If they were here, they’d probably get the shit beat out of them.”

I agreed.

My father wouldn’t have been happy to hear that I’d paid good money for some tires that were unsafe.

When it came to his kids, Luke Roberts was a force of nature.

I was just about to reply when Dax cursed, forgot all about his windshield fluid, then started back to his truck.

“Dad,” Dax said as he shoved his phone into his pocket. “You’re gonna have to cancel on Mom for me. Some guy decided to hole himself up inside of a Taco Bell and demand his money back. They wouldn’t give it to him, so he pulled out a gun and is holding the entire place hostage.”

Max winced.

“10-4,” Max said. “Stay safe, kid.”

Dax’s eyes turned to me. “See you tomorrow.”

I felt Max’s eyes come to me and stay there.

Dax left, leaving me with his father staring at me consideringly.

“What?” I asked finally.

“He’ll see you tomorrow?” He grinned.

I shrugged.

“Apparently he has something to do in San Antonio and he can do that with me so I can borrow his truck to move my stuff,” I said.

Max started to chuckle.

“He’ll learn.”

Would he?

I wasn’t so sure that I wanted him to learn.