“Luc, can we stop talking about this now? I’m the father and you’re the son. Let’s leave it at that for now. Please?”
“For now.” Luc had never seen his father so down before, and he’d been really low before, being a widower and trying to raise a little boy. They had been through a lot together. But this was different. His father was almost sad, or embarrassed.
Whether he liked it or not, he was going to stay with Luc for at least a week, maybe more. And his dad was going to have to let Luc take care of him for once. Luc wasn’t giving up, just moving on for the moment. Because in all honesty, there wasn’t much left to discuss. “Okay.”
His dad’s face brightened up as the subject changed. “You got yourself a girl yet?”
He did have a girl, and he wanted to scream it from the rooftops. The only thing stopping him was a pebble of fear. Fear that his working relationship with Kaden, and the fact that Kaden was her brother, might be the one thing that pulled her away. “That’s complicated. It’s something I’d like to talk to you about while you’re here. But not right now. If you can behave, then I have a friend I’d like you to meet. I’ll ask her if she wants to stop by tonight for pizza.” Luc had already decided he missed Kassie and needed to see her tonight.
“A girl, huh? Friend? I’ve got a feeling there’s more to this than you’re saying. But I’d love to meet her. And don’t worry; I’ll behave around your girlfriend.” His dad winked.
Luc opened his loft door to a smiling Kassie. She had a six pack of hard lemonade in her hand. Her long brown hair was up in a ponytail, and she was dressed very casually, as though his text invite to dinner had interrupted her day at the gym. She had on leggings and a long sleeved Renegades t-shirt, covered by a hooded sweatshirt.
“Hey, sweets. Did I interrupt your run?” Luc nodded to her outfit.
“Actually, you kind of did.” She giggled in her girly way. “I was getting ready to go running when I got your text. So instead of my run, I grabbed my keys and hit the beer distributor. I can always run twice as long tomorrow.” Kassie set the six pack in his hands and walked into the loft.
Luc’s eyes followed her hips as she entered his home and moved down the hallway. “I should interrupt your runs more often,” he said, as low as he could manage.
Kassie threw a sly look over her shoulder, her ponytail flipping as she did. Her lips formed a tight line, and the edges turned up in an almost evil grin. It was hot. Her swagger quickly halted when she noticed his dad.
“Sorry, I forgot to mention my dad was here. You know, for the Dads’ Trip and all.” He should’ve put that in his invite. Assuming she remembered the Dads’ Trip was poor judgement, because her and Kaden’s dad was no longer with them, so it wasn’t like they were planning their week around the special event.
Luc wrapped his arm around her waist and ushered her into the living room of his loft. “Kassie, this is my dad, Joe. Dad, this is my—my friend, Kassie.”
He hated how the words sounded as they exited his mouth. My friend. But she didn’t even flinch at them. Instead, she stuck her hand out to his dad.
“Mr. Marcella. Nice to meet you.”
“You too, young lady.” He shook her hand. “If my son had any brains in his head, you wouldn’t be just his friend.”
“Dad!” Heat filled Luc’s face. He threw his dad a look to cut it out, before he offered Kassie a seat on the couch beside him. “The pizza just got here; we should eat while it’s hot.”
But Kassie just grinned at the comment from his father.
They hadn’t talked labels. Were they friends? Were they more? After yesterday, he hoped they were more than just friends. But he wasn’t used to having that discussion.
“Did I hear that you run?” his dad asked.
Kassie nodded with pride. “I try to run almost every day. I ran track in school. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed doing.”
“Here Dad, eat.” Luc handed him a plate with a slice, hoping it would shut him up. Not having the time to talk about Kassie yet, he was now thinking this little meeting was a bad idea.
His dad graciously accepted and nodded as if he had read Luc’s mind. He never brought it up again as they ate pizza and enjoyed the cold alcohol. Well, his dad enjoyed bottled water. The conversation stayed far away from Kassie being Kaden’s sister.
Luc did his best to guide what they talked about, but it was unnecessary. The food and the drinking filled the gaps, and it turned out to be a nice evening.
The one thing he didn’t enjoy was how far away Kassie felt. He couldn’t flirt like he usually did; his dad would see right through that. He tried to keep his hands full with a drink to make sure he didn’t slip up and move a rogue hair behind her ear or put his hand on her thigh. All things he desperately wanted to do. But the way his dad watched them with a smile on his face, it was obvious that he already knew.
The pizza was gone and it was getting late. Taking her hand in his, and folding his fingers in hers, Luc walked Kassie to the door. A quick check over his shoulder told him that his dad was within ear shot. The older version of Luc turned on the television and flipped through the channels, but Luc knew from experience that he was listening.
At the closed door, Luc held onto the doorjamb with one hand and her hand in the other, doing his best to keep his cool. It had been a long night of too much space between them. He wanted to be back where they were yesterday. His dad being there hadn’t given them a chance to really talk about where they stood, or what came next.
“Let me walk you to your car.” Luc grabbed for his jacket.
Kassie shook her head. “No, you have company. Stay and visit with your dad. I’ll be fine.”
“It’s no problem. I’d feel better if I walked you out.”
Kassie shyly chuckled. She looked over her shoulder at the parking lot. “Luc, my car is right over there. You can watch me walk to it, but it’s a safe neighborhood.”
He felt like he was being rude not walking her out, plus it was the perfect opportunity to grab a kiss.
Looking at her car, it wasn’t but a few yards away. Kassie was right; she’d be fine. Luc bent his head down close to Kassie’s ear, his voice low. “Sweets, we have practice early afternoon tomorrow. The dads will all be there, but do you think you can make it? I’d love for you to be there, too.”
He didn’t mean for their faces to be so close, his lips only inches from hers. His heart thudded in his chest, and his pulse raced. Her brown eyes were trained on his, and eventually she nibbled at her lower lip. She obviously felt the same warmth that he did; it showed all over her blushing face.
“Um, I work tomorrow, but if I can get away early, I’ll be there,” she said, looking into his eyes.
Luc’s grip tightened on the doorjamb. He ran his thumb along the palm of her hand. It was all he could do to not tip her chin up and kiss those luscious lips. “I hope to see you there.”