Forever We Fall: Broken #4 (The Broken Series) (40 page)

I stood motionless, my eyes locked on my husband, drinking him in, appreciating every slither of his beautiful skin from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. He took a step towards me and every muscle south of my bellybutton clenched in anticipation.

My eyes roamed over him shamelessly, settling on the jagged, uneven scar on the right side of his neck – that stood out like a sore thumb on his otherwise flawless body.

Cam cleared his throat loudly. "So, are you two gonna stare at each other all night or what?" Kyle fixed his gaze on Cam which caused Cam to hold his hands up in retreat. "Just saying…never mind."

"You," Kyle growled as he pointed a finger at Cam. "Get your feet off your mother's table." Cam's feet landed on the floor as quick as lightening.

"You," Kyle continued, pointing at Colt. "Get on the phone right this minute and apologize to the next door neighbor's daughter." Colt opened his mouth to protest, but quickly closed it when he took in Kyle's no-nonsense expression. "Don't make me tell your mother what you did, Colt."

"What did he do?" I asked nervously. 

"Which daughter?" Cam snickered as he elbowed Colt in the ribs.

"Both of them," Kyle answered without missing a beat.

"Colton," I groaned in despair.

"Fine," Colt grumbled as he slid out of his seat and made his way to the kitchen door, turning at the last minute. "What if her dad picks up?" he asked in a nervous tone.

"I'm hoping he does," Kyle said with a smirk as he made his way towards me, pausing to ruffle Logan's hair affectionately. "You feeling better, bud?" he asked Logan in a noticeably softer tone.

"Getting there, Dad," Logan replied as he rubbed his flat stomach absentmindedly. I cringed with guilt.

Logan was just getting over food poisoning. From me. I had poisoned my youngest son. Almost fed him to death with an evil batch of cookies. I was a terrible mother.

Kyle smirked at me before whispering something in Logan's ear, causing both of them to chuckle quietly, before focusing his attention on our daughter.

"And
you
," he growled as he folded his arms across his chest and glared down at Hope. "Derek called me. You better start explaining yourself. Fast."

"Dad, this is so unfair," Hope yelled as she stood toe to toe with her father, staring up at him, defiance blazing in her eyes. "Uncle Derek freaked out over
nothing
. So he caught us making out in Jordan's bedroom. Big deal. We're in love, Dad. That's what people do when they're in love. They kiss. He
loves
me. He's gonna kiss me. Maybe more. But guess what, I'm not stupid and neither is he. Mom gave me a very thorough
talk
years ago, so please just get over yourself."

"
He loves me
," Kyle mimicked sarcastically. "Goddammit, Hope," he growled as he started to pace the floor. "He loves what's under your clothes, can't you see that?" Running a hand through his hair, he waved his hand around aimlessly. "He's too old for you," he muttered, clearly agitated. "What the hell is a twenty-one year old man doing sniffing around an eighteen year old girl?"

"Hey Dad?" Colt called out, interrupting the stare down between Hope and Kyle. "Is there anything in particular you want me to say?" 

"Not now, Colt," Kyle grumbled, his eyes locked on Hope. "You are not seeing him, Hope. I forbid it."

"I'm over eighteen, Dad," she shot back. "You can't forbid me to do anything."

"Uh…Dad? She's crying and shit," Colt muttered.

Kyle rolled his eyes and sighed. "How about 'you're sorry for being an insensitive asshole, and she's probably in the clear, but you'll call in about four weeks to make sure.'"

My eyes bulged in my head. "Colton," I whispered, my hand covering my mouth. "Tell me you didn't."

"I didn’t," Colt mumbled quickly before rushing from the room.

"He fucking did," Cam snorted, following Colt out of the kitchen. "I gotta hear this."

"I'll just…uh…see ya," Logan muttered as he rushed after his brothers, patting Hope's shoulder on his way out of the kitchen.

"I love Jordan," Hope cried as she slammed her palms down on the counter. "I've been in love with him since forever, and you and Uncle Derek are making our lives a misery."

"You don't know the meaning of the word, Hope," Kyle snarled. "And pigs will fly before I allow my teenage daughter outside that door with
him
."

"You are such a freaking hypocrite," Hope screamed. "You are three and a half years older than mom, and she was eighteen when you started dating." Hope turned to face me, her eyes wide and full of unshed tears. "Mom, tell him please?"

I opened my mouth, but Kyle butted in before I had a chance to speak. "No, no, no," he laughed humorlessly. "Don't even think about trying to drag your mother into this."

"Kyle, maybe you should listen…" I started to say, but Kyle interrupted me.

"No, baby," he said defensively. Stalking over to where I was standing, he placed his hands on my hips and exhaled roughly before planting a soft kiss on my forehead. "I know what I'm talking about. I got this. Trust me."

Turning around to face our daughter, Kyle used his
'reasoning voice'
when he said, "Hope,
I
love you. Your
mother
loves you. Your
brothers
love you. Jordan Porter's
dick
loves you and at his age his dick will trick you. Trick you into doing all kinds of things that could potentially kill your father. His dick could kill me, Hope…"

"Were you not twenty-two when you met mom?" Hope argued, not one bit fazed by her father's rising temper. "Was mom not eighteen?"

"That's different," Kyle muttered in a petulant tone.

"How?" Hope pushed. "How is that different?"

"It was different in every damn way," Kyle snapped, red-faced and flustered. "We lived together for one."

Hope rose her brow in surprise and I could envision Kyle mentally slapping himself on the head for that remark.

She walked you right into her trap, Carter…

"So, you're saying if Jordan and I lived together then it would be absolutely fine to date? To be in love?" Kyle paled and Hope's grin widened. "Maybe Jordan and I should move in together. Take a leaf out of yours and mom's book. It worked out pretty well for you guys…"

"Don't go there, Hope," Kyle warned. "Don't fucking push me on this."

"The boys are barely seventeen," she disputed. "And you allow them to date whoever the hell they want."

"Again that's different," Kyle countered.

"You are a sexist pig," she growled.

"No, I am a protective father," Kyle said in a dramatic tone. "The worst thing the boys can bring home is a bruised ego. You can bring home a baby. And here's a friendly warning, sweetheart, babies come by the bucketful in this family."

"I'm going to see him, Dad," she snarled. "You can't stop me."

"Wanna bet?" Kyle said with a smirk.

"Okay guys," I said as I stepped in between them. "Let's just take it down a notch."

"Lee," Kyle said in an exasperated tone as he glanced down at me, his eyes pleading with me to back him up. "It's bad enough we've got dumb and fucking dumber running around the state like two horned-up tomcats. Say we let our daughter go out with that kid…. Dinner, maybe a movie."

Pacing resumed, Kyle spoke animatedly as he gestured wildly with his hands. "A little sweet talk here, a little underage drinking there. Then there's some backseat action." His voice rose with every word he spoke. "Prom comes around. Hormones are raging. '
Love'
is in the air…and bam, what'd 'ya know, she's on
16 and Pregnant
. He's 'not ready for the heavy' and do you know who'll be left holding the baby?" He waved a finger between us and I had to hold my hand over my mouth to stifle a laugh at Kyle's outraged expression. "Us," he bellowed. "That's who, and I sure as hell don't plan on spending my golden years cleaning up shit and vomit, and doing night feeds."

"FYI, dad, I'm not sixteen." Hope snorted in disgust. "And unlike '
dumb and dumber,'
I still have my V-card."

"Ahhh...." Kyle covered his ears. "La-la-la. Jesus Christ, I can't hear this shit."

I burst out laughing which earned me two scowling faces. "I'm sorry," I chuckled as I tried to sober my features. "You're just so funny....never mind."

"I'm leaving, Dad," Hope declared as she marched over to the table and picked up her coat. Shrugging it on, she hoisted her schoolbag onto her back. "I am moving out if you don't stop smothering me."

"Sorry, sweetheart," Kyle shot back. "I've still got three months on the clock. Your ass is my responsibility until May. If you want to screw your whole life up after graduation, there's nothing I can do about it. But until then you can march your ass upstairs. You're grounded."

"I hate you," she screamed before running out of the room. "You're ruining my life."

"Good," Kyle shouted as he followed her to the kitchen door. "At least I'm doing something right."

"Kyle," I chuckled as I walked over to him. "You need to calm down."

"I'm going to kill that kid," he growled as he pulled me into his arms. "I'm going to kill him, and then I'm going to neuter his father. This is all his goddamn fault."

"How is this Derek's fault?" I gazed up at him. "Jordan and Hope have been inseparable since they were children. There was always a possibility this would happen..."

"No, she's too young." Kyle shook his head as he backed away from me, waving his hand out in front of his face, the expression on his face was of comic despair. "I'm not ready for this, Lee," he groaned in a distressed tone as he pulled me back into his arms and buried his face in my neck.

"I fell in love with you when I was her age," I said gently as I stroked his hair.

"Exactly," he whined.

Grabbing my hips, he lifted me onto the countertop, pushed my legs apart, and stepped into my embrace. "And that just makes this whole situation a million times worse," he admitted, his voice gruff, his fingers stroking my sides. "I remember all the things I wanted to do with you, Lee…all the things I
did
to you. Princess, if you knew half of the dirty fucking scenarios I dreamed up that involved you naked when I was that punk's age, you'd be on my side. You'd understand why I can't cope with this."

"Why don't you whisper them in my ear," I purred as I drew him closer to me. "And maybe tonight we could…"

"Not helping, baby," he groaned. Pushing back from me, he gestured to the growing bulge in his pants. "See?" he demanded when I laughed. "I'm forty-one. Forty-fucking-one, Lee, and I'm still a dog. Men are dogs, baby."

"Kyle," I coaxed as I cupped his cheek. "The boys are dating. Hope is old enough. And, quite frankly, I'm glad it's Jordan. He adores her. That boy would move heaven and earth to keep her safe. You know this."

"Can't we just lock her in her room for another eighteen years?" he asked with a hopeful expression on his face. "I'm not prepared for this, Lee. It's all happening too fast. She's my little girl."

"She's a grown woman, Kyle, and you need to go easier on Jordan, too," I said firmly. "He's having a hard time since Karen's divorce. That poor boy has been through hell and back. He's only finding his feet again."

"Yeah, well I saw those papers coming from a mile off," Kyle muttered sullenly. "Karen was insane to move back to Idaho and marry that douchebag."

"Paul is not the douchebag in this situation," I said evenly. Karen's marriage to Paul Smith had been one of our firm favorite topics to argue about over the past decade. Derek's choice to remain a bachelor was a close second.

"The douchebag here is Derek. He's spent the last eighteen years of his life on his own, Kyle," I reminded him. "Romancing a string of different women, rather than give the
one
woman he actually gives a damn about a second chance."

Kyle ran his hand through his hair and hissed. "You know what it said in Cam's letter," he snapped. "And you're still on Karen's fucking side."

"Not really, Kyle," I shot back, my tone indignant. "Considering neither of us have actually held the damn letter in our hands." Kyle's gaze slipped from my face to something behind me and that was all the admission I needed. He'd read it – or at least he'd been told more than I had.

"She screwed him over, Lee," Kyle muttered sullenly. "A guy just doesn’t get over something like that."

Rolling my eyes I inhaled slowly and summoned all my patience.
I needed every last drop
. "That's bull, Kyle, and you know it," I argued. "Derek's living in the past and using Karen's one mistake to keep her away because he never got over Cam…" I broke off and inhaled a steadying breath, willing myself to calm down. "And do you know something else, Kyle," I said quietly when I was calm enough to speak. "I don’t think he wants to get over Cam."

"No," Kyle admitted. "I don't think he wants to either."