Page 65 of Apex of the Curve

“Aw yeah? How’s that?”

“Headed out to the cabin with Mitch for some fishin’ at the lake.”

“Alright, good deal.” I nodded.

“How you doin’, Aspen?” he called out to my girl, and I felt my eyebrows go up. He never gave a fuck about any of the women I’d brought around before.

“I’m good, Vyking. How about you?”

“Doin’ alright.”

They chatted, and I stood kind of gobsmacked, lookin’ at my dad like he’d grown some kind of second head. Aspen shouldered her purse and her briefcase and came around her car. She and my pops went back and forth amicably for a moment and I watched the exchange, curious.

My old man was a mystery sometimes, and this was one of them. Like, hadn’t he just been the one warning my ass off of her? What the fuck?

I held out my hand to my woman at a natural break in the conversation and she came to me, slipping her hand into mine.

“Well, have fun at the cabin,” she said with a laugh.

“Not as much as you two are plannin’ to do,” my dad said with a lecherous wink which sent Aspen into a slightly uncomfortable giggle, her face flushing pink.

“Why you always gotta be a creepy asshole?” I muttered, and my dad laughed.

“Just remember, boy, you’re a chip off the ol’ block.”

I rolled my eyes and shot back, “I think I got enough of Mom in me to balance me out.” His face fell into a bit of a glower.

“You sure about that?” he asked as I led Aspen through the back door in front of me.

“Maybe not as much as I’d like,” I conceded. That’d been a low fuckin’ blow even for me, but he’d made my girl uncomfortable, even if he didn’t mean shit by it. I think I’d given him a sharp enough reminder to stay in his own fuckin’ lane. We made eye contact, and he gave me a nod.

We were cool, he knew and could accept what I was puttin’ down, picking it up just fuckin’ fine.

“Sorry about him,” I said as I shut the door behind us. “Sometimes he gets too familiar, too quick.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Aspen declared.

“No, it wasn’t, and it won’t happen again,” I promised.

“You don’t need to talk to him about it or anything,” she said soothingly, and I grinned at her.

“You’re cute,” I told her. “I just did. My dad and I have a long history of fuckin’ with each other. Doesn’t mean he gets to mess with you, not until you’re ready. The thing to know is you gotta dish it right back. You can’t let him roll you. He’ll lose respect, quick.”

She nodded and considered me a moment then said, “Your family has some strange ways.”

I chuckled. “Ain’t nothing to do with family. My dad was in prison for a lot of mine and my sister’s childhood. We’re more club brothers than father and son in a lot of ways.”

“Oh, that’s right, I’m sorry,” she murmured.

“Nothing to apologize for, baby. Just explains a few things, yeah?”

She smiled and nodded then said, “Let me put this upstairs and then, I guess it’s all down to what are we watching?”

“What are you hungry for?” I asked, and she twisted her lips back and forth in indecision. “What don’t you like?” I asked finally.

“Not a big fan of green peppers,” she said honestly, but I could tell she was drawing a blank otherwise.

“I’ll order a pizza, no green peppers. Mushrooms and olives okay?”

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