Page 24 of Enemies with Benefits
I rolled my eyes. “Don't look like I'm being mean to him."
"You kind of are."
"He's a full-grown man who's capable of defending himself."
"True."
"Ugh, fine, quit looking like a scolded puppy. If it makes you feel better, his old man also makes it make sense."
Kayden stared at me for a moment before clearing his throat. “What do you mean?"
"You know about him...right?"
"I know...enough."
"Right, then you know he was a bastard. Which is putting it mildly, but it's not right for me to talk about his old man whenhe's not around. We know what kind of monster he was, and we should both know he was a cop too. In a twisted, fucked up way, it makes sense that Jace would follow in his footsteps. Maybe it's to erase whatever his dad was, to prove that someone in their family could be a cop without being an abuser, or maybe he just wanted to have some real justice in the city. I don't know, I'm not a shrink, just a bartender turned club owner who learned a few things about people and how fucked up they are when they have daddy issues."
Kayden's brow rose slowly. “Wow, that was...almost nice. Well, not nice, but...understanding. A little nice, though, because you're clearly not a fan of his dad and aren't putting them on the same level."
I scowled. “Jace is an insufferably arrogant asshole who thinks he's the sole keeper of what is right and wrong, and who thinks he’s above anyone else so should be taken seriously at all times despite being just another clown in a world of clowns...but he's not evil."
"Just annoying."
"Right."
"So...you aren't worried about your sister talking to him alone?"
At that, I laughed. “Of course, I had a moment of it. Jace has always had a temper, but Moira is...I don't have to worry about her. She's mostly got a good head on her shoulders. Plus, you can't blame a guy for being worried. She's about to drop some heavy news on him, and reasonable or not, that's my sister, and I worry about her sometimes."
"I've got a couple of younger sisters," Kayden said with a shrug. "I know how it goes."
"Try sharing a womb with one."
"Mmm, I'm good. I saw what it was like for them to share a room for a while there, and that was ugly enough."
"We did that until we were about twelve. Our choice, though, not our parents."
"Really? I’m not sure at twelve I would have wanted to share a room with any sibling."
I shrugged. “Despite our differences, we've always felt...comfortable with one another. More than with anyone else. It just came easily to us. Even now we're older, we've got our separate lives, our own problems and...secrets, but for me, she's just...Moira."
"Secrets like...who the dad of your nephew is?"
"Yeah, that one...well, that'll take a little longer for me to figure out how to deal with it. That's...a lot."
"Just imagine being him."
"True. Speaking of, why did you push her to tell him? Would he even care enough to step up, or what? I don't know him like that, and obviously I'm not the person to come to if you want a fair assessment of his character."
Kayden chewed his bottom lip for a moment before shrugging. "Because...he didn't get a choice, she made that choice for him. Whether those reasons were good ones or not, she still took that choice from him. And I think it's time she gave that power back...even if he will be pissed that she took it from him...but understanding why she did it."
"You think?"
"I've been his partner for ten years, and his best friend for that long. I don't just think, I know. He won't know who to be madder at, her or himself."
"Hmph."
"I don't blame you for not being convinced."
