She sat down beside him, propping her arms on her raised knees, wondering if he might tell her to get lost. He glanced over at her, but didn’t say anything.
“That was awesome,” she said. “The way you hugged your mom.”
He shrugged, as if it was no big deal. “She looked like she needed it.”
“Daniel was acting like a tool.”
“Yeah. He’s just really protective of her because of my dad.”
“He didn’t like your dad, either?”
“I guess he used to, until he found out that my dad was beating the crap out of her.”
Lacey sucked in a surprised breath. She never would have guessed that someone like Angie would let anyone hit her. And she couldn’t understand why someone would want to. And she was even more astonished that Jordan had told her.
“Did you ever see him do it?” she asked.
“No, they got divorced when I was a baby. I found out about it when I was ten, when he went to jail for doing the same thing to his second wife. I was supposed to visit him in Washington for two weeks during summer vacation. My mom felt I had the right to know why I couldn’t go.”
“How long was he in jail?”
“Just a couple of months. But all his visitation rights were revoked. He had to go to therapy for a long time before they would let me see him again. And then he had to come to California. I wasn’t allowed to go back to Washington until I was fifteen.”
“My dad cheated on my mom,” Lacey said. She didn’t mean to. It just sort of came out.
“Is that why they got divorced?”
She nodded. “And I think she knew about it for a long time before she left him. Everyone did. It was humiliating.”
“Parents do really stupid things sometimes.”
They were quiet for a minute, then she said, “Can I ask you a question?”
“I guess.”
“Why were you such a jerk to me at work?”
“When you came to the office that first day I figured you were a spoiled private school girl,” he said, then a smile tipped up the side of his mouth. “Yet, as much as I didn’t like you, I was somehow strangely attracted to you.”
She smiled. “Me, too.”
“Yeah. I figured as much.”
“You know, you were right. This isn’t really me. All this
garbage.
I only do it to piss my dad off.”
“Yeah, I figured that, too.”
“It was worth it for a while, knowing how much he hated it. Honestly, now I’m just getting sick of it. But I know if I go back to the way I looked before, he’ll be really happy, and I don’t want to give him the satisfaction.”
“Maybe it’s time to stop worrying about what
he
wants, and do what
you
want.”
He was right.
Lacey reached up and unhooked her brow ring, pulled it out and flung it at the water. Moonlight glinted off its surface then it disappeared beneath the surface.
“Better?” he asked.
Better, but not enough. She pushed herself up onto her feet, kicked off her flip-flops, and walked to the edge of water. She paused for a second, then stepped into the surf, clothes and all, and waded out a ways. Then she took a deep breath and dove under. She swam a few feet, washing the gel from her hair. When she broke the surface and scrubbed her hands over her face, the salty sea water stung her eyes. But it was a good sting.
She walked back to the shore, where Jordan stood watching her. Her clothes were wet and heavy and she was freezing, but she felt a million times better.
“How’s that?” she asked, smiling up at him.
Jordan didn’t say a word. He just smiled, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.
The truth was, Jason had never said or done anything to suggest he wasn’t genuinely devoted to Angie. Daniel had tried and convicted the guy before he ever had a chance. Guilty until proven innocent.
And Daniel had to wonder if part of the reason he didn’t like Jason was simple jealousy. Daniel had been Angie’s protector for a long time, and though he complained, maybe he wasn’t ready to pass the torch.
Maybe the thought of losing her to Jason permanently was too much to take on the heels of the news he’d gotten from the P.I. yesterday. The investigator had a good lead on a cousin of Reanne’s and needed the okay to fly out to Utah to look into it. A month ago, Daniel wouldn’t have hesitated to write him out a check. He didn’t want to keep April. And even if he did, he couldn’t give her what she needed—two parents and a stable home.
None of that was part of Daniel’s plan. He didn’t want to be permanently tied down to anyone. Yet when he tried to imagine Sydney and April not being there to greet him when he got home from work, when he thought of Sydney not crawling into bed with him every morning before he started his day, he felt so…empty.
He tried to tell himself that it was habit. He’d seen so much of her lately, he’d probably gotten used to her being around. Meaning he could just as easily get unused to her, too. At some point he was going to have to back off. Maybe if he let the relationship run its natural course, he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone’s heart breaking. Maybe they could end this as friends.
But what if it wasn’t so easy to let go this time? Which would he regret more? Making a commitment to Sydney, or walking away from her for good?
The house was dark when he got back, and though he wouldn’t have blamed Angie and Jason if they’d locked him out, the door was open. He climbed the stairs, careful not to wake anyone, and crept into the bedroom. Sydney was curled up on her side, April tucked against her. He’d been a real jerk to dump April on her like that, knowing she would feel obligated to take care of her. Proof that he would be a lousy father.
He undressed and got into bed as gently as possible, but the horrendous squeaking woke Sydney.
“Hey, you’re back,” she whispered sleepily. “I was worried.”
He lay facing her. “I needed some time alone to think. I’m sorry I stomped off like that. I acted like a complete ass.”
“Yeah, you did.”
Her candid response made him smile. He liked that she didn’t let him get away with anything.
He touched her cheek, smoothed a stray curl behind her ear. “I’m going to talk to them and make this right. If they ever speak to me again, that is.”
“All Angie wants is for you to be happy for her.”
“I am. Or at least, I’m trying to be.”
“The fact that she loves Jason doesn’t mean she loves you any less.”
God, was he that transparent? “I know.”
“Have you ever heard why Jason and his wife got divorced?”
“Angie never mentioned it.” Probably because she knew he wouldn’t listen. And didn’t care.
“She left him for someone else. He said he was blind-sided. He didn’t even have a clue she was having an affair, but it had been going on for over a year. He was devastated.”
“Well, he won’t have to worry about that with Angie. He’ll never find a woman more devoted.”
“Why do you think he loves her so much? He told me that she taught him to trust again.”
Jason was always so confident and put-together, it never occurred to Daniel that he might be just as vulnerable as Angie. That he had a lot to lose, too. And maybe Jason wasn’t the only one with trust issues. When Angie married Richard, Daniel had welcomed him into the family without question. He had been like the brother Daniel never had. Daniel had trusted him to take care of Angie, and Richard had betrayed that trust in the worst way. He hoped he could learn to trust Jason.
He was about to tell Sydney that, but when he looked over, he realized she’d gone back to sleep.
“You’re awake early,” Jason said. “I hope it’s because you feel like a piece of crap for what you did to your sister.”
Ouch. That was the first time Jason had been anything but perfectly polite to Daniel, even though Daniel had at times been less that warm and friendly. Apparently there was a limit to what Jason would take, and Daniel had found it.
“I do.”
“You know,” Jason said, looking out over the water, “I don’t really give a damn what you think about me, Daniel. You can be a jerk to me if that’s what you want. I don’t care. But you hurt the woman I love and that is not acceptable. And if you do it again…” He met Daniel’s eye. “Badge or no badge, I
will
take you down.”
Daniel didn’t doubt that for a second. And it confirmed to him that Jason would never hurt Angie. It was time for Daniel to let her go.
“If it’ll make you feel better, take a swing at me now. God knows I’ve earned it.”
“Don’t think I’m not tempted. You really hurt her. But Angie would have my head, because no matter how much of an ass you’ve been, she still loves you.”
“It won’t happen again.”
Jason looked up at Daniel. Really studied him, then said, “I believe you.”
He was cutting Daniel a hell of a lot more slack than Daniel had ever cut him.
“I also want to say congratulations. About the baby.”
Jason smiled. “Thanks.”
“I guess it must have really come as a shock.”
“More for Angie than me. I always wanted more kids. And who knows, with twins running in both our families, we might even get two.”
The thought of Angie juggling a career and newborn twins made Daniel smile.
“Hey,” Jason said suddenly. “Do you fish?”
“Not since I was a kid.”
“We should go.”
“Now?”
“Why not?”
Fishing with Jason? Weirder things had happened. “Sure, I’ll go fishing.”
“Great. Why don’t you go wake Jordan up. Meet me down at the boat in fifteen minutes.”
“Sure.” Daniel went upstairs to Jordan’s room. He had just lifted his hand to knock, when across the hall Lacey’s door creaked open and he caught a shirtless Jordan red-handed.
Jordan went beet-red when he saw Daniel standing there.
So much for them not liking each other.
“This isn’t what it looks like,” Jordan said.
Through the open door Daniel could see Lacey, still sleeping under the covers. What the hell was he supposed to say at a time like this?
“You want to go fishing?” he asked.
For a second Jordan looked confused, as if maybe it was a trick question. “Uh, sure.”
“Jason said to meet him at the boat in fifteen minutes.”
Now he looked downright baffled. “You’re going fishing with
Jason?
”
“Yep.”
“Did I miss something?”
Daniel just smiled. “Get ready.”
Daniel peeked in on Sydney and April, who were both sound asleep, and grabbed his shoes and socks. Jordan was waiting for him by the door when he got downstairs.
“You ready?” Daniel asked.
“Uh, yeah,” Jordan said, but hesitated. “Uncle Danny, you’re not gonna tell my mom about me being in Lacey’s room, are you?”
“Should I?”
“No! We were just talking.”
“That’s funny, the last time I
just talked
to a woman, I remember leaving my shirt on.”
Jordan grinned sheepishly. “Okay, maybe that’s not
all
we did.”
“Be careful.”
“I will.”
“I don’t know if you talk to your dad about stuff like this.”
“Considering the circumstances, I don’t talk to him about much of anything. But my mom has been drilling me on the virtues of safe sex since I was thirteen.”
That sounded like Angie.
“Besides,” he added, “Lacey wants to wait until she’s married.”
Daniel was genuinely surprised. He didn’t think kids these days held out in the face of peer pressure. Of course, Lacey did seem to march to the beat of her own drummer. “And how do you feel about that?” he asked Jordan.
“I think it’s kinda cool. And it’s not about sex, anyway. I mean, I really like her that way, but I also like just being with her. Talking and stuff. She gets me. You know what I mean?”
He nodded. He knew exactly what Jordan meant. And he was proud of him. In a way, he wished he had a son he could talk to. Give advice to. Daniel used to be a pretty integral part of his nephew’s life, but with Jason in the picture now, Jordan might not need him as much.
And that was okay, because it was obvious that Jordan liked and respected Jason.
He heard Jason start the boat. “We should probably go, before he leaves without us.”
Jordan followed him down to the dock and onto the boat. Jason, wearing a John Deere cap and a pair of dark sunglasses, sat waiting in the captain’s chair, a cigar clenched between his teeth. “Welcome aboard. Grab a chair.”
They sat down and Jordan looked from Daniel to Jason. “So, are you guys, like, bonding?”
“I don’t know.” Daniel turned to Jason. “Are we?”
Jason shrugged as he started the motor. “Sure. Why not?”
“I think you have to hug,” Jordan said.
Daniel’s brow furrowed and he looked at Jason. “We don’t have to hug, do we?”
Jason laughed. “Hell, no. We just have to catch fish.”