A Wifey for the Bad Boy(154)

“Sleeping, huh?” Jim asked, pressing a finger in hard under Keith’s jaw. Keith yelped, slapping his hand over a suddenly throbbing spot. “You get bruises like that from sleeping?”

Shit! Had Jan given him a love bite?

“What are you asking?”

“Did my baby girl do that?” Jim asked, dropping his voice in volume and tone. It was positively intimidating but Keith held his ground.

“If I say yes, are you kicking my ass?”

“Depends.” Jim gave him another level look and Keith barely held back his sigh.

“Not entirely mine to tell, James.”

“If you hurt her, I will destroy you, Keith.”

“Yeah, buddy. I know.”

Jim leaned back, folding his arms across his chest. His laid back posture was anything but, and his gaze was as level as Keith had ever seen. Their standoff was broken only when Lisa and Jan came into the room, and Jimmy stood up, pulling his daughter into his arms. Lisa bustled around, pouring coffee, and soon Jan was seated beside Keith, her hands curving around a mug of steaming coffee. The aroma tickled Keith’s senses, and he scooted closer to Jan, resting an arm over the top of her chair.

“We have some things we need to discuss. Let’s get the good out of the way first, because the bad requires a lot more time and energy.”

“Let’s,” Jim agreed, giving Keith a downright sarcastic smirk.

Keith turned his attention to Lisa, Mama Bear through and through. As much as Jim might kick Keith’s ass if he hurt Jan, Lisa was the one who would pick him apart piece by piece, and put him back together again only to repeat the action. She was much more scary than her husband in these circumstances.

“Lisa, James, you need to know something. Jan and I…” He paused to gather his thoughts. “Last night we…” How could he say this.

“They’re lovers,” Jim cut in, gesturing to the bruise at Keith’s throat. “And, Lisa, before you--”

“You’re what?” Lisa asked, her gaze lasering in on Keith. Forget the microscope. Her gaze was skewering him, as if he was a butterfly put on display. He might not get out of this one alive.

“I’m involved with Jan,” Keith replied, refusing to give in to the urge to look away.

“Involved how?” Lisa asked slowly. Yep, he was that butterfly trembling in death throes.

“Involved as in dating, if that’s what you’d call it. Involved as in…”

“In love, Mom,” Jan said, and Keith’s heart soared before Lisa’s gasp brought him back to the present and his current position. Pins through his wings, writhing on a board.

“And sleeping together,” Jim pointed out and Keith had the distinct impression that his buddy was enjoy this much too much.

Keith sent Jim a death stare of his own, before turning back to Lisa, she of the kill the butterfly look. She was perfectly still, but even though she didn’t move, Keith had the feeling she was ready to strike at a moment’s notice. And it would not go well for him.

“Keith Michael Gordon, if you ever hurt my baby girl, I will--”

Keith put up his hand. “Understood, Lisa. If I hurt her, both of you will make me pay long and hard. I understand. I’d do the same in your shoes. The thing is, this is new. Very new. Like last night new.” He turned to Jan then, addressing her.

“Though I had feelings for Jan for years now, it was never something I allowed myself to dwell on. She’s your daughter and I didn’t want to risk hurting anyone. Yesterday, a lot of things snapped into place, both good and bad, and feelings and emotions finally got addressed. I want to get to know Jan so much better, if she’ll let me. I want us to explore this.”

“Yes,” Jan said quickly, squeezing his hand. “Mom, Dad, he’s right. I have had feelings for him too, but it’s something where you just don’t go there. You just don’t try to hook up with someone who has done a lot for you in life and who you’ve known forever.”

“And why in the hell not?” Jim asked. “Don’t the best relationships consist of friends to lovers? It did for us.” He took Lisa’s hand and squeezed. “So, Gordon, you hurt our daughter, your life is ours and we’ll make your ending painfully messy.” Jim nodded. “Now that we got that out of the way, what the hell happened yesterday, Jan?”

Keith kept scooting closer as Jan explained the situation and where she’d been when the car had hit the little boy. By the time she got to the part where she accompanied little Brody to the hospital, Keith had her in a light embrace. Jim’s eyes kept flickering to the two of them, but he seemed more upset about the situation at the school, and rightly so.