27. Chapter 27

"Do you think he's going to pop the question for your birthday?"

I glared at Evan. How could I tell my best friend that I didn't think Mark was ever going to pop the question at all, let alone tonight, when we were all supposed to meet up for my birthday. I had refused to do anything special for my birthday last year, after the previous year's awful experience. You would think that I'd have been grateful for it, considering I got Mark out of the deal.

For a while, I was. For a while, everything seemed to be perfect between us. Not the kind of perfect where I had rose colored glasses on and thought the man shot rainbows out of his ass or anything. We had our share of disagreements, but we were genuinely happy.

"When are you going to let me in on what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Something hasn't been right with you in months. You've been carrying around this weight on your shoulders, and it isn't healthy."

I sighed. "I've been spending more time here because Jack isn't doing well."

"Yeah, I know. We all appreciate that. I don't think Pops could have picked a better daughter if he tried." That made me smile.

"I couldn't have picked a better second-chance dad, either." A hot tear sprang free as I thought about him. "I'm worried," I admitted.

"We all are."

"He's too old. They won't even consider him for a transplant, and he won't agree to one anyway."

Evan nodded his head and kept it bowed. I was sure he had a few tears on deck as well. We all did these days when we talked about Jack. His health had been in a steady decline for the past couple of years and we were nearing the end of his fight.

I glanced at the clock on my screen and then back to Evan with another heavy sigh. "I guess I should head home and get ready."

"Thought we were working until four today?"

"Yeah, that was before you made me think of depressing things on my birthday. Now, I'm going home at one and maybe I can get a nap or something before I have to deal with whatever torturous birthday you guys have in store for me this year."

Evan gave me an odd look but shook it off. "Okay, well I guess we'll all see you later then." He turned back and grinned as he packed up his laptop. "I really think tonight is going to be the night for you guys."

If he had said that to me two months ago, I might have thought the same. Unfortunately, I knew that Mark had been distant when he was around and gone far too often of late to be chalked up to the work hours he claimed to be putting in.

I stared longing toward the loft, where I used to live before agreeing to move in with Mark a year ago. The barn was still my office, and I chose to come here every day to get some work done because Pops was still in his house, and I didn't want to be all the way across town, in case he needed me. It was one of the things Mark and I had been fighting over for the past four months. He thought I spent too much time here.

What really blew everything up was that he made a point to tell me that the Carters weren't even my real family and that I didn't owe them the loyalty I showed. He had apologized, eventually, after I spent a full week not speaking to him. That's when things continued to sour in our relationship. He never meant the apology and I couldn't accept that he didn't understand that the Carters were more family to me than my mother had ever been, and I had no one else. Literally, every single member of my blood relations had died. I was the last.

Once I got all my things packed up and locked away, I grabbed my cross-body bag and left the barn. It now had an amazing security system on it. After word got out about where Evan and I worked, and a crazy fan tried to sneak inside to get a look at the next graphic novel in our series, we no longer had a choice. That had been almost a year ago, and Jack was quick with his shotgun. Thankfully, he scared the jerk away before he could gain access, steal anything, or heaven forbid ruin our work.

Jack had put his life on the line that night to protect mine and Evan's work. It was little things like that – well, major things to me – that made it impossible to understand why Mark didn't think I owed Jacks my complete loyalty.

When I got my bag placed in my car, I turned to see Jack rocking on his porch, his hand on the rocking chair next to his. It was weird, but the sicker he got, I swore I could almost feel his wife there beside him. Like she knew what was coming and was there to welcome him home to her arms.

"Dad?" I yelled to get his attention.

"Petal," He beamed over at me. "I can't believe you're 26 years old already. Been mine for a decade now, though I claimed you a lot earlier than that."

I moved to go to his side but refused to take the chair next to him. Instead, I stood, leaning against the porch rail in front of him with my feet kicked out. Jack was showing his age and then some these days. It hurt to see how frail he had become. His frame was too thin, skin even thinner, and his eyes had taken on a rheumy appearance over the past year. He was still a handsome devil, even in his decline.

"How are you feeling today, Dad?"

"Better now that the birthday girl is here. Do me a favor," he glanced toward his door. "I have a gift for you, but it's in the kitchen on the table. Can you go grab it for an old man. My bones are too tired today."

"Are you sure you don't need me to stay here tonight?"

"No, sweetheart. You need to go celebrate. That lovely daughter-in-law of mine is coming over to watch movies with me later. I won't be alone."

"Okay," I whispered before going in the house to get the little gift bag that was sitting on his table. I brought it back out and took up my position in front of him again. "Should I open it now?"

"Of course, Petal. I need to see your face."

"Okay, Dad." I said it in a teasing tone as I opened the bag to find an envelope inside. My eyes lifted to his and he could see the curiosity there.

"Answer to your question is right there. I'm not gonna ruin the surprise now." He chuckled as I rolled my eyes at him.

I set the gift bag down and opened the envelope. Inside was a land deed. I stared at the paperwork for a solid ten minutes before Jack leaned forward and put his hands on my shaking ones that were having a hard time hanging onto the paperwork.

"I know you have your daddy's farm over there. That barn is special to you, though. Wanted to make sure you knew that it would always be yours. No matter what, this is your home. From the driveway over ten acres and all the way back to the tree line. It's more than twenty acres and it's all yours. You have an easement for use of the driveway, but there's plenty of room if you wanted to put your own in. Hopefully, that won't ever be necessary, though."

"Dad," I whimpered. This was a beautiful gift, but I knew what it meant. More than a birthday present, it was my dad trying to take care of me because he knew that he wouldn't be here to do it much longer. I dropped to my knees and pushed forward to wrap him in a hug.

"I love you. I've never wanted a thing from you but your love in return but thank you for making sure my home and my office will always be mine. It's the best gift in the world after the one where I got you as my family."

"Aw Petal, you're making my old eyes mist up." He patted me on the back and then leaned in to kiss my cheek. "Best daughter I could ever ask for."

"I've been lucky, because I had two of the best dads in this life. He would be so proud of the job you did when he couldn't be here anymore," I told Jack.

"Your father was a fine man, sweetheart. You got his heart, my stubbornness, and your own shine. You're going to be just fine my girl."

"I love you," I said again because there was no way to get anything else out past the emotions clogging my throat.

"Go on now. I hear you have some shindig to get ready for. Don't let this sappy old man keep you."

"I'd rather be here with my sappy old dad than going out anywhere tonight." It was the truth.

"Nah, we'll have all day tomorrow, Petal. Go enjoy being young and have a drink for me."

"You're just trying to get rid of me so you can eat some of those doughnuts I saw on your kitchen counter," I teased.

"Caught me, almost red-handed." He grinned. We both knew that wasn't it. "Love you, birthday girl."

"Love you, Dad. Thank you," I told him again. When I got to my car, I put the deed in my bag so that I could run it by the bank on Monday and have it placed in the safe deposit box I had there.

Icould have sworn that Mark's Dodge Charger was parked at the end of the road when I passed by on the way to his house. That didn't seem right. Unless the damn thing broke down, we had a driveway and a garage that he normally parked it in. I shrugged it off, wondering if he was going to be inviting everyone over tonight, rather than us all going out somewhere. He thought I wouldn't be home until nearly five, so it was possible that I was about to ruin my surprise.

My heart hurt after accepting my dad's gift, so all I really wanted to do was go soak in a hot tub with a nice relaxing bath bomb and maybe a glass of wine. Nothing sounded better than drowning my troubles while giving myself a refreshing pick-me-up at the same time.

When I went to unlock the door, I realized it was already open. I pulled out the taser Evan had purchased me after the crazy fan was caught near the barn, and held it close to my side as I quietly eased the door further open. Once inside, I slid it shut again and then took a quick look around. There were two high heel shoes just off to the left of the door. One had been tipped over on its side and the other, while still standing, was facing in an odd direction as if someone had slipped them off so as not to ruin the carpet.

There was a woman's blouse hanging on the banister of the stairs and then a man's shirt dropped just a little further up. My stomach was in knots because there was no denying what I was about to walk in on, and it certainly wasn't a surprise birthday party for me, or the marriage proposal that everyone else seemed to think was coming.

Quietly as ever, I continued up the stairs, collecting the clothing that had been strewn the whole way up as I went. The clothing rested in my left hand while the taser still sat occupied in my right. I might have known what I was walking in on, but that didn't mean the taser wouldn't still come in handy. Technically, there was an intruder in my home, and messing with my life where they didn't belong.

When I got to my bedroom door, I had to fight the urge to be sick. My bedroom. Our bedroom. Mark had someone else in our bed. In the house he invited me to share with him as a committed couple. Now, considering his behavior over the past few months, I had to wonder how many times he'd done this before while I was at work or taking care of my sick dad.

I slipped the bedroom door further open and saw Mark behind a woman who was bent over the end of our bed. He was thrusting wildly into her as she grunted like a pig.

"Mark, let's get all the way on the bed this time. This position is getting old," she whined as he continued to thrust. His response to yank her head around by the grip he had on her hair. When he turned her head, she ended up facing me, but her eyes were for him only and she hadn't yet noticed that she had an audience.

"You know why I can't do that, Jen. It's too late in the day to launder the sheets and blankets. This is going to be bad enough. I'm surprised she hasn't noticed yet." He smacked her ass. "Now, shut up because you're ruining the mood."

"Why don't you just leave her?"

"Are you kidding? You know why."

"Marrying her won't give you free rein to develop her land," Jen snarked at him. He moved to thrust her head down into the bed, but before she turned all the way, her eyes locked onto mine. A harsh gasp erupted from her as she started smacking at Mark's thighs. "Stop, Mark!"

"No. You knew this was just sex when we started. Despite wanting her land, I also love Posie."

Well, wasn't that just sweet of him to declare his love to his side-whore. The asshole was fucking Jennifer, my business partner's ex-girlfriend. The woman who had hooked me up with Mark in the first place to keep me away from her man, was suddenly the woman coming between me and mine. Somehow, I didn't think that was coincidence.

"She's trying to tell you that you have an audience for this little show," I stated calmly as I threw their collection of clothes at them.

Mark turned with jaw slack at my announcement. "Posie? What are you doing here?"

"Last I checked, I lived here."

"I mean…"

"It's my birthday," I reminded him and watched as his face went even paler than it had upon noticing me standing there if that was even possible.

"Fuck!" He swore as his now limp cock fell out of Jen and the condom he'd been wearing – thankfully – dropped off his cock and onto the pile of clothing I'd just thrown at his feet.

"If you don't mind, I'll just pack my shit and be on the way, and then you two can carry on with your little affair." Then I turned my eyes to Jen, who looked like she was about to be sick. "Funny that it's you here fucking my boyfriend, when you introduced us because you were trying to make sure I never fucked yours. Not that I would have stooped so fucking low as to slum it with someone who was taken, but then again, you've never been a decent person, have you?"

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry, Posie. It just happened. Please, don't tell Evan."

And the light clicked on the minute she said that. "You've been trying to get Evan back while fucking my boyfriend? How did you think that was going to go for you?"

"You weren't supposed to know," she mumbled.

"Then why do it?" I asked, honestly curious.

"He was there when I needed someone."

"Yeah? When?"

"Don't!" That one word came out as a warning to Jen from Mark. He didn't want me to know just how long they'd been having an affair. Not that it mattered. One time was entirely too many in my opinion.

"Four months ago," she whispered, but I still caught it.

"Four…" I said in disbelief because that was before our problems even started. It made it clear that nothing I had been doing was the catalyst for him distancing himself. Maybe it had been guilt, fear of getting caught, or something that had built the walls between Mark and me, but it hadn't been the amount of time I spent working and taking care of my dad.

"You've been making up reasons to fight with me, blaming my family and the time I spent trying to help my sick father as the reasons, and all the while, it was because you were fucking a whore behind my back."

"Posie," Mark moved so quickly toward me that his dick flopped, making wet slapping noises against his thighs, which only worked to highlight how much he shouldn't be coming anywhere near me.

"Stop!" I yelled. He continued at me, and I had no doubt that he didn't mean me any physical harm, but when a naked man approaches you after being caught with his pants off and his dick in another woman, you can't be too careful. So, I raised the taser in my right hand and caught him right in the balls with it as he went to grab hold of me. He never made contact because the jolt of electricity that hit him sent him flying backward and too the floor.

"Oh my God! You killed him!"

"Nope, but he might not be able to have kids anymore," I suggested. "Now, get the fuck out of my house before I give you a shot to the fucking ovaries from the inside."

She reached down to grab her clothes and snapped her hand back as she came in contact with the gross, wet condom. I took a picture of the scene with my phone for evidence to show Evan, and then I moved closer to Jen.

"Get the fuck out. Now!" I kicked her clothes out of reach and lunged, like I was going to give her a jolt and she took off in all her naked glory. I followed behind her and then called for an ambulance to come collect my cheating ex-boyfriend.

Then, I sent my best friend a text to come get me, along with the picture, because I was probably going to need to be bailed out of jail by the time the ambulance came to collect the asshole. While I waited for someone to show up, I wondered if I'd just channeled my mother's level of crazy or if any sane woman would have done the same thing in my shoes.

I'd like to think that any woman walking into her house with a taser in hand, after suspecting a break in, would react the same. I wasn't sure how the cops and a judge would feel about that, so I would have to get a good lawyer who could argue my case for me. A sympathetic jury wouldn't hurt either.

When Evan showed up, it was to see the ambulance driving away and a police officer attempting to question me. "I thought someone broke in," I repeated again, as if I was in shock.

"Ma'am, a naked woman was reported running from this residence just before your 9-1-1 call came through."

Evan must have started to piece things together by the little bit he'd heard, and he pulled me aside.

"This is my business partner's home. If a naked woman was seen running from this place, then she wasn't meant to be here. We get all kinds of crazy fans. You guys have it on record about the one who was locked up after trying to break into our office. I bought Posie a taser after that because she could have been hurt or worse if she'd been there alone."

"Oh yeah," the officer slowly drawled as he attempted to remember. "You two are the comic book people working out of the barn on the Carter farm?"

"Evan Carter," my best friend proudly stated as he reached out to shake the officer's hand. He didn't bother to correct the officer or school him on the difference between comic books and graphic novels. That might have kept us under his radar a bit longer.

"Are you sure you don't need medical attention?" He glanced down again and noted the bruises on Posie's wrist that appeared to be finger marks wrapping around. The man took a picture of it with his cell phone.

"What is that for?"

"Evidence. You seem to be in shock, and I want to note it in my report that it appears you've been assaulted. Probably when you accidentally walked in on your boyfriend and another woman having an affair," he tacked on, telling me he understood more about what was going on than he'd originally led me to believe. "Seems to me, you were startled by what you thought were intruders and then one of them grabbed you and you used that Taser of yours in self-defense."

I nodded and that was when the tears started. To my complete surprise, the police officer pulled me in and wrapped his arms around me. "It will get better, sweetheart. Just hang in there." He released me into Evan's arms. "You have somewhere safe to take her?"

"I do. She's coming home to our family's place. Can we have someone come collect all of her things?"

"We got what we need. I suggest you get them here now, while the boyfriend is out of the house. Make sure you leave his things alone, no matter how tempted anyone might be to mess with them. I'd hate to have to come arrest any of you after what Miss Posie has been through."