Staring directly into my eyes, she asked, “Do you want to leave?”
Even with her unflinching gaze and my urge for distance from the judgments she must be making about me, I shook my head.
“Then why should you leave?”
I shrugged as she took a drag on her cigarette.
“Bailey needs a good man. Not only because I want my baby to be happy, but because a bad man would hurt her and end up in a shallow grave. I don’t want a dead son-in-law, so only a good man will do for Bailey.”
“Was that a threat?”
“Only if you’re a bad man.”
“I don’t think I’m bad. I’m not necessarily good though.”
Jodi smirked. “Nick, you’re a fucking Boy Scout next to the men I know and love.”
“And that’s a good thing, right? You know, so you don’t end up with a dead son-in-law.”
“Exactly. I like how you defended Bailey at that party last year. Just because I want someone nice don’t mean I want a coward.”
When I said nothing, Jodi squinted at me. “Bailey told me about your parents. Losers who did a shit job. No wonder you look at me like that.”
“She told you my parents were losers?”
“No, she told me your mom was a druggie who ditched you. Your dad wasn’t a winner either. I put the loser stamp on them myself. Am I wrong?”
I shook my head.
“When Bailey is feeling better, you two should come to the house for dinner. Let Kirk get to know you. He’ll growl and glare. The whole mean daddy routine, but he’s glad you’re not a punk ass loser from a frat house or that stupid deputy. I swear Bailey has the worst taste,” Jodi said, dropping her cigarette in the sink and running water over it. “I always worried she’d marry some pothead who wrote poetry. Or a mean fucker Kirk would make disappear. I like this turn of events with you. Kirk will like them too when he’s done giving you shit.”
I smiled tightly. “I just want Bailey to be happy.”
“Don’t you care about being happy too?”
“Sure.”
“Yeah, I can tell you had a shitty mom. It happens. Mine was a bitch too.”
I finally smiled for real and Jodi returned it.
“You’ll probably get sick from being around her,” she warned.
“I grew up in so much filth that I’m immune to most germs.”
“There’s always an upside to everything. I never get sick either, but my kids are weak because I raised them well.”
When we smiled, her expression relaxed me and I realized she shared her daughter’s smile. I loved when Bailey grinned. When she laughed, the world was magic.
Chapter Fifteen ~ Bailey
I spent my life avoiding embarrassment. When I tripped or spilled something, I tended to throw a fit as a way to distract from my original mistake. Lark pointed out how I was actually drawing attention to my dorkiness by reacting like a child. Since her loving lecture, I’d been teaching myself to handle the initial embarrassing moments with more class.
Waking up covered in drool and snot was more than embarrassing. I flew into a panic mode and nearly toppled off the bed. Noticing Nick was missing, I assumed he got one look at my nastiness and made a run for it.
Instead, I heard him in the living room with Mom. After hurrying to the bathroom to wash away the nasty, I joined them. Nick sat on one end of the couch while Mom sat at the other. She was telling him about Sawyer’s curls and how I’d gotten lucky by getting Pop’s straight hair.
“Just warning you that you might have curly haired kids,” she finished then smiled at me. “How you feeling, baby?”
“Awkward.”
Nick grinned at me, but he seemed relaxed. My mom had worn down his efforts to keep her at bay like I knew she would eventually. She was the same way with Farah. Pushing and nagging until Farah opened up and lost her walls.
“I brought you soup,” Mom said, walking to me and checking my face. “No fever. Wanna eat?”
Glancing past her to Nick, I mumbled. “In a little bit.”
“Since Nick wants to take care of you, I’ll leave for a while. I’ll be back after dinner to bring you leftovers.”
Forgetting my embarrassment, I smiled at Nick. “We have great leftovers.”
Nick returned my smile with an easy one of his own. As soon as Mom was out the door, he popped up from the couch and erased the space between us. I opened my mouth to protest his impending kiss, but Nick shut me up.
His lips sucked hungrily on mine until I started laughing. Nick pulled back and frowned. Once he realized I wasn’t laughing at him, he kissed me again.
Somehow, we moved to the couch without me falling down. I wasn’t the most coordinated chick, but Nick held me just right and I let him lead.
“You really are going to get sick,” I mumbled when he let me breathe.
Jumping up, he hurried to the kitchen to get me a cup of fresh coffee. When he returned, Nick smiled brightly. “I better stop kissing you or you’ll suffocate.”
“Did my mom talk your ear off?”
“She’s like a shorter version of you.”