by Ashley Lyn
I’m fucking stunned. A sense of rightness fills my chest and I smile at her.
“Nope. Wipe that dopey look off your face.” I laugh as she gets up and runs to her bedroom.
Putting on my clothes, I go to the door of her bedroom and knock. Something smacks the door and I laugh.
“Bastard!”
“Game on, baby.”
***
Cleo’s behind the bar when I walk in and she glares at me. Frowning, I open my mouth to ask her what’s wrong, but she beats me to the punch.
“You’re hurting her with your bullshit. I don’t care, I give zero fucks. I’ll kick your ass if you make my sister cry again.”
“I fucked up.”
“You more than fucked up, asshole. You destroyed a good woman. Then you have the balls to come sauntering in here all carefree and shit.”
“I get it—I get her now. I made a mistake and it won’t be happening again. It’s been a long time since I dated—”
“That wasn’t dating your dick, that was you using her!”
“I wasn’t the only person getting something out of our affair, and I didn’t hear her saying no either. We had a thing today and I see it, I see her, all of her, and I realized what I could’ve lost. You bet your ass that won’t be happening again. I came in here to talk to you, to talk to Ali and get things straight before I set things straight with her. We’re not hiding this, us, anymore. She deserves better and I intend to give it to her.”
I turn and make my way out of the bar. “And another thing. I like you, and you’ll always hold a special place with me because you took my baby in when you didn’t have to, but mine and Margo’s relationship is just that. Margo and Dane, not Margo, Dane, and Cleo.”
She snorts and outright laughs as I make my way out of the bar.
Opening my phone, I call Ali.
“Hey, Daddy-O. What’s shaking?”
“Can we meet somewhere and talk?” She’s quiet for a long time and my gut clenches in worry. Then she starts squealing.
“Wait... go ahead and tell me. Just in case you’re telling me what I think you are, I don’t want to fuck it up.”
“I’m seeing Margo.”
I pull the phone away from my ear and cringe when she screams.
“About time y’all came out of the bedroom!”
“Wait, you knew?”
“Dad, those beans have been spilled, eaten, and passed. Most of the town has known since my wedding, and I found out right before Amy and Parker got married. Everyone’s kept it on the down low, but there’s a pool and damn it, I lost fifty bucks. I had you guys down two weeks from now, when you were supposed to be moving down here. Bruce is going to be annoying as fuck though, since he won the pot.”
I’m leaning against my car, head hung, and Ali just starts laughing.
“You have my blessing, you know. I love you both, and personally, I think y’all will be good together.”
“I fucked up.”
“Everyone does now and then, so suck it up and grovel. Margo isn’t known for second chances, so you’re going to need to bring out the big guns.”
Big guns…
Something she said comes to mind and a plan forms. I smile, hang up with Ali and head to my house to check in with Shamus. Then I need to find some notebook paper and a pencil.