Page 21 of Skid
Dad broke my train of thought when he said, “I get that. I like her, too, but there are things to consider.”
“Just say what you gotta say.”
“It’s hard enough to start something when it’s just the two of you, but it’s something altogether different when there’s a kid involved.”
“You and Jenna managed.”
“Yeah, we did, but we’ve had our struggles.”
“Her using your razor isn’t a struggle, Dad.”
“Now, see. That right there shows you got no idea what you’re getting into,” he huffed. “There’s nothing worse than shaving with a dull-ass razor.”
“I don’t know. I think I could come up with a couple of things that would be worse, like having an itch you can’t reach or a bad case of blue balls.”
“Damn.” Dad shook his head as he teased, “I don’t know where I went wrong with you.”
I was giving him a hard time, but I knew exactly what he meant. Laken and I had reached that phase where it was hard to keep our hands off each other. That wasn’t always easy with a kid underfoot. Hell, it was damn near impossible. But I had a good feeling about things. I knew the time would come when things would get easier.
I inhaled a deep breath, and my mouth started watering at the smell of steaks on the grill. Dad and I were cooking out in the backyard while Jenna and Laken took care of things in the kitchen. Luna and Baylor had been inseparable since the minute they met, running around playing with all of Luna’s toys.
I flipped one of the steaks, letting the flames sear it before moving it to the side. Dad took a pull from his beer, watchingme like he always did, making sure I didn’t fuck something up. I heard Laken and Jenna laughing inside, and I couldn’t help but smile.
I turned my attention back to the grill, and it wasn’t long before Dad asked, “How’s she liking the gig at the casino?”
“She’s really liking it, and she’s good at it, too.” Sergei and his brothers owned the Black Crown, and after I’d helped his girl out of a precarious situation, he said he owed me one. I never expected to take him up on it, but I couldn’t stomach the idea of Laken spending another day in that Godforsaken hotel. “She’s making a lot more money there, too.”
“That’s good. What about the kid?”
“They’ve got daycare on site, and they’re both pretty happy with it.” I gave him a half-shrug. “It’s good to see them finally get their footing, ya know?”
“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean.” He gave me one of his fatherly looks. “You really like this girl.”
“Yeah, I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Bullshit. You got that same look I had when I met Jenna. You think you’re hiding it, but you’re not. You can see it plain as day.”
“You and I are nothing alike.”
“We got more in common than you might think.” He chuckled. “One thing is for certain, we both know a good woman when we see one.”
“That we do.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the back door swing open, and Laken stepped out, her hair catching the last bit of the sunset. She looked over to me and smiled, and damn if it didn’t nearly knock me off my feet.
She walked over and placed her palms on my chest as she inched up on her tiptoes and gave me a quick kiss. I had to fightthe urge to pull her back for another, but with Dad standing right there, I decided against it.
After we finished grilling, we went inside and ate. Dinner was damn good, but I wasn’t surprised. Dad had taught me how to make a hell of a steak, and with the girls’ extra fixings, it was a great meal. But it wasn’t the food that made it a great night. It was the company. Laken made it easy.
She just fit, and she did it without even trying.
She laughed at Dad’s stories, helped clear the plates even when Jenna told her she had it, and smiled at me across the table like I meant something to her. That was enough to make my night right there, but it was far from over.
Once we finished up with dinner, Dad lit up the fire pit, and while Luna and Baylor watched a movie inside, the four of us sat by the fire and had a cold one. We hadn’t been sitting there long when Dad glanced over at me with a smirk. “You remember when you were younger, maybe seven or eight, when you found that old toad down by the creek?”
“No idea what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do,” he pushed. “It was a fat, slimy thing, and you got it in your head that you wanted to keep it as a pet.”
