20. Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Kai
I t had been the most god-awful week, and it wasn’t over yet. Work was long, the addition at Shear Perfection wasn’t as straight forward as I had hoped, and add in the unforeseen addition to my life—my father—and my stress level was through the roof.
I was totally exhausted by the time I got home from work every night and checked on Terry, that I fell behind on my work at Shear Perfection and had to put in extra hours at night. Somehow, I managed to work through fatigue and exhaustion. There was nothing quite like the satisfaction of finishing a job and being able to step back and admire it, and the salon was something to admire. It looked damn good.
I pulled into my rocky and hole-filled driveway late Thursday night. I couldn’t wait to relax in front of my television, in my bed. Terry had the couch in the living area, and spending time with him was not on my agenda.
As I bumped and jostled up my driveway, I was reminded of the next item on my list: focus on my own place—number one priority—the driveway.
I pulled up in front of the fifth wheel, and my heart sank. “What the hell?” I shook my head and climbed begrudgingly out of Matilda and stalked to the fire pit. There was a pile of beer cans on the grass next to a lawn chair. Great. Just what I needed. To deal with my drunk ass father.
How did beer get out here? He didn’t have a vehicle, and I didn’t have any beer on the property.
I stormed in the door. “Terry, what the hell? You have a mess out there.” I froze. He was passed out on the kitchen table, and the small living area was a wreck and smelled like a dump. It seemed like Terry had a party while I was at work. Memories of my childhood accosted me, but I fought them off.
This was not the shithole I grew up in. This was my place. My castle—well, my fifth wheel—but still. I grabbed a trash bag and started tossing all the paper plates, empty bags, and cans into it. I made as much excess noise as possible in the process.
Once the trash was picked up, I grabbed the spray cleaner and sprayed and wiped down the counters and even the floor. It smelled like stale beer, and I wasn’t having my childhood life brought into my house, even if it wasn’t really a house yet.
I was done with his bullshit, and it had only been two days.
“Terry,” I shouted. Nothing. No sign of life. I nodded. Maybe he finally drank himself to death. That would make my life much easier and would end the crap I had to deal with.
I sighed heavily. I guess I should make sure he’s alive. I whacked him on the back. Hard. “Terry!” I bellowed.
“What the fuck?” he yelled as he sat up swinging.
“Chill.” I placed a bottle of water in front of him. “What the hell were you doing here while I was gone, and where did you get all this beer?
“Simple,” Terry answered as he took a sip of water and scrubbed his hands down his face. “I was bored off my ass, so I decided to go for a walk. Noise down by the river caught my attention and I followed my ears. I ran into a group of kids kayaking and drinking. They were having a last day of school dardy.”
“Dardy? What the hell’s a dardy?” I asked. Where did my father come up with this stuff?
“That’s what I asked.” Terry gestured agreement with his hand. “I was told it’s a daytime party. A dardy. Anyway, I offered them money for beer. We started talking, and they came back here. I fed them sandwiches—peanut butter and jelly was all you had, by the way. A little embarrassing.”
My jaw dropped . Was this idiot for real?
“Doesn’t matter. They were teenagers. They didn’t care. It was free food. Anyway, I gave them money and they left two cases of beer behind.”
“You had money?” I placed my hands on my hips. I was tired and didn’t want to deal with this bull shit. But where the hell did he get money?
“Nope. You did. I found it in the coffee container in the closet.”
“You what?” Anger sliced through me. I swiped my hands over my face and stalked to the closet. I took out the coffee container that had cash in it. The cash I was saving was for work around here.
Or had been saving. The container was empty.
My blood boiled. If I took my blood pressure right now, it wouldn’t be good. “That was my money.” I needed to hit something. “I’ve been saving that, and there was more in there than a couple cases of beer would have cost. What else did you do with it?”
“Oh, they door dashed food and needed some for pot. They got some good weed out here.”
Terry was so not good for my health. My blood pressure was sky high, and a dull ache started in my temple. A headache. Just what I needed. “You got high with a bunch of high school kids. Seriously?”
I paced the small living area and gripped my neck with my hands. “This is a small town. I’m trying to make a home here, and your stupid choices better not mess things up for me. Again .” This was ridiculous. I really needed to punch something, or better yet, someone. “And that money you used was for my driveway. You had no right to use it. That’s stealing, old man.”
“You’re my son. It’s not stealing. I helped you out while you were growing up. It was about time you did the same.”
“You were my father. I was your son. It was your job.” I placed my hands on the counter and leaned heavily on them. “Once I was old enough to make some money, I took over all the responsibilities. We ate because of me. We had lights on because of me. The twins had everything they needed Because. Of. Me.”
“Oh, yeah, I remember. You made some good money on the side. Don’t you dare judge me, son. I’m sure your pretty piece of ass would love to know your history.”
I froze and held his glare. He wouldn’t say a word, would he? I hadn’t planned on things with Kora going as far as they had. She needed to know everything, but I wasn’t sure how to let her know. I wasn’t happy with the choices I made, or what happened because of them, but it was for clothes, food, survival.
A sneer appeared on Terry’s face. “She doesn’t know, does she?”
I started to pace again . I can’t do this. I came here to get away from the crazy that was Terry Lawson. Now here he is, trashing my place, stealing my money, and threatening to ruin my life—again. “Terry, I can’t do this.”
“It’s Dad.”
The tone of Terry’s voice froze me in place. How dare he talk to me like he deserved the respect the term dad held. How dare he talk to me in my house like he had any authority over me.
The rubber band that was holding my anger in check stretched to the max. “You aren’t a dad.” I sneered. “The term dad is for the men who work hard and take care of their families so their teenage son doesn’t have to take matters into his own uneducated, immature hands. You are a stranger and a loser. And your name, Terry, fits you perfectly. You are a Terry.”
Terry’s fist caught me off guard as it slammed into my jaw. I stumbled back, held up by the counter.
“I’m your father, and you’ll start respecting me as such.” Terry’s words slurred slightly.
I wasn’t the skinny teenager he could bully around and use as a punching bag anymore. I was thirty-one and had the body of someone who worked hard all day lugging heavy material around a construction site. Terry was no match, and there was no way in hell I was going to back down. “Fuck you and your respect,” I spat as I rubbed my aching jaw. “You’re in my house. You will respect me. While you’re here, you will not drink. If that’s going to be an issue, I’ll kick you out on your ass.
“I can see what you’re doing here, boy.” Terry took a small step in my direction. “You think you can come to a small town, find a job, get to know the locals, and start fucking the cute little brunette, and your life will become a storybook romance? Don’t forget who you are, you dumb fuck . You are Kai Lawson. You’re a useless piece of shit who has a record, whose mother didn’t even love you enough to stick around—or even better yet, take you and your brother and sister with her.” Terry took another step closer. “What mother would leave a kid who was worth anything?”
I was dumbstruck. A part of me had always thought those very things Terry just said. What kind of mother left her children behind? What type of person made the stupid decisions I did and spent time in jail? I felt the familiar heaviness in my chest settle in and make itself at home like it did when I was younger.
“If your own mother couldn’t love you, what makes you think a pretty little thing like that Kora could ever want anything to do with you? You are just a pity case for her,” Terry spat with venom.
Anger and hatred rose from deep within my chest.
The anger turned to rage, and the rubber band snapped.
Broke.
Exploded.
Before I could stop myself, I punched Terry in the gut, then punched him again with an uppercut to the jaw. He flew backward and landed on the chair he just got out of. He didn’t move. He was knocked out. Good.
I fled from the fifth wheel and stalked across the yard to my truck. Terry couldn’t stay here. This wasn’t a good thing at all.
I climbed into Matilda and tore down the dirt and gravel drive and back onto the road. The clock on the dash read eight o’clock. Had I really only been home an hour? It was amazing how time stopped when Terry was around.
I shook my hand as I drove. It throbbed. I didn’t feel it at the time, but now, I felt it. It throbbed, and it sucked. It was my right hand. I needed it to work. Luckily, I was in charge now and didn’t do much manual labor, and the work at the salon was completed.
I pulled up in front of Jerry’s Pub. The parking lot was about empty, and I didn’t recognize any of the cars. I laid my head on the steering wheel for a beat and tried to get control of my breathing.
What Terry said was true. If Kora found out the truth about me, she wouldn’t waste another second. She was too good, too perfect, to allow the chaos and negativity that was my past into her life.
If Terry had just stayed away, I could have left this crap in the past and took my time telling Kora. I couldn’t put it past him to let it out. He’d do anything to ruin my happiness. He’d done it plenty of times in the past.
My breathing calmed. I considered leaving and driving around for a bit. I could find somewhere else to stay for the night. I still had the salon key. Kaye and Diane wouldn’t mind if I crashed one more night. Or I could call Kora.
No. Just go in, get something to eat and drink, and calm the fuck down. I entered the pub and sat heavily on one of the bar stools at the counter.
“Hey, man,” Trevor greeted me in his usual jovial manner, then stopped when he saw the expression on my face. “What the hell happened to you? You look like shit.”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to talk about it. “I need a beer and a bag of ice,” I whispered the words, then wiggled my jaw to make sure it wasn’t broken. Now that my adrenaline had dissipated, pain started to settle in.
Trevor didn’t say anything but returned quickly with one beer and two bags of ice. He placed one on my knuckles and gestured with the other toward my jaw.
I held the bag on my face. “That bad?”
“Like you had a fist meet your face. But from the look of your hand, seems like you got a good jab or two in yourself.”
I put the ice down and took a swig of beer. “Father-son bonding.”
Trevor’s brow ticked up.
“How much do I owe you for the damages?”
Trevor stood straight. “Won’t take your money. You didn’t do anything. Your dipshit dad owes me.”
I laughed. If Trevor waited for Terry to pay up . . . “Hell will freeze over before that useless asshole pays you anything. I need him out of here, and if I pay it, he might just be allowed to go on his way next week after his court date.”
“Dude, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called your dad names. Even if it is true. Let me get Nico to make you some jalape?o poppers. Be right back.” Trevor slapped the bar quieter than usual.
I tipped my beer toward Trevor in thanks and took another swallow. It tasted stale and sat heavy in my stomach. I stared behind the bar at nothing in particular.
Terry’s words reverberated in my mind. What kind of mother left her kids? That question had haunted me my entire life. I spent my teen years wondering what more I could have done to make her stay. To make her love us enough so she wouldn’t leave.
Trevor placed the jalape?o poppers on the counter. “On the house.”
“Thanks.” I took a bite of a popper and chewed slowly as the spicy, cheesy goodness filled my mouth. I finished the beer and held it up.
Trevor acknowledged and placed a fresh cold beer on the counter. “You good, man?” He raised his brows.
I stared at him and tipped up the beer, taking a good long swallow, and gave him a short nod. Maybe if I didn’t use words, Trevor wouldn’t feel the need to stay and hover. I downed the rest of the beer. This one went down like water, and I gestured for another.
Trevor sighed heavily before placing a new bottle on the counter along with a glass of water. We held each other’s glare, then he finally left me alone.
It was about time.
Soon the poppers were gone, and so was my third beer, then my fourth. I had no clue how long it had been since I drank four beers in such a short time. Did it matter?
Suddenly I felt someone near me. I only had to inhale to know it was Kora. Her scent of flowers and vanilla filled my olfactory nerve and sent my pulse racing.
I lowered my face, not wanting her to see me like this.
Monday night it was at the police station, now four beers in, and I had no clue what my face looked like, but it throbbed like hell.
“Hey.” Her voice was soft and sweet. I felt the pressure of her hand on my back. The heat from her touch radiated through my shirt and calmed my racing pulse. She rubbed her hand in a circular motion. It felt good. It helped me relax.
I sat up straight and took a large mouthful of water and emptied the glass. “I’m guessing Trevor called you.” I turned my head just enough so I could see her from the corners of my eyes. I tried my best to hide the other side of my face.
“Texted me, but same difference.” She gently turned my face toward her and brushed the tender area on my cheek. “What the hell happened?” Her voice was still soft and now concerned.
Which made me smile. Only Kora could cuss and be sweet in one breath.
She reached for my hand, which had already started to bruise and swell, and gently picked it up. “Kai?”
“Don’t.”
She let go of my hand, and I attempted to flex my fingers, which sent shock waves through my nerves. I sucked in a breath.
“Tell me what happened.” Her voice was stern and direct. This was probably her teacher voice she reserved for behavior issues. “You’ve had four beers, and you look like you got in a fight.” She tipped my head up and held my gaze.
I could be as stubborn as the next man, or in this instance, woman, and I glared right back into those large brown eyes.
Those sexy, large brown eyes, which glared directly at me. Focused and intense.
Shit. my resolve melted. “You win. I can’t stare in your eyes and be all tough. Those brown eyes turn me into a pile of nothing. The only thing that has the ability to think is my little man, and you’ve got his full attention.”
Her mouth ticked up at the corner. “Oh, your man is anything but little.”
I let out a slow breath. “Fuck me.”
“I’m game. My house is empty.”
God, this woman. She was inches away. Her lips were so tantalizing. I brushed my good hand against her cheek. She was so soft.
Her lips brushed against mine.
She tasted amazing. “What are we waiting for?” I reached for my wallet and pulled out a pile of bills. It was at least three hundred dollars. My driveway would have to wait. “Trevor.” I held up the bills and threw them on the counter. “This should get some repairs started. Let me know if you need any help fixing things up.”
I pushed up from the stool just as Trevor came over to us. “You good, man?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “Thanks for calling her.”
“No problem.” He scooped up the money and gestured his thanks.
I wrapped my arm around Kora. “My little man needs a stern talking to.”
“Don’t you worry, I’ll take care of him, and you.” Kora placed a gentle kiss on my bruised cheek.
I flinched. “Does it look as bad as it feels?”
“It makes you even sexier, if that’s possible, and makes me want to nurse you back to health.” She wiggled her brows.
“Woman, you’re bad.”
“And you love it.” She winked.
I smiled wide. Yeah, I undeniably did.