Chapter 37
Victor
I come downstairs, carrying my and Gabbi’s duffel bags and feeling like a new man. I jog down the last couple of steps and drop our bags by the front door, then head toward the kitchen, hearing muffled voices coming from that direction.
“Who’s a dick?” I make my presence known as I walk into the bright kitchen.
Kerri sighs and puts her face in her hands, elbows resting on the countertop.
My eyebrows rise up as I walk over to Gabbi.
She’s leaning against the sink counter, sipping her coffee.
I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her toward me, kissing her temple as she sinks into my side.
I love it when she melts into me. Gabbi flashes me a kind and loving smile and hands me a cup of coffee, black, just the way I like.
Keeping my arm around her, I mirror Gabbi’s lean against the sink.
The warm smell of dark roast floats into my face when I take a sip, triggering a feeling of serenity.
Wow, we’ve come pretty far from a few months ago.
When I open my eyes after a few seconds of reveling in the moment of peace, I focus back on Kerri, who’s now staring at me like I’m a mythical creature. “What?” I ask her.
A smile breaks out, lighting up her whole face.
“Nothing, Dad, you guys just look happier than you have in a long time. Whatever you’re doing, keep going.
” Ugh. Shot straight to my heart. Warmth spreads throughout my body at her words, and all I can do is nod and smile back with a quick glance down at Gabbi, who seems to be sharing my reaction.
“Trip,” Abby says, sliding into the kitchen in her floofy pink slippers. She’s practically swimming in the oversized hoodie she’s wearing atop her black and white Stranger Things pajama pants.
“Huh?” I respond in confusion.
Abby flops down at the island, next to Kerri. “You asked who was a dick. The answer is Trip Harris.”
“Ah. I see. Kerri, any particular reason you think that?” I have no idea what happened to them. Trip and Kerri used to be as close as kids could be. “Wait, why are we talking about Trip anyway?”
Kerri sighs and rolls her eyes. You would think that new generations would have a new set of annoying teenage tics, but it turns out the eyeroll and mega-sigh are both annoyances that span all generations.
“Mom said you guys were going away for the weekend and that I had some errands to run for her. She also said that Trip is home this weekend if we need anything. I was just telling Mom that Trip is a dick because he’s just been a total douche since coming here.
” She pauses to take a sip of her orange juice.
“Well, actually, he was a douche in middle school too, but we moved, so I didn’t care. ”
Okay, that’s as clear as mud. “Look, Kerri, I don’t know what happened with you two, but we don’t expect you to be besties.
We’re just saying that if you need another quasi-adult for anything, he’s right next door.
Trip may be a dick, but we’re family, and he’ll help if you need it.
That’s all we are saying.” I’m trying to convey understanding and validation for her feelings and all that positive parenting shit I’ve heard of, but she needs to understand that this is not a negotiation.
“Okay, Dad, I get it.” Oh, the fuckin’ attitude. I drag my hand through my hair at her tone, tamping down the agitation that my amazingly beautiful, smart, and talented daughters easily coax out of me. God, fucking help me.
“Come on, G, let’s go before I have to ruin our day by regulating our daughter’s attitude at 6:00 in the morning on a Saturday,” I state harshly enough for both daughters to absorb, punctuated with prolonged eye contact.
Gabbi and I walk past the girls, giving them both a kiss on the top of their heads, telling them both we love them.
Looking at Gabbi on the way out to the car, I ask, “You ready for this, Rockstar?” She melts me by giving me a gleaming smile and a kiss on the cheek.
Purring, she responds, “You bet I am, Sergeant.” She winks, clicks her tongue, and sashays over to Ty’s truck, all hips and ass swaying with each step.
Leaving me to walk to the truck with a rock-hard cock pressing against my zipper.
Damn, I love it when she calls me that. She started years ago when I was first promoted, and it’s just gotten hotter every time she says it.
I step up to Ty’s royal blue Chevy Silverado, placing our bags in the truck bed and quickly adjusting my dick before climbing in the backseat with the only woman that could ever get me hard with a few words and a wink.
“Ready, kids?” Ty says, from the driver’s seat, looking at us with a playful grin. His dark brown waves fall a bit into his eyes, but does nothing to hide the stirring mischief.
Gabbi buckles her seatbelt in the middle seat and leans against me, placing her hand on my thigh. “Yep. Take us away, Big Dawg!” Gabbi giggles at her use of Ty’s nickname. She’s sassy today, and I’m fucking loving it.
“Alright.” Ty nods his head once. “Just some minor rules for the road, seeing as we will be in this small confined space for about four hours.” Here we go. “No fucking in the backseat!”
“What?” Gabbi and I both call out with a chuckle.
“I mean it, you two…I can’t possibly gawk at you two doing the nasty if I’m driving.” Oh, for christ’s sake. Gabbi giggles, and I just stare at her, smiling like an idiot.
She smiles back at me, and we both look at Ty with mischief and respond, “Yes, Daddy.”
Ty coughs loudly at our sarcastic term of endearment and chokes a bit on his coffee he just so happened to be taking a sip of.
Emma barks a laugh, then looks back and tells us, “You two better watch it, you might have just unlocked a new kink for him.” Then she reaches over to Ty’s lap, running her hand back and forth once on what I can only assume is his crotch.
We all end up chuckling at Emma’s comment as Ty pulls out onto the road.
Once we get out of the neighborhood, Ty looks back in the rearview, his light brown eyes making contact with mine.
“Oh, hey, I spoke to D last night. He said he’s heading down to Cookie’s for a few weeks for business, but that the cabin is on his way, so I think he’s gonna stop by tomorrow. ”
“Sounds good.” I nod. “I know Sheila’s been a little worried about Cookie. D thinks it’s just another one of his episodes.”
Ty looks back up at me through the rearview, “Yeah, I spoke to Cook a few days ago and he seemed more embarrassed than anything else that D’s coming out, but you know D. Once he gets an idea in his head, he’s like a dog with a bone.”
Emma cuts in, “You’re right about him being a dog.” Her and Gabbi Chortle.
Ty snaps his head to look at Emma. “Don’t be a brat, my Little Fireball.” His voice is deep and commanding. Emma blushes at his words.
“I just mean that he’s definitely a dog with the ladies, but he’s also the most loyal, fearless, and heartfelt person I know,” Emma explains, and the rest of us agree.
The next four hours are spent catching up on everything that’s happened in the last couple of years.
Ty and Emma tell us about their divorce papers they signed the year Ty retired.
They told us about their attempt at an open marriage and the therapy sessions they tried to work through.
It sounds like some of it helped, but there were still major obstacles that they didn’t know how to overcome.
Then they finally told us about a couple they met on a sex cruise, of
all places, that helped them get their mojo back.
That couple is how they got to where they are now. Now that is a hell of a story. I couldn’t believe the things they were telling me, and now I feel honored and relieved that they were willing to help us.