Page 12 of Starting Over with You
Fuck my life.
I brace myself for what’s coming as he goes on, “I wanted to see if you could help me get Liam to come to my house for a barbecue.”
Yup, knew it.
Even this twenty-four-year-old kid has a person.
A great person, really.
Chelsea Cutler is a sweet girl and a real catch, but her daddy? Man, I love my buddy. Liam Cutler is one of my favorite guys, an awesome hockey player and girl dad goals for sure, but he is also extremely overprotective of his adult daughter. I mean, I know I’m protective of Skyye, but she’s only almost sixteen. I have to make sure to teach her to know what she deserves, but Liam has already done that. Chelsea is an all-around great girl, and from what I can tell, she’s pretty smitten with Jackson.
Hell, if he’s asking me to help, he’s truly love-sick for her.
I exhale as I hold his gaze. “Did he say no?”
Jackson grimaces. “He left me on read. Then I asked him again at the rink, and he acted like he didn’t hear me.” Now I’m the one grimacing. “I think, if he’d give me a chance, he’d like me. He’d see that I want nothing but to love Chelsea the way she needs.”
“Yeah, no doubt,” I say almost immediately. I like the kid; he’s loyal and a damn good cop. Back when my grandma was in the home, he was much younger, and he used to come and read stories to her. He’s got a good head on his shoulders, but I get Liam’s reservations about his daughter dating Jackson.
That means Liam’s got to let her go.
Not something he is ready for.
I cup Jackson’s shoulder and smile. “Let me feel him out. Maybe I’ll throw the party, and you come with Chelsea.”
His eyes light up at that. “Really?”
“Yeah,” I say on a sigh. “Don’t tell Liam, though.” We share a laugh before I ask, “What’s Chelsea saying?”
He shrugs, looking sheepish. “She says it doesn’t bother her, but I know it does. Her dad is her best friend. I know it’d mean a lot to her for us to be on good terms.”
See? Good kid.
With a wide grin, I squeeze his shoulder once more. “Let me talk to him, okay?”
Jackson lets out a long sigh, his shoulders sagging, but his eyes are not so dull anymore. “Thanks, Cap.”
I nod at him just as Wagner comes to my side. “Ready?”
I agree, and we say goodbye to Jackson before heading to the truck. Once inside, I reach for my phone and reread Skyye’s text.
Then I notice she sent another.
Skyye
I can text Pop to come get me.
For fuck’s sake, that’s the last thing I need her to do. I live at the top of Sheriff Colburn’s shit list. Not only did I get his eldest daughter pregnant and refuse to marry her, but I was arrested with his baby girl.
Not once, but twice.
Nope, Skyye can’t call him.
I shake my head in frustration, but I tell Skyye I’ll be there to get her. Then I call Missy.
She answers on the third ring. “Heyyyy,” she sings, and I hear my sister giggling in the background.
“Are you drunk?” I ask, and Missy just snorts.
