"Did Jade call you?"
I look over Clover's shoulder at Blake. "Yeah. Why didn't you call me?"
Her eyes go to the back of Clover's head, and I catch her drift. "Lovie, let's get you ready for bed so I can talk to Blake for a minute."
Clover looks down at herself. "I'm kind of already ready for bed."
The mood is a little lighter in the room now, but my heart still aches from the stress of it all. "Come on, you goofball." The playful look on Clover's face makes me smile despite myself.
I walk her down the hallway and get her settled into bed. Before I leave, I check in to make sure she's actually okay. She was clearly shaken up by what happened, and I don't want her to go to bed worrying that I'm upset with her. She puts my mind at ease and seals it with a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"How did I get so lucky to have a kid like you?"
"I don't know. You must have done some good shit in your past life."
My smile is so big it almost hurts. "Goodnight, Lovie."
"Night, Dad."
Chapter Thirty-One
B
"Hey."
I heard him coming down the hall, but I'm pretending like I'm on my phone, so he doesn't think I was just sitting here, eagerly waiting for him to come back.
"Oh, hi."
The truth is, I considered calling a ride, but I stopped myself. I thought at the very least, I owed Kass some answers. Not about us, but about what all went down tonight. I'm sure he has a million questions for me, and I'll try my best to answer them for him.
"You should have called me." He looks so crestfallen, leaning against the wall on the opposite side of the room.
"I know. I honestly thought—" I cut myself off, knowing there's no good excuse for why I didn't. "I'm sorry."
The room starts to feel smaller as he walks across it and sits on the couch. He leaves a whole cushion between us, but it still feels too close. The last time we sat on a couch, facing each other like this, I got overwhelmed and kicked him out of my apartment.
He must feel some type of way about it, too, because he puts his head in his hands and then runs them through his hair.
"I'm sorry she called you because she was too scared to call me."
"I'm surprised I answered."
My attempt to lighten the mood a little falls flat. He's clearly still stressed about what happened. He looks almost...hurt.
"I was at a bar with my friends and the music was loud, but I happened to look at my phone shortly after she tried to call me the first time."
The relief that washes over his face has me wondering if he thought maybe I was with someone else in the way that he wants me.Wantedme.
"I need to tell you something, but you have to promise not to freak out right now. Sleep on it and do whatever you want tomorrow when you're not so tired."
"Am I really that much of a hot head that everyone thinks I can't handle my emotions? First Clover, now you."
"Trust me, that would be the pot calling the kettle black. I think you just give off the vibe that you would do anything to protect the people you love, including violence when the situation demands it."
"Am I going to be tempted to get violent after you finally tell me what you want to tell me?"
"I don't think so. It's just added context to this chaos."
