A Family Man

by osborne, Sarah

  It should be easy, she was just a kid, for fuck's sake. He told her what to do and she did it. He shook his head. He was developing a whole lot of respect for parents everywhere. How the fuck did they do it?

  Amy was due to start her new school in two days' time and he knew that was going to be tricky, to say the least. He'd searched long and hard for the most suitable school and had a long chat with the principal, explaining how she'd had a tough time growing up and that he suspected that she was dyslexic, and as a result Amy was to be assessed and would be put in smaller classes where she could get the help she needed. Of course she didn't appreciate all the trouble he'd gone to. Oh no, she'd bitched, big time. There was no way she was going into a class full of retards. Shit, that girl could cuss. Even his brothers didn't use language like that. Her aim was pretty good too. He ran his hand over the bruise on his temple. He only hoped she never got her hands on one of his guns. He couldn't quite figure how he'd managed to go from hero to villain in such a short time, but when he tried to talk about it to his mom or to his brothers with teenage kids they'd just laughed and told him he'd figure it out. Well he'd better do it soon, before one of them wound up dead. Gritting his teeth, he dismounted, dreading what he was coming home to.

  Barney leaned on the bar in the clubhouse and chewed on his thumbnail. It was Friday night, but as soon as church was over, Tiny had headed off home. It was clear that taking care of Amy wasn't exactly turning out to be a walk in the park, and Barney wondered if he should offer to help in some way. He knew Tiny had made it clear that he should take no part in her upbringing, but it was also blindingly obvious that his brother was floundering, and, well at the end of the day, she was his kid. Whether Joe liked it or not.

  He looked up as Bugs joined him at the bar. "Tiny gone home?"

  "Yeah." Barney grinned. "Kid duty."

  "Poor fucker. Reckon he's bitten off more than he could chew."

  Barney nodded. He knew how much his brother loved that kid and he only wanted what was best for her. But it was clear she was running rings round him and in less than a month, he swore he'd aged ten years.

  "Amy, where you at?" Joe stalked through the apartment. "Amy?"

  "In here." She sighed and dragged herself from the bedroom.

  He frowned. "You been crying?"

  "Maybe." She sniffed and looked at him through her lashes. Joe hated it when she cried.

  "Why?"

  "Cuz I hate it here. I miss my friends, I miss mom and Jack."

  "Then I suggest you up your game, sugar, cuz unless I think you're prepared to turn your life around, you're staying right here."

  "I fucking hate you!"

  "No you don't, sugar. Oh, and tears ain't gonna wash with me. I spent years dealing with your mom, and trust me, you got a long way to go before get as good as her."

  "I do. I really, really fucking hate you."

  "If you say so, sugar." He grinned and ducked as her glass whizzed past his ear. "And if that had my bourbon in it, you're grounded for another week."

  "It was soda, asshole."

  "You need to watch your mouth, Amy. I'm getting sick of you disrespecting me."

  "An' if I don't?"

  "You're gonna see a side of me that I'd rather you didn't."

  "You don't scare me."

  "Well, I should."

  "So that's it is it, Joe? You gonna intimidate me?"

  "Depends on how much you wanna push me, sugar. Cuz, trust me, you're getting dangerously close to finding out just how intimidating I can be."

  Amy swallowed and took a step back. She knew, deep down, that he would never hurt her. She also knew she was pushing him to his limit. He may have loved her, but as she looked into his eyes, right now, she couldn't see it. Suddenly, she was scared. Not of what she thought he could do. But of losing his love.

  The tears that rolled down her cheek were no longer fake. "Don't hate me, Joe."

  "Oh sweetheart, I could never hate you." He pulled her into his arms. "But you gotta stop fighting me on everything."

  "I don't want to, but I'm scared. What if I don't fit in at this new school?"

  "We'll find you a different one."

  "I still miss my friends."

  "You'll make new friends. Seattle's a friendly town."

  "You're gonna have an answer for everything, ain't you?"

  "Yup, you know it, girl."

  Amy pressed her face into his chest and closed her eyes. "I hate you, Joe."

  "You keep telling yourself that, sugar."

  ~ oOo ~

  Beth shivered as the cold Seattle wind whipped around her. Shit, Joe. Why couldn't you live somewhere warm. As soon as she got into her rental car, she turned the heater up full and drove off in the direction of his apartment. She had told herself that the reason she was going was because Amy was proving to be a handful and Joe needed a helping hand. The truth, though, was that she wanted to see him. She wanted to see Amy as well; she loved her niece. But it was Joe who was tugging at her heart.

  Something had happened the last time they saw each other. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, just something about the way he looked at her. She was almost afraid to believe that he could feel the same way about her as she did him. She often berated herself for being so pathetic, but she had tried to stop loving him. Hell, she'd even gotten married. Of course the man she'd married turned out to be a complete asshole and used her as punching bag. Maybe it was because she'd had no father when she was growing up that, when it came to men, her compass her off. But nothing could persuade her that she was wrong about Joe.

  Amy paced up and down Joe's living room. Beth was coming to stay for a few days and she couldn't wait to see her. She had been at her new school for two weeks and had managed, more or less, to stay out of trouble, and she and Joe had even managed to go a few days without fighting. Maybe things were starting to look up. Nah. Who was she kidding. Sooner or later, she'd fuck up and he'd start yelling again.

  Joe really wasn't sure how he felt about Beth coming to stay. He did want to see her. So much so that it freaked him out. Despite this, he was worried. Given his history with her sister and his complete inability to commit, he couldn't see how they could get together without him hurting her. Somehow, though, he knew that wouldn't stop him. Not when she wanted it as much as him.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  Beth wrapped her arms around her niece and planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek. "Hey, baby girl. It's so good to see you." She frowned as she looked around. "Joe not here?"

  Amy shrugged. "He won't be long. He just went to get some food." She took her aunt's hand. "Come in. We can catch up before he gets in and starts bitching."

  "Why would he bitch?"

  "Cuz nothing I do is good enough. You gotta talk to him, Beth, he's a nightmare." She rolled her eyes and gave her best Joe impersonation. "Do your fucking homework. No, you ain't going out. I don't give shit, sugar, you will clean up after yourself. Bla, bla, bla."

  "Oh poor you. I guess you'll just have to do what he says, and he'll get off your back."

  "Huh. Mighta known you'd take his side."

  "I'm not taking sides, Amy. But I do know that Joe loves you more than anything. He wouldn't bitch if he had no reason. Maybe you should cut him some slack. He's doing this because he wants what's best for you."

  "He's doing it because he's a control freak and he has to be right."

  "That too." Beth grinned. "All the more reason to do as he says."

  Amy grinned and slumped onto the sofa. "Just dump your bag there. It'll really piss him off but he won't be able to say anything to you."

  "Oh, Amy. He's really been pissing you off hasn't he?"

  "You have no idea. Please Beth, talk to him."

  "Okay, okay. But I can't promise it'll make any difference."

  They both looked up as the subject of their conversation walked through the door. He grinned and pulled Beth into a bear hug, enjoying the feeling of her body close to his. "Hey, darling. Sorry
I was out when you got here. I take it Amy's been feeding you a load of bullshit about how tough I've been on her."

  Amy scowled. "It ain’t bullshit."

  "So you tell her about stealing my smokes, skipping lessons. How you think it's okay to use every plate in the place and never wash up? You want me to go on? No, I thought not."

  Beth smiled and laid her hand flat against his chest. "I did try to warn you."

  "Yeah, you did. Maybe next time I'll listen."

  "You're both gonna gang up on me ain’t ya?" Amy stood and flounced to her room. "I can't believe I was looking forward to you coming, Beth."

  They both winced as the door slammed and Joe chuckled. "I'm not gonna have any doors left if she keeps this up."

  Beth followed him into his small, pristine kitchen and leaned on the counter as he put the shopping away. "Not easy looking after a teenager, huh?"

  "I'd rather take on a whole chapter of Serpiente . I just don't get why she has to fight me on everything."

  "She's a teenager, Joe. Shit, you must remember what it was like."

  "I was never like that."

  "Sure you weren't. How old were you when you did your first stint in juvie?"

  "That was different."

  "Sure it was. Just try to remember how tough it is for her sometimes. Her body is changing, she's got hormones raging through her body. She's desperately trying to fit in, to find her place in the world." Beth touched his hand. "She hasn't had the best start in life. And if you're right about the dyslexia, that's yet another hurdle for her to overcome."

  "You think I'm being too tough on her?"

  "No, I don't. But it's a fine line you're walking. If you give her an inch, she'll take a mile, at the same time you have to keep reminding her that you love her. That's the most important thing." She smiled. "What you're doing is amazing, and one day she will see that. You just got to stick with it."

  "What if I'm doing it wrong, Beth? I got no experience here."

  "That's the thing with kids, Joe. They don't come with instructions."

  Amy leaned on the doorframe and listened to their exchange. It had never occurred to her that her behavior was hurting Joe, and she felt like a complete shit. She straightened up and walked into the kitchen.

  "Joe?"

  "Yes, sugar?"

  She chewed on her thumbnail. "Nothing."

  As she turned to walk away, Beth nudged him. "Go talk to her."

  Joe nodded and followed her back into her bedroom. "Amy, sugar. How about you tell me what's going on in that head of yours?"

  "Am I being a complete bitch?"

  "Sometimes."

  "So why don't you send me back to live with Mom?"

  "Because I think that this is the best place for you right now."

  "Why do you care? I ain’t your kid."

  "As far as I'm concerned you are."

  "But you ain’t my dad, Joe. I wish you was, but you ain’t."

  "Does that bother you?"

  "It bothers me that my real dad doesn't want to know me."

  "Would you like to meet him?"

  "I don't know. Maybe. Do you know who he is?"

  "Yeah, I do."

  "Have you always known? Did Mom tell you?"

  "I kinda figured it out, sugar."

  "Does he know about me?"

  "Yeah."

  "So why didn't he want anything to do with me?"

  "Because he didn't want me to find out it was him."

  "Why? Shit. Is he a Freak?"

  "Yeah. I guess he thought I'd kill him."

  "Did you want to?"

  "Truthfully, sugar. I don't know. I didn't know it was him at first and by the time the penny dropped, I'd stopped being angry. Your mom slept with him when I was in jail, and that hurt. But you were the result and I loved you from the first time I saw you. It was hard to stay mad after that."

  "How long have you known?"

  "I had my suspicions for a while." He sat back with his back against the headboard and grinned. "The older you got, the more obvious it became. You look like him."

  "You should have said something."

  "Maybe. But I'm selfish. You're my kid and I don't want to share you."

  Amy shifted until she was pressed close to him and he wrapped his arms around her. "I love you, Joe."

  "I love you too, sugar."

  They fell silent for a while, Amy shifted and positioned herself so she could look him in the eye. "Would you mind?"

  "Mind?"

  "If I said I wanted to meet him."

  "He's your dad. You have a right to know him."

  "Joe! That's not what I said." She frowned. "Would you mind?"

  "No, sugar. I wouldn't mind." It was a lie. Of course he minded. He hated the thought that Amy might love her real dad more than him. But this wasn't about him and his ego. This was about what was best for Amy.

  She resumed her position, snuggled into his chest. "Joe?"

  "Yes, sugar?"

  "You and Beth. Is there something going on?"

  "No. Why would you think that?"

  "I dunno. The way you look at each other. The fact that you never stop touching."

  "You, Amy Miller, have an overactive imagination."

  "Whatever." She grinned and slid off the bed. "So, you won't want me to have an early night tonight, then?"

  Joe chuckled and shook his head. "Smart ass."

  Beth was in the kitchen, cooking spaghetti Bolognese. "I hope you don't mind me starting dinner."

  "No, it's fine." Joe kissed her softly, ignoring Amy's smirk. "It'll be good to eat something edible for a change."

  They ate their dinner in relative silence. Joe's table was small and every so often Beth's thigh would brush against his. In the past he would probably not have noticed. But now he was acutely aware of how close she was, the smell of her perfume, that warm feeling he got when her eyes met his. As soon as they'd finished eating, Amy gave an exaggerated yawn. "I'm tired, I think I'll go and watch a DVD in my room. Leave you two alone to, I dunno, talk about me or something."

  Joe kissed her on the cheek. "Real subtle, Amy."

  "I thought so. Night."

  Suddenly finding themselves alone, Joe and Beth felt…awkward. He led her to the sofa and pulled her down next to him. "Amy thinks we got something going on."

  Beth leaned into his shoulder. "And do we?"

  "Maybe. I ain’t sure. It ain’t that I don't want to. It's just I don't see how it could work between us."

  "Because of Maria? Do you still have feelings for her?"

  "Me and M were finished a long time ago. It doesn't mean she'd be okay with us getting together, though. You know as well as I do, that she can be a viscous bitch when she wants to be. I don't want her using Amy to hurt me."

  "We could just not tell her."

  "Sneak around, acting like we're doing something wrong? I dunno, Beth." He kissed her, his hand resting on her cheek. "It was easier when I just saw you as my kid sister."

  "Not for me, it wasn't." She returned the kiss, deeper this time. Her body pressed against his as his teeth grazed her lips and his tongue darted into her mouth.

  He groaned and pulled away. "How about we take this somewhere more private. Wouldn't want Amy walking in on us. I'd never hear the last of it."

  He led her into his bedroom and closed the door softly behind him, then, cupping her face in his hands, kissed her again. Slowly his hands moved downward, tracing the column of her throat, brushing softly against her breasts until they came to rest on her hips. "Beth. I need to see you naked."

  Smiling, she started to strip, her eyes never leaving his. It wasn't a practiced striptease like he'd seen a thousand times before, nor was she ripping her clothes off in a frenzy to get naked. She just slowly and deliberately dispensed with her clothes until she stood before him completely naked. Joe thought it was the hottest thing he'd ever seen. "Shit girl, you are fucking beautiful." He pulled her close, running his hands across her body, his
mouth crashing down on hers.

  "Joe." She gasped. You got too many clothes on.”

  He was stripped in double quick time and she licked her lips in anticipation as her hands ran across his huge chest, giving a squeal of delight as he picked her up and dumped her unceremoniously onto the bed.

  He must have had sex with hundreds of women, but never like this. Slowly they explored each other, delighting in every discovery. Biting, touching, tasting until finally he could resist no longer and he plunged inside her, marveling at how she seemed to be made just for him.

  She was coming! He could feel it build inside her as she writhed underneath him, her short nails dragging down his back and as her body arched and convulsed he thrust harder and harder, feeling his own climax building until, unable to hold back, he let go, his roar joining her cries before they collapsed in an exhausted, satisfied heap.

  Amy turned up the volume on her iPod. As much as she wanted Beth and Joe to get together, she really didn't need to hear it. After all they were old and at their age, well it was just disgusting.

  ~ oOo ~

  Amy padded into the kitchen, unable to keep the smirk from her face as Joe and Beth jumped apart as if they'd been stung. "I am glad that you two have managed to pull your heads out of your asses and get together. But I really don't need to see that shit. And I really, really don't need to hear whatever it was you were doing last night, so in future if you could just keep the noise down, I would appreciate it."

  Beth blushed and Joe chuckled. "S'up sugar. Never had you down as a prude."

  "I'm not. But you're old." She wrinkled up her nose. "I mean, like ew."

  Beth shook her head. "Joe isn't old."

  "Oh, he so is. His hair's all grey and shit and have you seen his CD collection?" She shuddered. "He's like forty or something."