Page 41 of Dangerous

“He is, although we should probably leave soon so I can get him fed and down for the night.”

“Then let’s head back.” Jason took my gloved hand in his as we started to walk back to where we’d parked his SUV.

“Katy? What are you doing here?” Peter stood before me. His breath turned the air white in front of me, making me think that he could be a dragon who was breathing fire.

“I told you I already had plans, and you asked if I could take Liam with me. Well, these were my plans. Don’t worry. Liam’s all bundled up. He spent part of the time in his sled, having fun, and now I’m carrying him.”

“Ka-ty,” Peter growled.

“Calm down. We’re on our way home so I can feed Liam and put him down for the night.”

“You’ll do that by yourself. No boyfriends allowed.”

I glared at him. How could he say that, embarrassing me like that in front of all these people including my boss. I yank my gaze off him, searching for Jason and Jarrod to get their support for Peter’s over the top behaviour, but they refused to meet my gaze. Well, fuck them. Fuck them all. I’d had enough. Yes, I was young. Geoff knew my age. He also knew how close I was to them. So, it was only these unknown guys that they didn’t want to know about me. Well, fine. I could act like they didn’t mean anything to me either. But I wouldn’t stop once I walked away.

“Let’s go, Ethan. I don’t want to be here anymore.”

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders, tucking me and Liam into him as Liam babbled away, unconcerned about what had just happened between his fathers and me. But I wouldn’t forget. Not after they’d broken me again.

29

Peter

Shit. I fucked up again. Watching her storm away with my son, wrapped up in his arms, broke me. I blinked furiously to keep the tears from falling. I wasn’t about to let these guys see how my interaction with Katy affected me. Doing so could be bad. I’m sure that’s why Jason and Jarrod didn’t say anything. But what could they have done to make her look like her heart had been ripped out before she found her anger to fuel her?

“I think we need some hot toddies to warm us up.”

I glanced over to Jason and Jarrod and found them looking at me with crazy smiles on their faces. I’m sure theirs matched the one on mine.

“What did I say that gave you all that look?” Geoff’s gaze darted between us, ignoring the other guys in our group.

I started to laugh as other memories; sweet memories of Katy ran through my mind. Fuck. I really screwed up. I needed to go home and apologize to her. I wasn’t sure what I’d say because I couldn’t even explain it to myself, but I needed to try.

“I think Jason should tell you the story because he had first-hand experience while Jarrod and I only heard about it. And while he’s doing that, I’m going to go look at that table for a gift.” It had been the last place Katy had been looking at. Maybe I could figure out if something had caught her eye and I could pick it up for her. An apology present to show her how much she meant to me.

As Jason began to tell them the story of how Katy had made my dad that drink after mom died to make him feel better, but since she was so young at the time, she’d made it so strong that you could have gotten drunk off the fumes. The story showcased who Katy was. No matter how old she was, she was always thinking of others. Even tonight, although she’d made plans with Ethan, she still came to our rescue, looking after Liam for us so we could go out and I threw it right back into her face.

Fuck.

As I stared at the jewellery, I felt a presence beside me.

“Looking for something for Katy?” I nodded, answering Jerrod’s question. “Yeah, that really wasn’t very smart. She’s pissed at you for sure.”

I glanced at him to see if he was pulling my leg, but he looked completely serious. “You do realize that whatever you and Jason did put you in the same position as me? She looked at you and I watched her heart break.”

He grabbed, spinning me to face him. “What are you talking about? We didn’t do anything. I didn’t even see her look at me.”

“Well, she did. Right after I stupidly told her that no boyfriends were allowed.”

“Fuck. I’d turned away because I didn’t want to see Ethan defend her or comfort her. It’s fucking hard to watch him with her even if it is supposed to be fake. It looks so fucking real that I get jealous.”

“Why do you think I snapped. I have to see them like that every day. And then he sits beside her in my class.”

Jarrod turned back to the table. “So, what are we buying her because we’ve all got some apologizing to do?”

Before we could decide on anything, Jason joined us. Jarrod and I quickly explained how we were looking for an apology gift and how Jason and Jarrod weren’t free of her ire. When nothing piqued our interest, we moved on to the next table and the next, looking for something new and unique. Despite our plans to spend the evening with the guys, we begged off, telling them that we wanted to spend a little time together since it was our first night out without Liam.

I think Geoff looked a little relieved since there were some obvious vibes between him and Tyler, the guy he’d rescued who’d turned out to be an old, estranged friend.

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