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“Pop,” Caden said, and she glanced over. His gaze was trained on his dad.
“Fucking assholes, taking him out the way they did.” He jerked his glare to Marissa and tightened his grip on her hand to the point of pain. She winced and flattened her lips. She knew it wasn’t intentional, but Jack was on the verge of breaking her fingers.
Caden jumped up from the table and grabbed Jack’s wrist, forcing him to let her go. She pulled back her hand to her chest and massaged her aching fingers.
Caden glanced up, his gaze riddled with concern. He rested his hand on Jack’s back. “It’s all right, Pop, just calm down.”
It took a few seconds, but Jack’s demeanor changed slowly. He relaxed, and the corner of his mouth tilted up. “Coll,” he said with a small sigh. She reached for his hand again and tightened her grip, rubbing her thumb over his scuffed knuckles.
“Didn’t mean to upset ya, Jack.”
He scoffed and grinned. “Your pretty face could never piss me off.” He chuckled and shook his head, gazing off over the table. “Shoulda snagged a woman like you years ago.” He gazed her way with a teasing smirk. “Instead, I knocked up the devil.”
His booming laugh radiated through the room. She knew full well he was referring to Caden’s mom and bit back her own laugh. His laughter trailed, and his eyes peered down at her. The humor was lost.
“You were always sweet.”
She rose to her feet, swiped a brief kiss to his cheek, and leveled him with her eyes. “Because you were always nice to me, Jack.” She didn’t know if what she said was true, but something in Jack’s eyes confirmed her statement.
“I’m gonna head home now.” When she stood, he tightened his grip on her hand, and Caden moved forward. She glanced up and slightly shook her head. “But I’ll see you again soon, okay?”
He stared up at her and gave a short nod before letting go of her hand. She felt Trevor’s hand on her back, guiding her to the door. She followed his lead.
They walked back to her unit in silence until Trevor spoke.
“Sorry about Pop. He gets like that every once in a while.” He smiled, reminding her so much of Caden. “Never saw anyone calm him down like you did, though. Who the hell is Colleen?”
She shrugged, not wanting to go into detail about a biker whore with a sixteen-year-old boy. “Just someone from his past. Apparently, someone he was fond of, unlike your grandmother.”
Trevor snorted, twisting his lips in disgust. “Nothing good ever came from her, except my dad and uncle Kase, anyway.”
“What’s she like?”
“A raving bitch.” He choked out a laugh. “She left when my dad was young, something like five or six. Every once in a while, she comes into town, spreading her bitchiness like glitter and shitting on Pop, my dad, and uncle.”
“What about you?”
He snickered. “She calls me the fast swimmer. When I was younger, I thought it was a compliment until Uncle Kase told me what she meant. Ya know, sperm? Dad knocked up my mom when he was nineteen and she was seventeen. And here I am.” He grinned and spread his hands out. “Surprise.”
Marissa bit her lip, wondering if asking questions was appropriate.
“Do you see your mom a lot?”
Marissa watched Trevor. The humor had faded. “Not since I was a baby. Can’t even remember her.” He shrugged. “She couldn’t do it. That’s what she told my dad. Wanted to give me up for adoption. She even found a couple before talking to my dad. You believe that shit?” Trevor shook his head, no longer meeting her eyes. “So fucked up, right?”
“Yeah,” Marissa whispered. Seeing another person’s pain was something she hadn’t witnessed in two years either. Seeing it on Trevor was gutting her to the core.
He shrugged and glanced over at her. “I don’t care. My dad raised me good without her.”
“Yes, he did.”
The light shimmered back into his eyes.
“Thank you for walking me back.”
Trevor smiled. “You’re welcome. It’s cool ya came and hung out with us.”
She giggled. “Yeah?”
