Chapter Thirty Three
Ω Blakely Ω
It only takes a few minutes for both my dad and Bronx to pull up to my building. I get out of my car and smile. “I don’t know what’s going on with it.”
“Alexander said that we should probably get you a new car sooner rather than later. It’s not worth putting any more money into.” My dad crosses his arms and looks behind Bronx at his supra. “You’re dumber than I thought if you think my daughter is getting into that death trap.”
I snort, and Bronx grins at me. “Your daughter has already gotten into that death trap and survived just fine.”
My mouth falls open. “How dare you try and throw me under the bus?”
My dad laughs. “We’ve talked about why I don’t want her in a car with outrageous horsepower…” My dad walks over to look at his car. “Drag slicks on the street? You’re a paramedic, Miller.”
I shake my head. “I have never gotten into the supra. His 4runner I have, but that's not modified in any way,” I try to add, but it seems like they’re in a conversation with themselves.
“Slicks make it easier to race.” Bronx just can’t help himself.
My dad just blinks at him. “You’re a first responder.”
“Yes, I am, Chief Knight. You’re my boss.”
“You also street race?”
“If the police ask? No.” Bronx chuckles.
My dad looks at me. I raise my hand in surrender. “I have never gotten into his supra. I don’t want anything to do with it. I only ever ride in my car or his 4runner. I promise. I don’t want to give you a heart attack.”
“He’s not old enough to have a heart attack,” Bronx tells me.
“If my daughter gets into a car that’s over four hundred horsepower, I’ll have a heart attack.”
“My car has over a thousand horsepower,” Bronx tells him.
My dad rubs the bridge of his nose. “You’re only proving my point, Miller. If you want to drive a death trap, go ahead. But my daughter isn’t going to get into it.”
I want to laugh at their interaction, but I don’t want to make anything worse. Bronx has never pressured me into riding in his supra. He knows my feelings about it.
Bronx likes to provoke my dad, but he’d never do anything to actually upset him.
My dad looks calmer when he looks at me. He walks closer to me. “We can go look at cars tomorrow, princess. I’ll drive you home.”
Bronx gives me a hug and a soft kiss. “I don’t want to anger your dad, so I think him driving you home will be our best bet.”
“I’ll see you at home. I love you.”
“I love you.” My dad has my door open and waiting for me. Bronx helps me get into the car before nodding once at my dad and heading back to his car.
“I don’t know what you see in him.”
I smile. “He’s nice. He takes good care of me. We like the same things. He’s consistent and shows me that he wants to be with me. He makes me feel at home, even when we’re not at home. I mean, the list is never ending, Dad. I know you don’t like him, but he’s changed since high school.”
Bronx pulls out of the parking lot, and we follow after him. “He’ll have to do something drastic to get me to change my mind about him.”
“What about how he’s a paramedic now instead of in the NFL?” I offer.
My dad holds high respect for first responders. He chuckles. “Good try, baby.”
“Worth a shot. You know I wouldn’t be with him if he was awful.”
“I raised a pretty good kid.”
“I would really hope so. I think I’m pretty fantastic.”
His booming laughter fills the cab. “Got my cockiness and everything. Maybe you should’ve become a paramedic.”
“I would’ve never lived up to your great legacy.” I grin.
“That was a good one. I just worry about you.”
My dad has always been protective of me. Ever since I was left on his doorstep a couple days after I was born with a note from my mom saying that she didn’t want me. It’s been just me and him ever since.
“We worry about the ones we care about, right?”
“You sound too much like me sometimes.” I see the side of his dimples and grin.
ΩΩΩ
After my dad drove me home, Bronx started on lunch for us. “What did you do this morning?” I ask.
Bronx looks up at me from the skillet. “Hung out with Alex. Charlotte, apparently, makes him take time off now. He enjoys being with her too much.”
I wonder who that sounds like. “Wow. Seems like good women are the key to making men actually stop and relax.”
Bronx chuckles. “I have the best woman out there. I think Alex has always wanted a family, so when he met Charlotte and Oliver, it kinda was it for him.” He shrugs. “I don’t know. Or maybe she gives really good head.”
I snort. “Bronx!”
Bronx laughs. “I’m joking. I wanted to make you laugh. We set up your table at a book signing, though.”
I tilt my head. “You what now?” There’s no way I just heard what he said.
“We set up your table at a book signing,” he repeats.
“I don’t write, though.” I’ve deleted every listing I ever had for books.
I thought there were no books floating around with my name on it. I’m pretty sure no one has ever bought a physical copy of one of my books.
“You did, though, and you could get back into it.”
My mouth hangs open. I don’t know what to say to him. He has to be messing with me.