Chapter 31

31

HAWK

D ad finally seemed to be accepting that I was taking over. After being at the port with him all day, I felt like he and I had made real progress. We were no longer arguing about absolutely everything and he was making useful suggestions to help me learn how things had changed rather than constantly telling me I didn’t belong there anymore.

When we were finally done at work, we headed home to grab quick showers before we were off again, and I waited for him out by the truck, impressed when he came out wearing slacks and a button-down shirt.

“Looking snazzy, Dad.” I grinned, opening the passenger door for him. “Emery and the boys are meeting us there. She sent me a message to say they were going over to the school early. Something about getting good seats.”

Dad climbed into the truck, still moving slowly but doing a little bit better than he had been last week. Of course, he’d finally agreed to try the new meds and we were optimistic. Once he was in and I’d shut the door behind him, he even smiled at me.

“It’s nice to be going to the school again for this type of thing. Makes me feel younger.”

I chuckled. “Emery used to love the plays. Do you remember? She was forever dragging us off to them.”

“It seems to me like she still is,” he agreed, buckling up for the short drive. “The twins haven’t been able to shut up about watching Winnie tonight, though. It kind of reminds me of their uncle and anything her mother had going on, so maybe it’s not Emery dragging us out tonight but you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Nobody is dragging anyone anywhere. I asked if you wanted to come, remember?”

“Well, it’s not like I had anything better to do,” he retorted. “Plus, if she’s going to become my granddaughter one of these days, I figured it was time for her to see that us Brunsons stick together.”

“Your granddaughter?” I laughed. “They’re seven, Dad. I wouldn’t go marrying her off to Logan or Duncan just yet.”

“That’s not what I was doing,” he grunted as I pulled into a parking spot in the rapidly filling lot. “When you marry Sutton, Winnie will be my granddaughter, right?”

My eyes blew wide open and I spun to face him as I turned off the engine. “Who said anything about marriage? Let’s stop talking that way, okay?”

“Why?” He glanced at me as we climbed out of the car and I hoped he’d leave it at that, but it turned out that he wasn’t done talking about it yet. “I always knew Sutton would end up back in your life if you would just man up.”

“Man up?” I scowled at my dad, but then I spotted David, who was looking right at me with a similar expression on his face as was on my own. I sighed. “She was married to someone else and living on another continent, Dad. Manning up had nothing to do with it.”

“Didn’t it?” he asked idly but finally dropped the subject when David started walking toward us.

I lifted the bouquet of flowers I’d been carrying. “I need to go find Sutton. Will you be okay with David?”

Dad laughed. “Well, I doubt he’s going to kidnap me, if that’s what you mean. On the other hand, it’s not kidnapping if you’re a willing captive. Perhaps he and I will take the tug and break out of this joint, take off into the sunset for a guys’ trip. We’ll paint the world red before any of you will ever find us.”

I clapped him on the back, chuckling at the mental image he’d just conjured up in my mind. “Hey, if you two do that, you’d better take me with you. I’ll pay for the whole trip just to get to see you painting anything red.”

“No way.” Dad grinned at David when he reached us. “If you’re here to kidnap me, don’t worry. I’ve already told Hawk not to send a search party.”

“What?” David’s features contorted with confusion and he glanced at me, obviously wondering if Dad was having some kind of episode, but when Dad winked at him, he laughed. “You have some explaining to do, old friend.”

“I’ll leave you guys to it,” I said, walking away before David could start lecturing me about staying away from Sutton again.

I found her and Emery backstage, helping everyone get ready for the play. Winnie was with them, all dressed up as the turkey who narrated the entire production, which was very cute. Instead of going over to her mother or my sister, I strode right up to her and dipped into a low bow as I presented her with the bouquet. “For you, milady. Break a leg.”

She squealed with joy and she took them before embracing me in a warm hug, but as I wrapped my arms around the stuffing of the turkey costume she had on, I noticed that Sutton looked a little on edge. She flashed me a tight smile when her gaze met mine, but it was only for an instant before it was gone, her features taut with nerves as she looked around.

As I released Winnie, I made a point of looking into her eyes and giving her a quick, real smile. “Seriously, honey. Good luck. We’re going to be rooting for you, okay?”

“Thanks, Hawk.” She beamed at me. “My daddy is coming tonight.”

“Right.” I’d forgotten that this was apparently what he’d come here for.

Thanksgiving and Winnie. I still wasn’t convinced, but I nodded at her and smiled again before I headed over to her mother.

Sutton’s gray eyes were wide and worried, already shimmering with moisture as they darted around the room. “Calen’s met someone. He took Winnie out with her today and they got her loaded up on sugar, dropped her off, and disappeared. Meanwhile, all Winnie will talk about is how Calen is coming tonight, but the play starts in ten minutes and he’s still not here.”

When she ran out of steam, she finally blew out a heavy breath and shot me a tiny, apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. Hi. You didn’t even ask.”

I shrugged, returned her smile, and reached out to lay a hand on her hip. “That’s okay. I was about to. You just beat me to it. He’s really not here?”

“Nope.” Those wide, glittering eyes moved to mine. “I don’t think he’s coming, Hawk. All this time, him being here was all she cared about, but I think he’s with his new friend . Win thinks that if she does well in the play, he’s going to want to see her more often, which you and I know isn’t true, but if he doesn’t even show up?”

Tears welled on her eyelids and red flashed at the edges of my vision, but I kept my cool, wrapping her up in my arms and giving her a tight hug. “Don’t worry about it, okay? We’ll make sure she doesn’t even miss him.”

I drew in a deep breath through my nostrils, wishing I could go back to the other night and take that swing after all. That fucking c oward. Asshole. Prick.

Sutton gave me a watery smile, her hands on my biceps. “Thanks, Hawk. Save me a seat, okay? I’m going to wait until it’s time for her to go on, then I’ll come find you.”

“Emery and the boys have got us all covered,” I said as calmly and reassuringly as I could. “They’ve camped out in the front row and our dads are already together. I’m sure they’ll have found your mom by now. We’ve got this.”

She held my gaze, a deep gratitude sparking to life in her eyes. She nodded and drew in a deep breath before she let go of me. “Eventually, you and I are going to get to talk. I promise. I’m sorry about all this craziness.”

“Hey, the craziness isn’t all yours.” I wound our fingers together and brought them up to my mouth to graze my lips across the backs of them. “We’ve got time, Sutt. We’re not racing against the clock of prom, or graduation, or college this time. We both knew we were going to have to take things slow and work out a lot of personal issues along the way.”

“True.” She managed a smile before she let go of my hands. “Remember to save me that seat.”

“I wouldn’t forget,” I promised, walking away backward to keep my eyes on hers.

She chuckled, shook her head, and ducked away to rush over to Winnie. Once I turned and left the backstage area to go meet up with our families, the intense need to clock Calen resurfaced. I looked around the auditorium when I walked in, but there was still no sign of the guy.

He really isn’t going to show up. I scoffed, disbelief infusing with the rage deep down in my soul. I couldn’t believe this bastard.

As I headed over to join the others, I saw David watching me, the expression in his eyes hard but curious as he tracked me until I sat down. I saved a seat for Sutton next to me, and then the play began and there was still no sign of Calen.

He better hope he doesn’t run into me someplace dark again because if he does I’m not going to give a flying fuck if I prove to David how immature I am. Someone had to make Calen feel even a fraction of the pain he dished out to Sutton and Winnie, and the way I saw it, it might as well be me.