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“Fuck, Pop, it ain’t fucking…”
Marissa quickly stepped around Caden, coming to stand next to him. If Jack needed her to be someone from his past, then where was the harm? This wasn’t the first time she’d been in this situation.
She had grown up with her mom’s uncle living with them for a few years before he passed away. She recognized all the signs Jack was showing. It was a horribly sad disease. One that required a great amount of patience and understanding. The cardinal rule growing up in her house was if Uncle Art confused her with someone else, she played along. As long as it wasn’t harmful, she was to follow his lead. Where was the harm anyway? It was better for him if she was Colleen. In a short time, she’d be on her way, and it wouldn’t make a difference who she was to Jack.
She cut off Kase before he had the chance to finish. “Thanks, Jack.”
Jack stepped forward but halted when Cade moved with him. “Get the hell outta the way.”
“Pop, give her some space.”
Marissa gently touched Caden’s hand, and he glanced over his shoulder. “It’s okay, he’s fine.”
His scowl deepened. It wasn’t hard to understand why he’d be confused. After all, she just lost her shit from a single hug. She nodded slightly and smiled as she angled around Caden. She could feel his eyes on her as she moved.
“See, get out of the way.” Jack stepped forward and pulled her into a hug. She was prepared this time, and she curved her hands around his back, patting him gently. When she pulled away, he let her. Still smiling.
“Been so long. Hell, you were with Dunn last time I saw you. Lucky bastard.” He winked, and she couldn’t help but snicker. “Remember him losing the poker game, remember you going out back with Olsen.” Jack barked out a laugh. “He was fucking raging. Didn’t wanna share you, never did, greedy bastard.”
Marissa’s eyes widened. Oh. My. God. Marissa licked her lips and clamped her mouth closed.
“You two still together?”
How was she supposed to answer? She took a deep breath and shook her head. Play along. “He was too possessive, you remember.”
“Oh, I do.” Jack laughed again. “You always were a free one, weren’t ya?”
“Yup.” She gave a side glance to Cade. He was watching her, the corner of his mouth perking up. She caught his lips moving as he mouthed, “Thank you.”
“You were too good for him. Never treated you the way you deserved. None of them boys did.” Jack frowned, staring at her. He seemed lost in thought.
“Hey, Pop, let’s get ya home. I’m sure Mar…uh, Colleen’s gotta take off.”
It took a few seconds before Jack seemed to snap out of his head. He exchanged a look with Cade, then Kase, and landed on Marissa. “It was good seeing you, darlin’.”
“You too, Jack.”
There was so much sincerity when he spoke. I miss that. It had been so long since anyone had spoken to her with endearment. She sighed and glanced down at the pavement. It was her own doing. For the first time in two years, she realized how much she had missed it. She smiled genuinely because she was feeling it deep in her heart.
****
“What the fuck do you mean, at home? How the hell did you get on the fucking highway without your car?” Kase was raging, as per his usual self.
Caden stood with his arms crossed and his jaw locked in a semi-circle with his father and brother. He’d been playing referee with these two since he was a child. It was best to only step in last minute. As it was, Caden was fighting off a stress-induced blasting headache.
As hard as he tried to keep his focus, his gaze drifted to her. Marissa. She was lurking around her car. If he didn’t know better, he’d think she was stalling on leaving. Strange. If this woman had any sense, she’d be a half a mile away by now. What was she waiting for?
He was no doctor, but he was pretty sure her episode with Jack had been a panic attack. All the more reason she should have gone and been as far away from them as possible. But there she stood next to her car, hip cocked out on the back end and her hands clasped in front of her.
She was not who he expected when he pulled up in the rest stop. Her voice didn’t do her justice.
Fuck, she was pretty. Not in the way the women he dated were. Marissa barely had on a trace of makeup except for her lashes. Her wavy dark hair fell down her back. He clenched his fist. Bet it’s soft. She straightened from the car and jerked her head in his direction. The corners of her lips perked up as if she knew she was getting a reaction from him. He straightened his fingers, trying his best to ignore his attraction to the stranger.
He stared back, resisting the urge of returning her smile. Though he wanted to. In fact, it took great effort not to. He tightened his jaw. Her smile fell, and she slowly turned her back to him. He zeroed in on her ass. Fuck me. Her sweatshirt covered her top half but her jeans, they were molded to her like a second skin.
“What the fuck, old man?” Kase threw his hands up and turned around toward the woods. To most people, Kase’s reaction would make him an obvious asshole, but Caden knew better. Beyond the frustration, Kase was hurting, they all were. They were slowly losing their dad, piece by piece.
Cade stood shoulder to shoulder with his father. Dementia was eating away at a man who was once regarded as a legendary president of the Ghosttown Riders. Now, he was a shell. It was hard to see the strong man he once idolized transform into a weak, scared old man. Each of them had a different way of dealing with it. As hard as it was, Caden handled it with as much care and patience as he could drum up. Kase, on the other hand, got angry and pissy. He respected and loved his dad as much as Caden, but he wasn’t equipped with the tolerance. Caden had a feeling Kase’s anger was projected onto his dad from seeing the man deteriorate right before his eyes.
