Chapter 24
AVA
Dinner with my dad was fun.
It seemed like the perfect way to end a week that had been shitty. I loved my dad, and everything he had ever done for me, and seeing him joke with the guys so easily, I wondered if he ever wished I would ask him about his hobbies.
I was very girly. I knew the basics about cars, and only because my dad didn’t want any guy to take advantage of me.
I didn’t even pump my own gas, and the only sport I knew anything about was hockey, and that was because I lived at the rink.
My dad was an all-star dad. He easily went from talking cars with Cruz to talking hockey with Micah.
“I’ve seen your photos in the paper. You’re really good,” my dad said as he seared the other side of the steak he was working on.
Micah blushed at my dad’s words.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Anyone with a camera can do it.”
Anger coursed through me as he quickly dismissed my dad’s praise, and I knew his dad was to blame. Cruz felt the same way I did, his jaw clenched. But before either of us could assure him he was the special one, my dad beat us to it.
“Ava can get under the hood of a car with all the right tools, and that doesn’t mean she knows what the fuck she’s doing.”
We all laughed at this, and I rolled my eyes playfully at my dad.
“Thanks for throwing me under the bus.”
My dad ignored me.
“You have a gift. Those candid photos you did for the town newspaper on each player were amazing. I liked the one of the captain. You made him seem larger-than-life.”
Micah’s cheeks were in full bloom.
Love.
Micah captured Grayson in a frame full of love.
“Thanks, Mr. Hayes,” he muttered.
“You kids are lucky to have found your talent so early in life. Some people go all their lives without finding their passion.” My dad put the steak aside, then turned toward us with the tongs in hand and pointed them at us.
“If you have something you value, something you’re good at, hold it tight and don’t let anyone tell you it’s a waste of time. ”
As someone who had heard various versions of my dad’s speech, I saw it as just another day in my household, but I could see the weight of my father’s words on both Micah and Cruz. This was probably the first time a parental figure had told them to never give up on their dreams.
That made me sad, and I wanted to rush in and hug them both, but then I stopped, wondering how in the world I’d ever explain the love triangle—square—I had found myself in. Was it even a square if no one was jealous of anyone?
“He’s really good with a camera,” I added.
“What are your rates, Micah?” my dad asked as he began to serve us. “I need to update the shop’s website.”
“Oh, I’d be happy to do it for free.”
I knew that would be the wrong thing to say. My dad turned around and pointed his tongs at him.
“Don’t do that to yourself, kiddo. Know your worth.”
“Kiddo,” Cruz snickered as he patted Micah’s head.
I couldn’t help the grin that graced my lips.
“And you.” My dad turned his intense gaze toward Cruz. “Stop messing around with Ricky and his crew.”
All three of us looked at one another. It seemed my dad was more aware of the town’s surroundings than we thought.
“You know Big Dog?” Cruz asked lightheartedly when both Micah and I knew that wasn’t the case.
My dad kept talking, unaware that we were taking note of every word that came out of his mouth.
“I don’t know Ricky, but his uncle did go to school with me. He was a few years older than me. I know he practically helped his sister raise him.”
“So he was close with his uncle?” I asked.
Any clue we could get about Big Dog would be beneficial.
My dad laughed at this. He finished serving all of us and instead led us toward the dining room, which we rarely had a chance to use.
“I don’t think they are that close anymore. Rumor has it that it was Ricky who got his uncle locked up in county.”
Cruz let out a whistle. “With family like that, who needs enemies, right?”
“That’s exactly why you should stop hanging out with him.”
Cruz made a blank promise that he would, but deep down, even my dad knew you couldn’t just walk away from someone like Ricky.
We all ate and joked around. The chatter around the table was lighthearted.
As lighthearted as it could get when you knew you had someone looking over your shoulder.
There were times when I opened my mouth and almost blurted out the truth to my dad.
With Micah and Cruz here, I felt almost brave to shout it out.
Once we were done eating, we told my dad to go rest, and that we would take care of the dishes since it seemed fair.
We all joked around in the kitchen, keeping things from getting too serious or from stopping my dad from overhearing.
It wasn’t until we heard the shower running that the three of us collectively took a deep breath.
“You guys are thinking what I’m thinking, right?” Cruz said, leaning back against the kitchen island.
“We need to pay a visit to Big Dog’s uncle?”
“There’s no we, I’m going to go pay a visit.”
I rolled my eyes at him.
“You’re not going alone.”
The asshole grinned. “Scared for me, princess?”
I shook my head.
“Go ahead and keep doing stupid shit then.”
He took a step forward and cupped my cheeks, then bent and gave me a slow peck on the lips. My heart sped up, mostly out of fear that my dad would walk down.
He then leaned over me and did the same thing to Micah, who had been standing next to me.
“You know, I can’t stop thinking about that picture of the two of you fucking.”
I wasn’t the only one sucking in their breath. His words affected Micah as much as they did me.
“Wish I could have been there. Watching the way Micah fucked you. Having you moan into my mouth.”
“Fuck,” Micah breathed.
“Now I’m hard,” Cruz mumbled.
At this, I laughed.
“That’s nothing new.” I playfully pushed him back. “Are you feeling okay about the whole meeting thing? Do you feel a bit better now?”
He sighed.
“At this point, it is what it is. I do wonder why we are working with that church.”
“We need to go visit his uncle soon,” Micah added. He then hugged me from behind and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “We should get going, it’s getting late.”
I was a little jealous that I couldn’t go with them. I turned back and gave Micah a peck on the lips. “Take care of him.”
“Don’t worry, princess. Trust that I’m going to make sure he takes care of me real well.”
A slight blush graced Micah’s cheek, but he didn’t deny it.
“Maybe soon we can all have a sleepover at your place,” I chimed in.
Both their pupils dilated at my comment, and that made me squirm at the intensity with which they watched me.
“Let’s head out now.” Cruz put his forehead to mine, a kiss on the lips, took Micah’s hand, and began to pull him toward the front door. “We have some hard things to tend to. Pun intended.”
I locked the door with a smile on my face, feeling like maybe, just maybe, things would work in our favor.