Page 227 of Catch Me
*Kai removed West from the chat*
“I legitimately hate it here,” I said.
“I think it’s entertaining.”
“Of course you do.”
A knock on the door made me stand straighter. Travis rubbed his hands up and down my arms while I questioned the sanity of inviting my dad here. Now, I was wondering if having Travis with me would make it worse, but then I decided that I didn’t care.
“Should I get it?” he asked.
“Am I a pussy if I say yes?”
He frowned. “Let’s not be like that. You’re allowed to feel things, baby.”
“I know. Sorry, it’s just . . .”
“You don’t have to explain. Start another pot of coffee, then we’ll all sit down and talk.”
He used my chin to make me look at him, then he kissed me softly. It helped until he walked away. Not wanting to give myself time to get lost in my head, I started getting the coffee ready.
I glanced to the side when I heard the door open. Travis was the picture of warm and friendly, as usual. Hopefully, that would help.
“Mr. Valdez,” he greeted, motioning for him to come in. “I’m Travis McKinney. I heard you’re a fan of the team.”
My dad came into view and his eyes landed on me. I couldn’t tell what exactly was on his face, but it wasn’t entirely pleasant. When Travis held out his hand, my dad ignored it.
“I know who you are,” he replied shortly.
“Hey, Dad.” I smiled at him and started the coffee, then ambled out of the kitchen. “It’s good to see you.”
“Yeah, it was nice of you to answer me after, what, a month? Not including this entire year.”
“Sorry.” I intended to say more, but everything else got stuck in my throat.
“I thought we’d be alone.”
“I never said that.”
There was a long stretch of silence that hung between us. He stared at me, and this time, I recognized the underlying hostility that he tried to hide. I could tell Travis saw it too, judging by the way he flexed his fingers every once in a while.
“Would you like coffee, sir?”
My dad looked at him with pursed lips, then nodded. I moved to the couch and sat down, feeling grateful that there was a small chair in the corner where he could sit. The loveseat was all that would fit onthis wall, and I’d only bought the chair last week in preparation for this. It was cramped, but it worked.
“How’ve you been?” I asked. “How are Kathy and the kids?”
“Good. Everyone’s good.”
He took off his jacket and hung it on the back of the chair before he sat down. With his tattoo sleeves visible, he looked more menacing. Somehow, they felt like a threat.
Travis handed a mug to my dad, then one to me. He sat down, pressing his thigh against mine, even though there was room for him not to touch me if he wanted to. It made me panic a little, but I was glad for his closeness.
“Are you going to explain?” Dad asked.
“I’m not really sure what you want me to say,” I admitted. “You saw the game.”
“What the fuck was that about, Roman?”
