Page 28 of Still Forever
“What’s up, baby?” He asked as he tried to hold the drinks that he had just purchased and me.
“I missed you,” I admitted. My father worked a lot, so it wasn’t often that he was able to just be free. In many ways, he reminded me of Jaxon. Always moving, always providing, but never still enough to be caught.
“I missed you, too,” he said as we parted, and he pulled out a hundred-dollar bill to tip the bartender.
I grabbed a couple of drinks from him as we walked through the grassy area until we reached my mother. She was sitting there underneath the umbrella, looking like she’d rather die than break a sweat. Golf clubs made by Bentley were sitting near her.
“Good morning, Kennedy,” she said as she stood from her chair and kissed me on both cheeks before she sat again.
“Morning,” I said dryly, forcing a smile. It was hard to hide how I was feeling about her at the moment, but I was going to enjoy my day, nonetheless.
Before I could even ask my father about how business was going and how long he would be home, my mother jumped right into the motive for her invitation.
“So, Kennedy, Taj was telling me that you all were having some sort of an issue, and he wanted me to step in. I thought that since I played matchmaker once, I could also play therapist. I may not have a degree, but I do have experience.” She laughed.
“Daddy, please get your wife.” I pleaded as I walked over to him and put my head on his shoulder. His eyebrow rose in suspicion as his eyes shot from his phone to her.
“Karen, leave my baby alone. Don’t invite her out to ambush her. It seems like she doesn’t want to be bothered, to me.” He scoffed. He immediately came to my defense without knowingthe backstory. It caused me to give her a look that made me feel like a kid.That’s what you get.
“Honey, I was just-”
“Karen.” He gave her a final warning. My father was the only person who my mother gave soft girl energy. Everyone else got the version of her that nobody liked.
When he was done sending his email, he pulled me away to talk to me. Her face changed as soon as he did because she knew I was going to sing like a canary. No sooner than he asked the question, I let the floodgates open. I told him everything. The breakup with Jaxon, the breakfast, Taj, Jaxon’s return, everything minus the fact that Jaxon was now engaged, and the reason why we hadn’t reconciled just yet.
“You know how I feel about Jaxon,” he said. I nodded. My father and Jax had the best relationship. Over the years, their bond was no longer about me. They hung out together, made plans with each other, and included me later if they chose to. To my father, Jaxon was the son he never had. Despite whatever Jax did in the streets, he knew the Jaxon Jennings that I had fallen in love with, and that was enough for him.
“I know.”
“I like Taj too, but that’s because I supervise him. Karen didn’t tell me she tried to get you to date him. Truthfully, I want you and Jax to work it out and see it through. I’m different from your mother. I don’t care who you love as long as he loves you harder, treats you like a princess, and would take a bullet for you. Jaxon would give one and take one. You don’t come across that every day. Lack of time isn’t unforgivable; work through it if it’s worth fighting for.” He said as he placed a kiss on my forehead and, without giving me a chance to respond, pulled me back in the direction of my mother.
As soon as I took a sip of the Transfusion, and the vodka entered my body, the awkwardness of seeing my mother dieddown. Then my father tried to teach me for the hundredth time how to play golf. I missed every swing, and I hadn’t laughed this much in weeks. By the time I had finished making a fool of myself, I had ten people surrounding me, encouraging me, and laughing.
“Daughter, you have many talents, my dear, but golf is not one of them,” My mother said as she picked up her drink and wiped a tear from her eye. She had been laughing so hard she cried. We gathered our things and prepared to leave.
My father loaded her bag of clubs onto the golf cart, and we rode to the front entrance. We both gave the valet attendants our tickets.
“We need to do lunch soon. Next time, don’t sneak back home without calling your only child.” I scolded him as he embraced me while we waited for the cars to be brought to us.
“You going to the office later?” He asked.
“No, I think I’m going to have a self-care day,”
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a stack of cash, and handed it to me without counting it.
“I can fund your relaxation day until my son comes back home. Let me know when you want to do lunch,” He chuckled and kissed my forehead. My mother scoffed and rolled her eyes. She always hated how close Jax and my father were. She told him that being around Jaxon was going to get him a RICO charge, but he never cared.
“Thank you, daddy,” I said just as the Valet attendant came back with my car and handed me the keys. I peeled off a bill to tip him before walking around to the driver’s door.
My father yelled after me, “taught you well.” I turned to him and laughed, blowing him a kiss, and then disappeared into the sun for a day of relaxation.
My spur-of-the-moment self-care day was well spent. My nail tech must have gotten cracked good the night before, because she gave me the best pedicure ever and a fire Russian manicure. Normally, I only let one girl in the shop thread my eyebrows, but I tried another girl, and they came out perfectly. It was a sign of good things coming.
I went from store to store, courtesy of Leon, then took myself to a restaurant to sit at the bar and wind down with a couple of drinks. The restaurant I had chosen was one I had visited many times. I loved the atmosphere, and the food here was always a hit.
“Excuse me, ma’am, you don’t mind if I take a seat here, do you?” I turned around to see an older gentleman standing beside me. He had a salt-and-pepper beard, was a little on the shorter side, and was well-groomed and dressed. I figured that he wouldn’t be a bother, and even if he was, I technically couldn’t stop him from taking an empty seat anyway.
“No, I don’t,” I gave him a smile and turned back to my lobster rolls.
