Page 11 of Adoring Delaney

“Steve’s dad taught at West Point,” I offered.

“No shit? Did he serve?”

I tuned out the conversation my dad and Steve were carrying on and scanned the crowd, careful not to look in Carter’s direction, searching for my mom.

When my eyes hit hers, they were full of worry and concern. Mine were pissed.

Why hadn’t anyone called to tell me Carter was going to be there?

Even if they hadn’t known ahead of time, he’d obviously been there awhile if the two beer bottles sitting in front of him were any indication. Someone could’ve warned me. I wouldn’t have come and I certainly wouldn’t have put Steve through this shit show.

My gaze sliced to Mercy and she paled. She knew. Knew what this would do to me.

Damn them all. This was so unfair.

My dad and Steve were still making idle chitchat when my uncles approached. More handshakes and introductions. Steve sounded uncomfortable, the conversation forced, and I needed to find a way to extradite him from the huddle.

“You want a beer?” I asked Steve when there was a lull.

Steve looked over to me and smiled. It was one of relief and not happiness.

“Sure, babe, I’ll come with you.”

“Be back,” I told the group.

My eyes landed on my dad and his face gentled. Just like it always had when he looked at one of his girls. Jasper Walker was hard as nails, total badass, but there was one thing he never hid from us, and that was how much he loved his girls. But right then, I wasn’t feeling the love. I was feeling ambushed so I didn’t gentle my face when I smiled back.

The slight flinch told me he’d read me and knew I wasn’t happy.

I moved us around the tables, past the coolers I knew stowed beer, water, and sodas, and went to the back door of the house. I led us into the big kitchen and stopped.

I was speechless.

“I don’t know what to say,” I admitted.

“Wanna explain why the big guy has a problem with me?” he asked.

I took a chance and looked up into Steve’s warm brown eyes. He didn’t look angry as such, just confused.

“I didn’t know he’d be here.”

“But him being here is a problem?”

Problem didn’t begin to cover it.

“Yeah.”

“Right,” he whispered. “So, no long-term boyfriends?”

Caught in a white lie.

“He was never a boyfriend. But we meant something to each other.”

“Meant? Or still do?”

I was trying to figure out a way to explain Carter and me when Steve mistook my silence.

“Listen, Delaney, I think you get I really like you. I like what we have and I want to continue to see where it can go. I can feel you holding back, and I couldn’t figure out why that was. Now, I know.”

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