“No? Do you even know him?” she asked, and she was unsure why she was defending him. But she didn’t like the way he talked about Jordie. Even if he was right, she didn’t like it.
“He isn’t that kind of guy. He’s too busy screwing around.”
Kacey nodded, her throat tightening before looking up at him. “I know that, but I’d rather be alone than be with someone I don’t love.”
Liam tucked his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “Then we have nothing else to say.”
She nodded. “You’re right. We don’t.”
Going up on her toes, she kissed his cheek, but he flinched away, his anger apparent. But really, what did he expect? She’d never loved him. “I wish you the best. Good luck.”
Turning, she’d made it down the stairs when he called out, “You too, but believe me when I say you won’t have that with Jordie. He won’t ever do right by you. You’re crazy to let me go for a dude like him.”
Stopping and turning back around, she looked up at him. “I’m not leaving you for him. I’m leaving you for me,” she said, and she could tell that he didn’t like that one bit. But she had to stay true to herself. Their relationship had been a dead end since the beginning, but she’d kept driving down that road, praying something would open up. She refused to live a life that wasn’t what she wanted. She really did regret hurting Liam—he was a good guy, but she wasn’t living for him. She was living for her.
Waving, she said, “Bye, Liam.”
“Bye, Kacey,” he called, and when she turned, she heard the door shut and she shook her head.
That was hard, but not as hard as talking to Jordie was about to be.
When she pulled into the parking lot of El Bracero, the first person she saw was Jordie. She figured he’d get a table and wait for her like he had before, so it was easy to say she was surprised. When she got out of the car, he came off the stone pillar he was leaning against, his smile taking up his whole face, which was a hard feat with the beard he was sporting.
She hadn’t gotten to drink him in when her brother was using him as a punching bag, but now, as she closed the distance between them, she took in the fitted jeans and thin blue Henley he wore. His hair was back in a black ball cap, but his eyes weren’t covered by it. No, she could see the depths of those dark brown eyes a mile away. Also the fat lip and bruise on his jaw. Stupid Karson.
What she didn’t expect was to see her daddy come off the second stone pillar. Making a face as her brows touched, she said, “Daddy? What are you doing here?”
“I was the backup plan in case you didn’t show up,” he teased, sending a wink at Jordie as he laughed. They had always been close, always. Almost as close as Karson and her father were, but it was obvious that Jordie was definitely a part of the family. That was one of the reasons she’d fallen so hard for him. Her daddy loved him. When he slapped Jordie on the back, something just clicked in Kacey’s head.
“You knew about me and him?” she asked, and her dad looked back at her.
“Yeah, why?”
“How?”
He pointed to Jordie. “He told me.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“Yeah,” he said with a shrug.
“Is that why you threw a damn fit yesterday with Liam?” she asked and Karl laughed. She glared and she wasn’t sure why she even asked because she knew the truth before he answered.
“Yeah, I don’t like that guy. But I love this one,” he said like it was common knowledge, and she guessed it was. But still, he’d acted like a damn two-year-old!
“Daddy, you embarrassed the shit out of me!” she complained, but he only shrugged.
“Don’t date dudes that drive Priuses then,” he said with a grin and leaned over to kiss her cheek. “Really listen, Kace, don’t jump to conclusions,” he whispered before pulling away and pinching her nose. Taking a set of keys from Jordie, he looked back at Kacey. “Be good, kids.”
And then he walked away.
Shaking her head, she said, “I can’t believe him.”