Page 16 of Snowfall
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Once I reachKristen’s house, I’m a bit calmer. The bike ride chilled me out. I still want to ring Ky’s neck, but I’ll deal with my meddling offspring later. I know things are coming to a head. The last three months have been the most amazing of my life. And it’s all because of Kristen. She knows who I am, knows all about my colorful past, knows about the club, and yet she accepts me for who I am, not what I am. I was afraid to tell her. I didn’t want her to know, I didn’t want her to look at me differently, but as I fed her a little information at a time, the way she saw me stayed the same. I can’t explain how much of a relief that was. Not many things scare me, but losing Kristen is definitely one of them.
I park my bike on the curb, and the first thing I notice is an obnoxiously expensive Benz parked behind her Corvette in the driveway. It’s definitely not a car I recognize, but it is nice as fuck.
I drop my helmet on one of the handlebars, stride up the walkway, and jump the two steps to the front door. That’s when I hear it. The yelling. Kristen primarily. Without hesitation, I barrel right through the door to find Kristen and some guy in a stuffed suit in a heated argument.
“I can’t make her see you! She’s an adult,” Kristen screams.
“She’s my daughter, and I have every right to see her,” the man snaps back viciously, and I see red.
“Hey.” I grab him by the throat and slam him right against the wall. “Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to like that?” I don’t really care about his response; all I care about are his eyes bulging out of his head as I squeeze his scrawny neck.
He chokes and coughs, and I feel the immense satisfaction as he turns red.
“Gerard,” Kristen’s voice breaks through the static in the room. “Gerard, let him go. He’s not worth it.” She tugs at my arm, but I’m reluctant to let go. I want to send a message, and I want this douchebag to hear it the first time.
“Gerard?” This time Kira’s soft voice floats down from the top of the stairs. I glance up at her to find wide, innocent eyes and a bewildered expression. This is not how I have ever wanted my girls to see me. But I won’t tolerate anyone hurting them, disrespecting them, or upsetting them. I show the douchebag to the door. Tossing him out right onto his ass.
“Show your fucking face around here again, and I’ll rearrange it.” I slam the door, and the house shakes.
With a huff, I turn around to find two beautiful faces with gaping mouths and wide, round eyes.
“I take it that’s the ex?” I thumb behind me. Kristen told me all about him. Truth be told, I was hoping to have a run-in with him. Fucker deserves a good beat down after the way he treated Kristen and Kira. Sorta wish I got a few punches in, but I really didn’t want to ruin Kira’s birthday. Well, more than it already has been.
“What?” I question as they stare at me. “Don’t expect me to apologize, cause I—oomph.” Both Kristen and Kira bum-rush me with a hug. I nearly fall over, but somehow manage to keep all three of us upright. They squeeze so hard my back cracks.
Mixed feelings of overwhelming fulfillment and happiness blanket me. I wrap my arms around both of them and hug them back.
“No one messes with my girls.” I kiss each of their heads. “Especially on their birthday.”
“Well, this girl definitely needs cake now on her birthday,” Kira announces.
“And ice cream,” Kristen adds. “Lots of it.”
“Hell, yes,” Kira vehemently agrees. She heads to the kitchen, but Kristen hangs back.
“Sorry,” she whispers.
I grab her chin. “For what?”
“Having to deal with him. Having to see that. I didn’t know he was going to show up. Kira doesn’t want anything to do with him, and he just won’t accept it. He wants to control her the same way he used to control me,” her voice softens sadly.
“Hey.” I grab the back of her neck lovingly. “As long as I’m around, neither of you will ever have to deal with him. I can take care of it.”
Kristen looks back at me speculatively. “As much as I want him to end up dead in a ditch, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
I laugh out loud. “There are other ways to deal with people without offing them. I’m not exactly in that business,anymore,” I mumble.
“C’mon, you two. I’m about to light my own candles in here!” Kira shouts.
“You better not!” Kristen plants a kiss on my cheek and then drags me to the kitchen where Kira has a lighter hovering over all the candles in her huge, pink-flowered cake. The thing is three tiers high. “Give me that,” Kristen demands Kira hand over the lighter, which she does. “It’s my job to light those.”
“And there are quite a bit,” I observe.
“All twenty-one.” Kira smiles, bouncing excitedly.
“Been looking forward to this birthday, have ya?”
