All in all, the judge gave that woman everything that she asked for. The house, the car. The truck. Everything but the dogs.
I got those.
Sadly, one of our dogs had died almost a week after winning that particular court battle, leaving me with only Sister.
And to pay for mine and her lawyer fees—something else ordered by the judge—I had to sell my bike.
All in all, everything that had happened had been the reason that I only wanted casual until I knew the right one was standing in front of me.
I wasn’t sure how I would know—but I had a feeling I would.
A wiiiiir-worp had me glancing over my shoulder, and that was when I saw a police cruiser on my ass.
I sighed and pulled over, turning off the bike and waiting for Luke to make his way to me.
He didn’t take long.
“Are you talking about my kid?” he asked as soon as he walked up.
I nodded once.
“She was sleepwalking?” he pushed.
I nodded again.
“Fuck,” he said. “How did you know she was mine?”
I thought about that for one second, then shrugged.
“I was visiting a friend today when I saw the woman that I gave a ticket to. The woman that lives in the apartment below me,” I answered. “I didn’t know she was your daughter until today.”
His eyes narrowed. “You gave her a ticket?”
I started to deny that it was me giving her a ticket on purpose, but decided against it.
It wasn’t like what she’d done hadn’t been illegal.
She’d left her car parked half on a sidewalk. Someone could’ve hit it.
I almost hit it.
“Yes,” I confirmed.
“When did you see her sleepwalking?” he asked.
I then went on to explain everything, all the way down to staying the night in her bedroom to make sure she wouldn’t get up and take off again while I wasn’t looking.
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“She used to do that when she was really scared,” he admitted.
That’s when I realized I hadn’t given him all of the story.
“Yeah, about that…”
Chapter 9
Every time I hear someone gag, I think of you.
-Coffee Cup
Katy
Dinner with my parents didn’t used to be tense in the slightest.
At least until I went ahead and showed them my independence and adult status, then winded up living in an abusive relationship for six months.
To make this dinner even more awkward, Theo, my ex-boyfriend, was sitting at the bar in my parents’ kitchen.
Rowen, my sister, was looking at me with a ‘sorry’ expression on her face.
My brother, Derek, was watching the show, his eyes ping-ponging back and forth between me, Theo, and my mom.
Derek and Rowen knew why I left Theo.
My mom and dad, however, didn’t.
They just thought it was me being scared to enter into another relationship like the one I’d previously found myself in.
And my mom still talked about him as if I was just overthinking things.
But that wasn’t the case. I knew exactly what I was doing.
There was no point in stringing a man along when you didn’t reciprocate his feelings.
“I hope you don’t mind,” my mom said. “But I saw Theo in town and invited him to dinner.”
Of course, I don’t mind you inviting my ex to dinner with us.
Not. I minded quite a bit.
“Not at all,” I lied.
“Actually,” Rowen started to say, but just as she’d gotten the first word of her comment out, the garage door opened and in walked my father…and Logan.
My heart skipped a beat and my palms started to sweat.
And those damn butterflies in my stomach started to swarm.
“Hey, guys. I brought a dinner guest.” Luke paused at seeing Theo sitting at the counter. He turned to his wife, then looked at me. “Um, Reese, this is Logan. Logan, this is Reese, my wife.”
My mother looked at my father and her mouth turned into a little tiny ‘O.’
“Uhh.” She held out her hand to Logan. “Nice to meet you, Logan. These are my kids, Rowen, Derek, and Katy.”
Logan looked at Derek and Rowen, then at me, and back again.
I knew what he was seeing.
I looked like my father, through and through.
Rowen looked like Reese.
Though, that was to be expected since Rowen and I weren’t biological sisters, but step-sisters.
Reese had met my father when Rowen and I were both young. They got married and had one more child, Derek.
Where Rowen had Reese’s coloring, emerald green eyes and brown hair, Derek and I had Dad’s ice blonde hair, pale coloring, and blue eyes.
I’d heard my dad being described as a Viking so many times that I couldn’t count, but that really was the best description I could use when I was trying to explain my father to someone.
He was large, bulky, and looked kind of mean until you got to know him.
I was not that.
Everyone looked at me and saw a spoiled little princess.
I wasn’t.
I hadn’t been spoiled my entire life.
My father had raised me as a single dad until I was five, when he’d met Reese. My mother had died before I was born. My father could’ve easily treated me like a spoiled princess, but that just wasn’t who Luke Roberts was.
He wanted me to be able to stand on my own two feet. To be able to succeed in this world.
Which explained why I tried too hard to graduate early, take as many classes as I could, and ultimately go to school for the first twenty-five years of my life, busting my ass when most others would’ve thrown in the towel.
I wanted to succeed. I wanted to make my father proud.
“Sorry,” Theo stood up. “I can go.”
My mother waved him down, or at least I thought she did.
But my eyes were still glued on Logan.
And the way he was looking at me like he wanted to apologize.
Shit.
“Katy, you want to come outside and help me grab everyone a beer?” Dad asked.
No, no I did not.
Did I say that to my father’s face, though?
No, no I did not.
“Sure,” I said, finally peeling my eyes away from Logan long enough to look at my father.
My father who was already striding out the back door and not waiting for me to comply. He was just expecting me to…which I did moments later.
Walking out the open sliding glass door, I closed it softly behind me, then turned to my father who wasn’t anywhere near the cooler. He was at the swing set that he’d built for Rowen and me when I was ten.
He was sitting on the wooden swing that he’d made for Rowen, leaving the other one with my name engraved in the seat.
Uh-oh.
“Daddy…”
He looked up and his eyes caught mine.
That was when I saw all the pain in them that he was keeping concealed from the others.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.
“Listen,” I said. “Logan giving me a ticket wasn’t something I was going to come running to you about. Honestly, I was hoping that you never heard about it, because it really was my fault. I was the one who left my car in the middle of the road and on a sidewalk. I was the one who got out to chase after Lou.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not talking about the ticket. I’m talking about the fact that Jakobe was getting out.”
I sighed. “I figured it’d make its way back to you that day, to be truthful. Detective Hastings said that he left you the paperwork about the parole. I haven’t really wanted to think about it. Thinking about it makes me remember how stupid and stubborn I was,
and I don’t like remembering when I was wrong.”
His lips tipped up at the corner as he smirked, but it quickly fell away.
“I just want to help you, Katy,” he said softly. “I know that you’re wanting to be independent. I know that you just got your new job. I know that you’re trying to act like you’re not scared, but you don’t have to act like that with me. I’m your dad. I’ll always love you, no matter what situation you find yourself in.”
I started to swing myself, pumping my feet back and forth.
“I didn’t think that I was scared,” I admitted. “I had a moment at the police station as I thought about it, but when I got home, I felt much better. I felt very sure that I could handle him being out…then I had a sleepwalking episode.”
Dad blew out a long breath and started pumping his own legs. Only on a much smaller scale than me.
The entire swing set groaned.
I snickered. “Dad, you should probably stop before this thing breaks.”
He grunted out a ‘yeah,’ then stopped himself from moving with his booted feet.
He was dressed as chief of police today, not a police officer.
He was wearing pressed khaki pants, a nice button-down shirt, and a pair of nice boots that he hated.
He’d much rather be in tactical pants and a t-shirt, but sometimes you had to be the person you were expected to be, not the one you wanted to be.
“So did Logan confess all his sins?” I asked softly. “I kind of expected it to happen after he saw me at work today. He didn’t realize who I was for a bit there…it was kind of nice.”
Dad snorted. “You could say that.”
“What happened?” I asked as I looked at the guilty look on his face.
Dad grinned widely as he crossed his arms over his chest, making the sleeves of his button-down shirt stretch out due to his muscles. “I made him sit out there until I was ready to go, allowing Donna to glare at him for a little while. Then when I thought she’d had enough, I told her to send him home. I was never really going to talk to him because of this thing for you tonight. I just don’t like the guy.”
I frowned.
“You don’t like Logan?” I asked. “I mean, I know that Castiel—he’s the husband of one of the ladies that I work with, remember?” At his nod, I kept going. “I know that Castiel said that he’d done something to piss you off and get himself in trouble. But it didn’t sound that bad.”
Dad sighed and leaned back in his chair.
“Logan has been too big for his britches since he was old enough to walk,” he said. “His pop used to work for the force, and goddamn he was proud of Logan. Logan is just one of those people that is smart and he acts like he’s smarter than you, if that makes any sense. It’s like I can see his brain working, sizing mine up, and I can tell that he finds me lacking. He’s not like you. You use your brain power for good. Logan, on the other hand? He has a way of making you feel small even when you’re on an even playing field.”
I frowned, because that was not the vibe I got from him at all.
Not in the least.
Even though he’d given me a ticket, I still found him highly attractive.
“Logan doesn’t seem that way to me,” I admitted. “You’re going to have to give me an example.”
So, he did.
“Left work after telling him that I didn’t have time to talk to him today. I practically saw the moment that he decided that I was going to listen to him whether I wanted to or not. And that’s not the way it should be. If I wanted to leave, then I should be able to leave,” he grumped. “He says, ‘Then I won’t tell you why I saw a woman sleepwalking in the middle of the night.’ Then the little fucker walks away, ignores my call to have him stop, gets on that stupid piece of shit motorcycle that I swear to God I can hear coming from a mile away and takes off. Makes me chase his ass down.”
My lips are twitching by the time he’s done explaining.
“You don’t feel that what he had to say was important?” I teased.
“Well…I do now,” he agreed.
I snickered. “Then obviously Logan knew that you’d want to hear it. And wasn’t willing to take ‘no’ for an answer.”
He sighed. “There are other instances…but you’re right. Logan is always right…which pisses me off even more. There was this one time that we were both working an accident scene.” He shook his head. “He gets this weird look on his face and pulls the driver of the car to the side of the road, questioning him right next to the wife, who is obviously scared shitless of the man. But when I asked him to move back to where he was, he refused.”
I shifted in my swing and looked at him, allowing myself to lazily swing at this point.
“I start to get pissed. Like super pissed. I’m about to reprimand him in front of the two people when a car comes by, taking off the driver’s side door right where Logan and the driver had been standing not half a minute before.” He blew out a breath. “There are so many instances like that. Like he’s totally pissed me off more times than I can count. Disregarding orders…but he always finds himself smelling like roses. I swear, it’s annoying as fuck.”
I snickered. “It’s not his fault.”
He sighed. “I know. And today, I’m glad that he made the effort. He could’ve totally kept himself out of it all and been fine.”
“So, you invited him to dinner?” I asked.
“I felt like it was my obligation to feed the kid,” Dad admitted. “I told his pop I’d watch out for him…and I try to whenever he allows me to. But that’s not often, and when I look like I’m trying to take care of him, it ruffles his feathers.”
“Why have you never talked about him before?” I asked as I walked to the end of the patio.
That was when I saw Theo making his way to the back door.
I turned and looked at my father, who’d followed me over.
“Because Logan can charm the pants off of anybody,” he admitted. “And I don’t want one of those people to be my daughter.” He stared at Theo making his way toward us. “Your mother means well.”
“Well,” I sighed as he paused to talk to Rowen, who’d arrived at some point during our pow-wow. “I wish she’d stop. Because I left Hostel on purpose. I didn’t think it was nice to stay when he obviously had feelings for me and I didn’t return them.”
At first, I thought I might have, but it was only later as I began to heal completely that I realized what I was doing. Using him as a way to feel safe.
“There’s no spark there at all?” he asked.
I shook my head and grinned when I saw Rowen blush at something Theo said.
“Maybe your mom is looking at the wrong sister with Theo,” Dad suggested.
I was thinking that, too.
“Theo’s really old-fashioned though,” I said. “He won’t go there because he’ll think it isn’t right.”
Dad walked to the door. “Do you want him to leave?”
I looked at him smile at Rowen, then shook my head. “No. But I’m going to make it clear that I no longer have feelings for him. Mom might get mad.”
Dad grinned. “Let me handle my woman. You handle everything else. And we’ll talk more after everyone leaves about what we’re going to do to keep you safe.”
I smiled then.
“Thank you,” I said softly. “I really appreciate that.”
Dad wrapped me in a tight hug and pulled me inside with him, causing Rowen to look up with a blush, and Theo to take a step back from her.
I smiled at both of them.
“Rowen,” I said as I walked inside. “I missed you!”
Rowen got up and hugged me, as was our usual.
“I saw you at lunch,” she laughed.
And I had.
Though, it’d been by accident of course.
We’d both gone to our favorite burrito place on our lunch breaks and had eaten together standing next to our cars.
Despite Rowen and I not being blood sisters, we acted like we were twins.
I always knew when something was wrong with her, as she did with me.
Which she’d confronted me about at lunch today.
So, she knew exactly what our father had been talking to me about when she’d arrived.
“You did,” I agreed as I let her go. “Theo, did you know that my sister is single?”
Theo’s brows went up.
Rowen pinched me.
“What?” I asked. “Theo, you have my permission to take my sister on a date.”
Rowen let out a short squawk just as Derek came toward us, taking in the scene while taking a sip of his beer, and said, “What’s going on?”
“What’s going on is you’re late to the conversation,” Dad said. “Like always.”
Derek let out a burp then walked toward Logan and extended his hand. “Derek Roberts. You are…”
“Logan Gibbs,” he said.
“Nice outfit,” Derek quipped.
Logan grimaced as he smoothed his hand down his chest. A chest that was spectacular, and muscled, and…yeah, I really needed to get it together. I couldn’t keep zoning out like that. My parents and siblings would definitely notice.
“Yeah…I really think so, too,” Logan quipped.
Derek snorted and turned to Theo, offering him his hand. “Theo, not that it’s not nice to see you, but what are you doing here?”
“Why didn’t you ask the random man in our kitchen what he was doing here and instead focus on Theo?” Rowen asked, sounding slightly offended.
“I had a feeling the random man dressed in uniform was here because of our father, the chief of police. Deductive reasoning, sis. You should try it.” He paused. “But Theo being here, on the other hand, only makes it awkward seeing as our sister no longer dates him and doesn’t wish to date him ever again.”
The bluntness of Derek was definitely one of my father’s traits. However, where my father knew not to say the things that came to mind, Derek just blurted them out and lived with the consequences.
“I was in court today, and I had a meeting with the big boss with Texas Game Wardens. They’re trying to transfer me to West Texas, and I don’t want to go,” he admitted. “We’re talking about whether I want to resign or not. He doesn’t want to lose me, so he’s trying to decide if he asks one of the more senior game wardens to move, or just allows me to leave,” Theo explained. “I told him either I stayed here, or I was checking out.”
Hide Your Crazy Page 7