31. Miller
31
Miller
“ C upcake! You look strange.”
Katy looks down at her outfit—navy shorts, a yellow shirt with white polka dots, and tan sandals.
“What’s wrong with my outfit?”
“Mama pitty.” Katy reaches down and strokes Owen’s hair in his stroller.
Katy asked me to go out to lunch, and I was all too eager to have some one-on-one time with her. She walked up to meet me at the house, and since I’m driving and Axel is babysitting, she wheeled Owen with her.
“Yes she is bud, but she’s missing her hemorrhoid.”
“My what? Oh. Miller, don’t be an ass.”
Katy swipes at my arm when she realizes I’m referring to Vik. She asked if it could just be me and her, and of course, I can watch over her without a bodyguard following us, but with everything going on, we asked Patrick to join us since I have a feeling I know where this conversation will lead.
“Sorry. I had to. Did you bring an extra pair of shoes?” Her sandals won’t be appropriate for where we’re going. She grabs the strap on her shoulder and shrugs, indicating they are in her bag. “Perfect. Axel is waiting inside with sugar and cartoons.”
“Wonderful. It’s like the hyper watching the hyper.” She rolls her eyes, but I know she’s just picking on him.
“Lincoln is here too. Spencer is visiting her dad with Tucker and you know Dempsey went with them. Let’s get Owen inside and head out, or we’ll be late. We have an appointment.”
“Appointment? For what?”
I give her my most devilish grin. “You’ll see.”
We get Owen settled, and I grab the duffle bag from the front closet, hoping she doesn’t recognize it. It contains everything we need for our outing. I send Tucker a text letting him know Katy and I are leaving the house so he can contact his friend Chip to let us in the gate when we get to our destination.
After the initial incident with Shane and a lengthy discussion with Spencer, we decided Katy needed proper gun training. Firearms play a healthy role in all of our lives. Tucker’s property near Midnight Moonshine allots us a safe and private place to practice our skills, but more specifically, for Katy to learn since she’s too young in the eyes of the law.
When she asked me to hang out, I could tell that something was on her mind. This sounded like the perfect way to blow off some steam, and it’s been a while since anyone has taken her up here.
“Are we…?” Katy looks into the back seat where I put the bag and back at me. I see the smile grow on her face through my peripheral, and I can’t help but match it. “It’s been forever. This is perfect. Thank you!”
When we arrive, Chip’s SUV is already at the gate waiting. Chip is Tucker’s security guru. He is in charge of the systems at Midnight Moonshine, as well as the pool and main house. We see him fairly often, as Tucker has him maintain the systems monthly at the houses.
“Chip. Good to see you.” We shake hands when we exit our vehicles. He dips his head and acknowledges Katy but doesn’t say anything. Chip looks over our shoulders nervously at the vehicle that pulled up with us as Patrick steps out. He knew Patrick would be here as well. Does having a security detail put him on edge?
Chip is your average twenty-something kid with more brains than he knows what to do with. He looks like he should be selling insurance behind a desk with his dirty blond hair and brown eyes.
“Hi, Chip.” Katy’s bubbly greeting makes him blush, and he nods again and turns to the gate to unlock it. He peers at us over his shoulder a few times, his cheeks still pink. I have to ask Tucker about that. Does he have a crush? It’s cute, but she’s taken. I think.
“Okay, so the gate will lock automatically when you leave. You don’t have to do anything special but close it. I’ll get a notification when it’s locked.” He motions to a camera at the top of a light pole. “We’ve added extra security out here recently, so you’ll see new poles like these.”
“Awesome. Thanks, Chip. You ready, Cupcake?”
“Hell, yes! Bye Chip.”
“Impressive. Have you been practicing without me?” Katy has always been a good shot. Some people are just naturals and once we found a few guns that she was comfortable handling, her skills improved even more.
“Other than Axel forcing me to play first-person shooter games with him, nope.”
“Ugh, those games are made for people with high definition brains. I can’t keep up with everything going on around the screen.”
Katy chuckles as I hear the ping of her hitting another steel plate on the target tree.
“Okay, Cupcake. You didn’t ask me to hang out for a random date. What’s going on?”
Her shoulders slump, and she lowers the Glock to the table. “Can’t I just want to hang out with you?”
I pull her into a hug. “Always. But that’s not what this is about. Let’s take a snack break and talk.”
Katy heads toward the small structure that Tucker built out here for shade and relaxation while we practice. It’s a three-sided building with chairs, ceiling fans, and a stone fireplace for when it’s cold.
I grab the cooler from the bed of my truck and join Katy. She gives me a puzzled look as I pull out a foot-long sub, fruit, condiments, and chips.
“I thought you said a snack? This is a full blown meal.”
“Tucker. Need I say more?” Katy laughs and shakes her head. When I asked Tucker about using the property with Katy, he had the cooler ready and waiting for me this morning. I’m honestly surprised he hasn’t equipped this building with a full kitchen yet.
“Okay, missy, spill the beans.”
“The what?”
“Oh, man. Am I that old? What’s the latest lingo? Spill the beans, the tea, the skinny. I have no idea. Or, like Axel, I just want all the gossip. Tell me why we’re here.”
“Yeah, Miller. You’re old.”
I pick up a grape and toss it at her shoulder. “Brat.”
Katy sticks her tongue out at me, picks up the grape from her lap, and pops it in her mouth. She looks off into the trees for a moment, then at Patrick’s car next to my truck, where he’s sitting guard.
“Am I a cliché?”
I take a bite of my Italian sub as I try to figure out what she means. “Explain what you’re asking. I need more context.”
“The damsel in distress falls for her bodyguard. The ‘will they, won’t they.’ Forbidden love. I feel like I’ve read this trope a hundred times.”
“Ah. So we’re talking about you and Vik. Are things progressing there? You know he recently spoke to all of us, right?” I can tell she didn’t know by the shock on her face.
“Um, about what?”
I have to look away as her cheeks pinken. What does she think he spoke to us about that’s making her blush?
“He had a similar concern. He told us he was developing feelings for you and wanted to know if he should excuse himself as our employee in order to pursue things.” Katy sits up in her seat, wanting to speak, but her mouth is full. “Don’t get yourself in a tizzy. We wouldn’t let him quit.” She slumps back as she finishes chewing the food in her mouth.
“Okay, good. Thank you.”
“I take it that means you feel the same way? Is that why we’re here?”
Katy stares off into the woods, absentmindedly eating her food. She’s deep in thought about her answer, and I appreciate it. She’s never been a regular teenager, but at her age, it’s so easy to let your emotions get the best of you when it comes to a romantic relationship.
“I…I think I love him.”
I choke on the strawberry that I’m chewing. I did not expect her to say that. I can’t say I’m surprised to hear it, but now is not the time. I beat my chest with my fist as Katy reaches over and pats my back.
“Don’t die on me, old man.”
I shoot her an evil glance as I compose myself. Grabbing my water bottle, I take a big swig and think carefully about my next words.
“Tell me why. Why do you only think ?”
“It’s a feeling I don’t quite understand. I think it’s real, but how can I tell? Are the warm fuzzies I’m feeling because I basically live with Viktor and have spent practically every day together for over two years? Because he treats me amazing, but it’s probably because I’m his job, and he’s paid to? Do I have some kind of survivor’s guilt PTSD because he was shot while protecting me? Or…”
I want to shut down all of her questions because none of them are true. We’ve all watched their relations blossom and grow in a purely natural way. Their feelings are real. But what is her or?
“Or what, Katy?”
“Or, do I really love Viktor?”
I let her question hang in the air. I can tell her all that I’ve observed, but I can’t tell her how she truly feels. She has to realize that on her own.
“What’s your reservation, Cupcake?” I reach into the cooler and grab my secret weapon. Tucker knows Katy so well and must have been as suspicious of her wanting to meet up as I was. “Capri sun?” Her eyes light up as she snatches it from my hand.
“It’s still slushy. Yes!” Her shoulders do a little shimmy happy dance as she expertly stabs the straw into the drink.
“Always a kid at heart.”
With the straw in her mouth, she pauses and looks at me. Slowly, she lowers the pouch to her lap.
“That’s the problem, though, isn’t it? I was sixteen and pregnant when I met Viktor. He carted me to the bookstore and library so I could finish high school. Hell, he still won’t even let me drive myself anywhere. Could he really think of me as anything but a job?”
“Katy, from what I’ve heard, you’ve been engaging in adult activities with Vik already. I hope to fucking god he thinks of you as more than just a job or a kid. Otherwise, I’m going to have to have a completely different conversation with him.”
It’s my turn to dodge a grape that bounces off my shoulder and rolls to the grass.
“You know too much, Miller.”
“I know enough to know you’re happy. So I ask again, what are your reservations?”
Her shoulders fall, and she sighs.
“Am I worthy of someone else’s love? I know you five crazies love me, but that’s familial. You’re my family. I think even my mother loves me in some small, warped way. But Viktor has no obligation. Am I enough for someone to love me for…me?”
She’s been so happy since we rescued her from her neglectful mother. Sometimes, I forget that she had a completely different life three years ago. Katy is such a strong woman and mother.
I reach over and take her hand. “Look at me, Katy.” When she looks up, her eyes glisten with unshed tears. “Hey, none of that.”
She wipes at her eyes and inhales a stuttered breath. “Sorry.”
“None of that either. There’s no need for tears or apologies. Vik is still with you because he wants to be, both for his job and for you. Shane is still somewhere out there and of course we will always have yours and Owen’s safety as our number one priority. But Katy, your feelings are valid but aren’t warranted. If I’ve learned anything from watching each of us fall head over heels for Spencer, I can tell you this. Vik is a love-sick puppy, and you deserve every ounce of love and affection he gives you. You are enough in every way for that man. You’re incredible and strong. A phenomenal mother and daughter.” Her lip tilts at the word daughter. She loves when we call her ours. “If I, or any of us, had any doubt that Vik wasn’t a good man for you, we would have had him replaced when we saw his feelings start to change.”
Katy shakes her head and scrunches her brows, not understanding what I mean.
“What-I don’t understand. What do you mean you saw his feelings change?”
“Vik isn’t as hardened as he might seem. At least not when it comes to you. Tucker noticed at the hospital when he came out of surgery after Shane’s attack. The first thing he said was, ‘Is she okay?’ He didn’t care about himself, only you.”
“But I was still a kid?”