Page 105 of Painted Scars
“Absolutely.” She grins and takes aim, shoots, and misses the net. “Mom and I didn’t have much growing up, thanks to my asshole of a father interfering in her job prospects.”
I take her hand and rub my thumb over it. “Do you want me to destroy him too or have mercy on him? I’m bound by my book boyfriend contract, remember?”
She chews her lip in a way that says she’s all fire but not bloodthirsty. “Can I decide later?”
“Sure.” I turn and throw another hoop.
“Were you a member of any clubs?” She dunks a second ball, and I paddle her ass in celebration, relishing the sweet hum of her laugh. “I was in debate club for a year and editor of the school newspaper.”
I bark out a laugh. “Nerd.” For that, she throws a ball playfully at me, and I dodge it. “I was in the outdoor and wrestling clubs.”
“Figures.” She passes another ball between her palms. “How about a free-for-all?”
We both go crazy and shoot as many hoops as we can until we tire and our stomachs ache. Rewarding her, I go over to the counter and grab her a plush teddy bear and give it to her. She smiles and crushes it to her chest, and mine pulls like my dead heart restarts.
“I’m going to win that rainbow squid.” She points to the row of stuffed toys behind the counter.
“Best of two minutes?” I lift my watch and click the time in.
“You’re on, Daddy.” She grabs us both balls.
We move on to Skee-ball and take turns rolling the ball up the incline into the numbered rings, counting our scores, and I let her win. The arcade becomes our world, a cocoon of shadow, laughter, and joy. The way she grins up at me, cheeks flushed, eyes gleaming with mischief, makes me forget our mission. I get her the damn squid, and she’s like a kid, cuddling and showing off her trophies.
The next hour or more speeds in a blur of moving from game to game, hitting the Whack-a-Mole, the air hockey table, Space Invaders and pinball. I let her win most of the time, adoring the way her eyes light up when she scores points. Her laughter echoes through the arcade. Joy bursts out of me, sudden and raw, shaking all my hate and spite loose from my chest. I don’t remember the last time I had this much fun.
We duck into the ice cream parlor at the rear of the arcade. Different scents hit me. Sugar, waffle cones, candy, chocolate balls. Movie posters from the 80s plaster the wall. Kate presses her palms to the glass case, nose almost touching the pane as she sizes up all the flavors of the kid’s kingdom.
She taps on the one she chooses. “I want the double fudge caramel ripple with sprinkles.”
I bark out a laugh at her obvious choice of color explosion. “Coming up.”
I move behind the counter and prepare her treat and serve it to her. Leaning on the counter, I indulge in watching her lap at the ice cream before she winks and I scoop out my own. Vanilla with M&Ms mixed in.
“Morallygrayvanilla,” she teases me as I come and join her.
“Shut the fuck up and taste my ice cream, Glitter Bomb.” I hold it out for her, and she licks some off.
We sit on the floor, back-to-back, and I take off my mask to claim the spot she marked and taste them both. Then I insist she has more.
Her first bite prompts a hum that lights me up inside. “Okay, stalker boyfriend. What else do you like? Give me something current.”
I lick my dessert and take a few beats to consider what I tell her.
“I like early mornings in the woods when I can afford them,” I admit. “The quiet before the world wakes up. I like watching you when you sleep. My favorite is when you laugh and forget to be afraid. Show the real you. The one no one but your friends, dog, and I get to see.”
Her body stills against me, and she reaches back to clasp my hand. I want to turn and look at her and see the glow lighting her face that wrecks me.
I nudge her. “Your turn, Glitter Bomb.”
“I like midnight snacks.” She reels off the first of her many lists. “Bubble baths with sexy, masked men.” I laugh at that one. “I really like it when you cook and spoil me and Josh. Even if you replaced his favorite dick plushie with a more innocent one.”
Fuck. She noticed that.
I snort. “He likes the new one better. And you said to keep it PG for the kid.”
Her laugh warms the air frosted by the ice cream freezer feet away. “You got me on that one, Daddy. I guess you’ll have to punish me for corrupting the dog with bad habits.”
CHAPTER 30 - KATE
