Page 81 of Son of a Preacher Man

“Wasn’t expecting to be.” Curling his arm around his sister, he held her close to his side. “We’re only here for my father.”

“Well, goodnight then.” Jeremy grinned, and it was chilling.

Kodiak closed and locked the door.

With a flip of her hair, Linnea snickered. “I think I liked him better when he had braces.”

She didn’t want to be here.

It wasn’t a special occasion or anything, just a backyard barbecue at Katie’s, but Kevin cajoled her into it. So, Kelly made a melon-berry salad with goat cheese and honey to bring along, and here she was. It’s not like she had anything else to do anyway. Though, honestly, she’d much rather be home alone, stretched out on her sofa with a pint of chow mein, binging something on Netflix. Or better yet, at the row house on Oak Street with her man. But he wasn’t there.

Still in Crossfield, a week had gone by since he left. And it had been the longest damn week of her life. Because Kelly missed him. He called her every day, of course, and usually more than once. Texted too. Kodiak and Linnea had moved their father into hospice and were packing up his house. He sounded okay and claimed that he was, but she couldn’t help but worry. That town was nothing except a minefield of triggers for him.

And so, to pass the time and keep herself from going crazy, she was here on Katie’s patio watching Kevin with his dick up Brendan’s ass while he cooked steaks on the grill.

“What do those two have to talk about anyway?”

“I don’t know.” Declan squirming to get off her lap, Katie scrunched her shoulders. “Guy stuff, I guess.”

“C’mon now, Brendan could be his father.” She snickered, waving a hand in front of her face like she was shooing at a fly. “What guy stuff?”

“There you go again, Auntie.” Tossing her blonde waves, her niece tapped a finger to her cheek. “Let’s see…sports, cars, sex.”

She harrumphed with a roll of her eyes.

“You asked.” Katie giggled.

“You’re so bad.”

“And she’s so good at it.” Bending over the back of the sofa, Brendan kissed his wife. “Steaks are ready.”

I did not need to know that, thank you very much.

They moved over to the table. Sitting beneath an umbrella, strung with twinkling lights, they piled food on their plates. At least with only the four of them and the baby, Kelly wouldn’t have to talk much.

“Do you know when Kodiak and Linnea will be back?” His gaze on her, Brendan cut into his steak.

“They’re working on the house. Settling things.” She couldn’t help but sigh. “So, they’ll be there until…you know. I wish he’d hurry up.”

Everyone put down their forks to look at her.

“That sounded bad, didn’t it?” Covering her mouth with a napkin, Kelly finished chewing and took a breath. “I didn’t mean it like that. Not really. Well, kind of. He wasn’t a good person, right? Even so, wishing for someone’s death is horrible of me.”

“It’s okay, Auntie.” Katie patted her back.

“I never met the man, though some of us have.” Brendan tried some melon and goat cheese salad. Shrugging a shoulder, he licked his lips. “Interesting.”

“Bo.”

“Yes, Bo. Dillon, Jesse, and Chloe did too.” He picked up his beer. Grasping the bottle at the neck, it dangled in his fingertips. “I know what he did to Kodiak and Linnea, the damage it caused, the pain he put them through. I was there to see the aftermath of it. Jarrid Black is not a good man, but he fathered two of the most incredible human beings I know, so I’d like to think there’s something good in him.”

Brendan raised the bottle, tossing back half its contents.

“He might not deserve the comfort of having his children with him as he leaves this world, but they deserve to have that peace, you know?”

She nodded.

“You know, Kelly, you’re among family here. You can always tell us what you’re feeling. We won’t judge you. No matter how it sounds.”

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