Page 138 of Burning Skies
“Honey! Is that you?” her father yells from down the hall.
She rolls her eyes. “Sorry about that. He’s used to snapping his fingers and making my poor mom jump at his every whim. I’m glad she went on vacation. I wouldn’t want to be here either.”
After she hugs her brothers and they give me somewhat welcoming head nods, we head down a dark hall and into her father’s study. He’s sitting behind a huge mahogany desk. “About time you got here. I was just about—” He stops when he sees me. “Who invited you?”
“Nice to see you again, sir.” Not really, but Rhett taught me to have manners.
“What’s the meaning of this, Honey? I thought you were going to reconsider Ian.”
She shakes her head. “I was nearly killed in a car accident, and that’s all you care about? Getting your hands on Ian’s ranch? Did you miss the part where Beau risked his life to save mine? He could’ve been chopped in half if that truck had come loose while he was pulling me out.”
Cash crosses his arms. “That’s true. Trig and I were there. She’s not exaggerating. Beau saved her life.”
Her father leans back in his chair, his shrewd eyes narrowed on me. “Thank you for saving my daughter, but this is a family meeting, and you’re not family.”
Honey takes my hand. “He’s my family whether you like it or not. If Beau goes, I go. So say what you want to say. I already know Ian was lying about us owing him money, and you let me think that to get your way. You reneged on sponsoring my club and got vendors to bail on the Walkers. Where’s the man I looked up to when I was young?”
Vernon reaches into his desk and pulls out a bottle ofwhiskey and pours himself a shot. “How do you think we’ve become one of the largest ranches in the state, Honey? By playing nice? By playing by the rules? I’ve had to get my hands dirty so you three could have an easier life. Fat lot of good that did. Never thought you’d be this ungrateful.” He shakes his head. “Let’s see how well you do without your trust fund. Beau here can take care of you in that ramshackle shed he calls a cabin.”
My face heats, but Honey doesn’t back down. “I don’t need Beau to take care of me. I can take care of myself. You’d know this if you paid attention. And his cabin is lovely.” That might be a stretch, but I appreciate her defending it. “You know what? Keep the trust fund. Give it to my brothers. They work their asses off here. Do you ever take the time to tell them how much you appreciate their help?”
Trig moves along her other side and drapes his arm over her shoulders. “I do work my ass off. Thanks for saying so, sister.”
“Shut up, Trig.” His father rolls his eyes. “Are you really gonna let your sister run off with a Walker?”
Trig gives me a once-over and shrugs. “This guy has balls. You should’ve seen him jump off the side of a bridge to pull Honey out of a truck that was practically upside down. Kinda think he can keep her outta trouble.”
“Thanks, man.” I nod and grin down at Honey, my fierce little firecracker.
Vernon steeples his fingers. “What about that baby he’s having with that other girl?” When I turn to look at him, he nods. “That’s right. I know all about your other woman. Does my daughter?”
“Sir, with all due respect, I didn’t cheat. I know you might be confused about this because you have no qualms cheating, but it’s not something I’d ever do.”
“You piece of shit.”
I cross my arms. “How exactly do you know about my ex being pregnant? That’s not exactly public knowledge.”
Honey looks at her brothers. “Did you tell him?”
They both shake their heads. Cash shoves his hands in his back pockets. “Thought I’d keep my head down for this.”
Vernon sips his drink. “People tell me things.”
“Did these random people tell you we got a paternity test last week?” I rub my chin. “I don’t think I got Melissa pregnant, but we’ll know soon enough.”
Trig makes a choking sound. “Melissa Zimmer? That hot firefighter you work with?”
“I work with Mel, yes.” Honey’s hotter, but that seems disrespectful to say in front of her father.
“She’s the one you knocked up? Back in the summer?” His eyes go a little wild.
Vernon smacks his hand on his desk. “Son, shut up!”
I look back and forth between father and son before it dawns on me. I turn to Trig. “You’re the one Mel’s been seeing.”
“She was fucking you too?” He closes his eyes. It makes sense now why he came to the car wash.
Cash whistles. “Hopefully not at the same time.”
