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Grumbling, Riley peeked one eye open and looked up at Chase when Beth stilled her hands on her back. “Gregory went out of his way to call me himself,” she explained. “We were friends first. I wanna see him and Maxine.”
“Why do you wanna see him, if he’s in your past? Why do you care about his wife?” he countered with a swift intake of his breath. As Beth resumed petting Riley, I got up to go to my room.
“Stay,” they both said in unison and Riley shot her head up.
“Keep your voices down.” I shifted my gaze to Riley. “You’re putting her on alert, because you’re both hard-headed.”
Beth planted a kiss on the back of Riley’s head, which seemed to pacify her. Snapping her head back to Hunter, she raked him with a sharp look. The old Chase wouldn’t have gone through any grief over a woman. But his feelings had been invested in Beth from the jump and there was no turning back for him. Or for her. It was hard enough for me to stay clean; I couldn’t handle a relationship too. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to have someone in my life, because my relationship with being abstinent would always have to be the priority. There was no compromise with that. I’d be setting myself up for failure. It wasn’t like anyone would ever really want to be with me. It was a burden for someone else to worry about being a possible detriment to my recovery. That was if I were with someone who didn’t want me to use.
“That’s not what it’s about, Chase! He wants to see how I am. That I’ve moved forward. Ignoring him and the person who he is starting out his life with is cruel.”
Blowing out a frustrated breath, Chase stabbed his fingers in his hair. “You’re being cruel to yourself by going to Franklin Parks. Especially when I can’t be there.”
“Jake and Mariska will be with me. You can’t brush Mr. Penverick off because he’s been a loyal employer of yours. I’ll leave if it gets hostile,” she tried to reason as she started to gently scratched Riley’s belly.
Chase sank down on the couch beside Beth. “I don’t want him seeing you and having any wayward feelings.”
The sound of Beth’s laugh was full and throaty. Chase didn’t look entirely convinced that he had nothing to worry about when it came to her ex-boyfriend.
I kept my eyes on my girl when I told Chase, “Give me the remote, so we can see whose closer to being the Ink Master.”
Mariska
“READ ME ONE MORE story, please,” Pete implored on Sunday night. Mom was working the night shift at the hospital near Franklin Parks and Dad was home more often than he had been this summer. I’d looked after Pete as much as my parents had growing up and in the beginning, I’d resented them for making me do it. Along the way, I’d cancelled dates and hanging out with Beth and Jake, in favor of being with him. Since he had an easier time with his speech, he preferred to be with his friends. I knew the day would come, but I hadn’t thought it’d be so soon. Not too long ago, I’d been his only friend.
“One more,” I said in a stern tone.
“No,” Dad said as he widened the door and the light from the hallway filled Pete’s room. “Next time, you’ll read Mariska the story and practice on your pronunciation. The speech therapist said that you read monotone.”
“Yes, sir,” Pete replied.
“You’re not too big to give me a hug now, are you?” I asked Pete as I raised my body up from his bed.
Pete glanced at Dad before he came over to give me a brief hug. “You won’t ask me to do that in front of my friends like Mom and Dad do, will you?”
“When have I ever hugged you in front of your friends?” I asked him and Dad chuckled.
“When are you coming home again?” Pete asked, settling back into his bed.
“She’ll be here after her midterms. Sleep. Now,” Dad ordered and Pete complied. I’d tried that with him and I hadn’t had the same results.
***
TEN MINUTES LATER, DAD and I were at the family table in the living room drinking rich Columbian coffee. He knew that when I arrived back on campus I’d be hitting the books again.
“How many boys have asked you out?” Dad queried with confidence. He’d scared most of my dates in high school. I’d had to meet up with
Beth, Gregory, and my date at a different location when I’d had a second group date.
“This guy named Scott.”
A skeptical look flitted over his face as he followed my gaze to the fridge. Pete earned himself a whole bunch of stickers for good behavior and academic milestones. He was adapting to my absence without a problem. I felt a little left out of the family, but I wouldn’t admit that. Dad would tell Mom and she’d tell me that I should’ve stayed home when I haven’t second-guessed my decision once.
“Only Scott?” Dad cocked his head. “What kind of boy is he?”
“A senior, and the quarterback of the football team.”
Dad frowned. “Mariska, he’s older and I am sure he’s been around the block plenty of times. You’ve been on some dates, but you’re in college now. It’s a different culture from how we do things here. Have you two gone on a date by yourselves?”
