Joke’s on You by Lani Lynn Vale Page 0,18

rose to his hairline. “No shit?”

“No shit,” I said. “Something happened, though. Something with my mom, him, and his dad. I’m not sure what. He moved here when he was young. And since he was a dual-citizen, he joined the Army, became all that he could be, and controlled our lives all the way from here. When my mom died, he moved us from Iceland here, and things haven’t been the same since. Honestly, he left that place and never looked back. Our family over there, our Grams and papa, my mother’s parents, stayed behind. And we missed them like crazy. Yet he didn’t care. He wouldn’t let us go home, ever. And now they’ve both since passed away.”

“Sounds like a real quality guy. I hate to say that I don’t know him all that well,” he murmured sarcastically.

I sat back, appetite gone. I did find Booth’s sarcastic words amusing, though.

“When Delanie wound up pregnant? That changed everything,” I said softly. “Our father just… snapped. It was really weird.” I rubbed my face, then leaned forward and started stress eating. Even though each bite of chicken made me feel lower than low.

“Did he try to get her to marry still?” Booth questioned.

I shook my head. “No. Not even once. Me, on the other hand? Yeah, me he tried to do the same thing to. When I told him that no, under no uncertain terms was I going to do it, he just accepted it. It was the weirdest thing ever.” I shook my head. “I think that’s the start of what made it really awkward between me and Kerrie. I refused to marry him, and it really upset him. He backed off after that.”

“Thank God.” He chuckled. “But you still have shit to do with your dad. You still hang out with him. Eat with him on certain weekends.”

I sighed.

“That’s Delanie’s fault,” I admitted. “When she had Asa, we were both young, dumb and broke. Neither one of us could afford to live on our own. Delanie moved out, and I used my credit card that I got from my dad to pay for her housing expenses, food, and other baby related expenses.”

“My family would have helped,” Booth interjected, sounding horrified.

I grinned. “It wasn’t that bad. I mean, after I told my dad no, that it flat out wasn’t going to happen, he just seemed to accept it. It was really weird. And it made me wonder had Delanie done the same thing, would he have accepted that, too?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. You’ll never know.” Booth leaned back into the crook of the outdoor couch, rolling his back over the arm to crack his spine. “What happened after that?”

“Dad never talked to Delanie again. I used my credit card to pay for all of Delanie’s things. Once a month, I would endure dinner with my father, so don’t judge…”

He held up his hand to stop me. “Who am I to judge you for helping protect my son?”

I sighed.

He had a point.

“Do you…” I blew out a breath. “I’ve always liked you, Booth.”

He sat up straighter, all signs of his earlier slouch gone.

“I’ve always liked you, too,” he admitted. “It’s just with Asa… and you not coming around back then? Like, it was a fuckin’ miracle to get you to talk to me. I honestly thought you hated me a little bit. And Kerrie was always there to block my every move—and you allowing it—I just didn’t think I had a chance.”

“That night.” I swallowed hard. “Do you remember it?”

He instantly looked lower than low.

“No, not much,” he admitted. “I remember drinking before you arrived at the party. Then I remember nervously drinking after you arrived. Not enough to impair my judgment that bad, though. I completely blacked out after your friend brought me that last round. Remember he had five beers in his hand? I don’t know why that always sticks with me so well. But yeah, that’s the last thing I can remember. Him holding all five beers in one hand. And then… nothing.”

“I just remember Kerrie giving us both beers,” Delanie said softly. “After that, I don’t remember anything.”

Why would that be the last thing that they both remembered?

But before I could really think about it too much more, my phone rang on the table.

I sighed and reached for it, looking at the screen.

“Dammit,” I muttered. “I have to take this.”

It was my alarm company, and they only ever called me when there was a problem.

Booth nodded and started