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“You can’t be drinking, Abby.” I take her hand in mine so she doesn’t rush away. “The club could get into a lot of trouble, and we won’t even discuss how much shit you’ll be in with your dad. You know, the cop.”
“There’s no need to tell my dad.” She scowls now, and her face gets redder. “Don’t be an asshole, Sophie. It’s just a couple of sips.”
“And that’s not allowed, Abby. So yeah, that makes me an asshole.” I flag Stella and Josie over as Abby actively tries to pull away from me. She succeeds and ends up flat on her ass.
“What’s going on?” Stella asks and then tilts her head to the side. “Oh, someone’s plowed.”
“I am not,” Abby says as she stands. “Sophie assaulted me.”
I sputter and then laugh out loud.
“I’ll call your dad,” Josie says, taking her phone out of her bag, but Abby violently shakes her head and snatches Josie’s phone out of her hand.
“No. Do not call him. I don’t know why this is such a big deal. It was only a few sips.”
“Enough to mess you up, and that’s not cool. The underage crew knew the deal going into this,” Stella says firmly. “We love being with you, but we don’t supply you with alcohol. So yeah, we’re calling your dad, and you can go home.”
The music has stopped now, and the other cousins are circling around us.
“For fuck’s sake, Abs.” This comes from Finn, Abby’s younger brother, and he looks damn pissed off. “Now you’ve screwed it up for the rest of us, and they won’t invite us to the fun stuff anymore.”
“Yeah, it’s all about you,” Abby spits at Finn. “God forbid someone ruins anything for you.”
“Okay, we’re going to wait for Matt outside.” I take Abby’s hand again and lean in to whisper in her ear. “Do not say another word and ruin this for Olivia. Do you hear me? March your ass outside with me and get some fresh air.”
She closes her mouth, and I guide her out the door. I can feel Ike behind us, and I appreciate him being there, having my back.
“I can’t believe they called my dad.”
Abby’s wearing a simple, short dress, and she starts to shiver in the cool spring air.
Ike wraps his jacket around her.
“If you hadn’t decided to drink when you absolutely know that’s not cool, we wouldn’t have. Besides, I can’t believe you acted like a spoiled teenager and tried to ruin Olivia’s night.”
She’s quiet for a minute, then shrugs a shoulder. “I just wanted to see what it was like.”
“There’s a time and place for everything, and this wasn’t it. But part of being young is learning those things.”
“My dad’s gonna kill me.”
“Maybe.”
She looks at me with wide blue eyes, and her eyes fill with tears. “Will you talk to him?”
“Nope. Sorry, babe, you’re gonna face the music on this one.”
“Damn it.” The tears are miraculously gone.
“You’re a handful, aren’t you?” Ike says with a laugh, speaking for the first time. “Don’t let that get out of control and ruin a lot of things for you.”
“You don’t understand how much it sucks to be one of the youngest in this family. We’re left out of everything; we don’t get to have fun.”
“Yeah, it’s a tough life for you.” I roll my eyes as Matt speeds up to the curb, and his brakes squeal as he stops.
When he gets out of the car and aims his intense, angry gaze at his daughter, even I feel nervous.
Not that he would ever hurt her. But yeah, there are going to be some consequences for this one.
“Get in the car.”
“Daddy—”
“Not one word, Abigail. In the car.”
She rolls her eyes and gets into the passenger seat, and Matt turns to me. “How bad?”
“Just bad enough to be a little too brave with her attitude and get a little sloppy.”
“The attitude isn’t new.” He nods once, then narrows his eyes on Ike. “I don’t know you.”
“Ike.” He offers his hand to shake. “Ike Harrison. Nice to meet you.”
Matt’s eyes move from Ike to me and then back to Ike. “Likewise. Is this a thing now?”
“Yeah,” I reply with a sweet smile. “It’s a thing. I love you. Don’t kill her.”
He gazes at Ike again, then leans in and kisses my cheek. “Love you back. See you later.”
He gets back into his car and pulls away.
“Well, talk about family drama,” I say brightly as I turn to Ike and lean into him. “Sorry about that. It’s unusual for us.”
“Are you kidding? I haven’t been this entertained in ages.”
I laugh, and we turn back to the club.
“What now?” he asks. “Do you want to keep dancing for a while?”
“Actually, I do. I want to dance, have one more drink, and enjoy some of the people I love the most in the world.”
