you earlier how I felt.”
“Why would you feel like a scum?”
“Because you might not have those
same feelings for me, and if you’d known, you might not have wanted to go the
extra step with this relationship, in case you thought I’d get hurt.”
“You have a weird sense of logic
that I’m only just beginning to appreciate.” He tugged her down again, into his
arms, then tipped her chin. “I have never felt this way about a woman. I’ve had
three serious relationships, and I’ve never felt like this. Three years and I never felt like this.”
“They all lasted three years?”
“Thereabouts.”
She was silent several heartbeats.
“That doesn’t mean you’re in love with me.” She wiggled her toes as if that
helped her think. “It’s a good start. At least you’re not running.”
“I’m done running, Randi.” He’d
been running for weeks now, from Jace with Taylor, from the sheer
incomprehensibility of it, from the final, irrefutable proof of Lou’s passing,
and from his own inability to set his family on the right path.
“Then I can say I love you again?”
“Yeah. What I’m feeling couldn’t be
anything else.” Yeah, it was love. It had to be. He wanted to give her
everything. He wanted to give her back her self-respect.
“Say it,” she whispered.
He could feel her held breath, her
body tense against him. “I love you, Randi.”
“Holy Moly.” She hugged him, going
all gooey and pliable in his arms, then she hiccuped as if she were crying.
“That’s why I feel like shit about
your dad.”
She lost all the pliability of the
moment before. “I told you it’s not a big deal. He gets upset, then he gets
over it.”
“Randi, I’m not saying we weren’t
over the line, that I went over the line. But so was he. Don’t you see
that?”
“You don’t know my dad. He’s from
the old country, and he’s got certain ways, and you just get used to them.”
“Does he talk like that to your
mom?”
“He hasn’t caught my mom in the
meat locker with some man’s hand down her pants.”
It was more than that. David knew
in his gut. “But he’s stopped speaking to you before. What’d you do to upset
him?”
She shrugged, rolling away from him
to the other side of the bed. “Just stuff that pisses him off.”
“What kind of stuff?”
Nothing, absolutely nothing,
deserved her father’s kind of reaction. He would get the answer out of her.
Then he’d help her fix the problem.
Chapter Nine
With her back to him, Randi
shrugged again. “Just stuff stuff.”
David drew a finger down her spine.
“Rand-i.”
He wouldn’t understand. He just
wouldn’t. “I can’t remember exactly.”
Why did he have to go and ruin
everything like this?
His breath was suddenly in her
hair, caressing her cheek. “Of course, you remember.”
She pursed her lips. “No, actually,
I don’t. I have a very selective memory, and I can’t always remember things.
Didn’t you see those reminder notes all over my refrigerator?”
“But this is different. How could
you forget the things that made your dad stop speaking to you?”
She shook her head. “I just do,
okay?”
He cuddled up against her. “How
long before he’ll start speaking to you again?”
“Well, this time, he’s really
pissed. I mean really pissed. It could be a couple of years.”
He rolled her to her back even as
she tried to hang onto the edge of the bed. “Two years? You’re joking, right?”
“When I was thirteen, he stopped
speaking to me for a year.”
He forehead furrowed. “Nobody stops
speaking to their kid for a year.”
She just blinked.
“But why?”
“I told you I don’t remember.” She
put her hand over his mouth before he could call her a liar. “I don’t. Not
specifically. I forgot to do something. It could have been washing the car or
taking out the trash or doing the dishes. I didn’t not do what he told
me on purpose. But I’d get busy with something else. And...”
“Why would you feel like a scum?”
“Because you might not have those
same feelings for me, and if you’d known, you might not have wanted to go the
extra step with this relationship, in case you thought I’d get hurt.”
“You have a weird sense of logic
that I’m only just beginning to appreciate.” He tugged her down again, into his
arms, then tipped her chin. “I have never felt this way about a woman. I’ve had
three serious relationships, and I’ve never felt like this. Three years and I never felt like this.”
“They all lasted three years?”
“Thereabouts.”
She was silent several heartbeats.
“That doesn’t mean you’re in love with me.” She wiggled her toes as if that
helped her think. “It’s a good start. At least you’re not running.”
“I’m done running, Randi.” He’d
been running for weeks now, from Jace with Taylor, from the sheer
incomprehensibility of it, from the final, irrefutable proof of Lou’s passing,
and from his own inability to set his family on the right path.
“Then I can say I love you again?”
“Yeah. What I’m feeling couldn’t be
anything else.” Yeah, it was love. It had to be. He wanted to give her
everything. He wanted to give her back her self-respect.
“Say it,” she whispered.
He could feel her held breath, her
body tense against him. “I love you, Randi.”
“Holy Moly.” She hugged him, going
all gooey and pliable in his arms, then she hiccuped as if she were crying.
“That’s why I feel like shit about
your dad.”
She lost all the pliability of the
moment before. “I told you it’s not a big deal. He gets upset, then he gets
over it.”
“Randi, I’m not saying we weren’t
over the line, that I went over the line. But so was he. Don’t you see
that?”
“You don’t know my dad. He’s from
the old country, and he’s got certain ways, and you just get used to them.”
“Does he talk like that to your
mom?”
“He hasn’t caught my mom in the
meat locker with some man’s hand down her pants.”
It was more than that. David knew
in his gut. “But he’s stopped speaking to you before. What’d you do to upset
him?”
She shrugged, rolling away from him
to the other side of the bed. “Just stuff that pisses him off.”
“What kind of stuff?”
Nothing, absolutely nothing,
deserved her father’s kind of reaction. He would get the answer out of her.
Then he’d help her fix the problem.
Chapter Nine
With her back to him, Randi
shrugged again. “Just stuff stuff.”
David drew a finger down her spine.
“Rand-i.”
He wouldn’t understand. He just
wouldn’t. “I can’t remember exactly.”
Why did he have to go and ruin
everything like this?
His breath was suddenly in her
hair, caressing her cheek. “Of course, you remember.”
She pursed her lips. “No, actually,
I don’t. I have a very selective memory, and I can’t always remember things.
Didn’t you see those reminder notes all over my refrigerator?”
“But this is different. How could
you forget the things that made your dad stop speaking to you?”
She shook her head. “I just do,
okay?”
He cuddled up against her. “How
long before he’ll start speaking to you again?”
“Well, this time, he’s really
pissed. I mean really pissed. It could be a couple of years.”
He rolled her to her back even as
she tried to hang onto the edge of the bed. “Two years? You’re joking, right?”
“When I was thirteen, he stopped
speaking to me for a year.”
He forehead furrowed. “Nobody stops
speaking to their kid for a year.”
She just blinked.
“But why?”
“I told you I don’t remember.” She
put her hand over his mouth before he could call her a liar. “I don’t. Not
specifically. I forgot to do something. It could have been washing the car or
taking out the trash or doing the dishes. I didn’t not do what he told
me on purpose. But I’d get busy with something else. And...”
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