Page 32 of Bad for Me

“Is she…?” I can’t say the word. My throat squeezes closed as I reassume my progression toward him.

“I’m alright,” Meredith groans, lifting her head off Dad’s chest.

My shoulders sag and I let out a heavy sigh of relief. Staggering forward, I reach out to take her from Dad’s arms. He tightens his hold on her. Meredith lifts her head and turns to look at me. Blood leaks from a cut along her forehead. Beneath it is a large lump, the size of a baseball.

“Thank God.” I reach out again, but my dad moves Meredith just out of the way. I scowl.

“Give her your jacket,” Dad orders sharply. “I’ll get her in the car while we wait for the cops to show up. Where’s Justin?”

I shrug off my jacket at once and throw it over Meredith who gives me a weak smile. Once it’s tucked over her, Dad heads toward the car.

“Hey, did he hurt you?” I ask her, following them.

Meredith shakes his head. “No… Bernard, Justin’s a client of yours.”

“Yes, I know. I’ll have to give the cops his information.”

“He’ll tell the cops what he saw,” Meredith says, lowering her voice as five police cars come barreling down the road toward us. Their flashing lights are striking against the white snow, and the soft glow from the sparse streetlamps lining the street. Lights across from us at a neighbor's house flicker on. As do those of the other homes around us. “And he saweverything.”

I open the passenger door so Dad can lower her into the car.

“Oh yeah?” I glance toward my dad, who shrugs.

“Then we deal with the consequences… Unless you would rather our time together remain a secret?”

The three of us all exchange looks before Dad and I stare down at Meredith. Her brows furrow and the corners of her pretty lips tilt downward.

“You want me to lie?”

Dad shrugs. “No, not ifyoudon’t want to.”

Her pupils narrow on him as she shoves her arms through the sleeves of my jacket and tucks her feet under her.

“If you’re worried about the video, we won’t leak it,” I assure her. “That’s for no one else’s eyes. We knew what we were doing, and maybe it was fucked up but—” I shrug, “—I’d do it again just to have a taste of you.”

I flash her a grin even as my stomach tightens. Great, we could be in for some jail time. It’s not that we didn’t know this was a possibility when we decided to officially claim Meredith. But I’d just hoped…

“Isaac is right. If Justin turns us in and you confirm his story, then we won’t fight the consequences.” He sighs. “We didn’t get much time to show you what life could be like, Meredith, but I don’t, for one second, believe you can doubt how great we’d be together.”

The squad cars surround us, coming to a stop. Cops start to climb out and shouting begins to pepper the air. Three police officers rush toward us. I watch them close in, my heart in my throat. Shit, we may be getting arrested. I should tell Meredith about tampering with her birth control. She needs to know in case?—

“We were having dinner together. You invited me over and then he broke in,” Meredith says, lowering her voice. “I’m just a family friend that also happens to work for you, Bernard.”

I look down at her in surprise. Her expression is grim as she looks from Dad to me.

“The past few days have been the best of my life, minus this,” she waves a hand toward the cops that are helping Justin to his feet. “So, if the offer still stands… If you still want to try?—”

“Yes, absolutely,” I cut her off, grinning ear to ear.

Dad smiles too. “Dinner it is. Keep in mind that I made the most delicious turkey…”

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