Incinerate

Chapter 23

Knox

HOW THE hell did I get here? I’m wondering as I browse the beer aisle for Charlie’s dad. When we got to the store to buy beer for the game, she went straight for the Yuengling Light, and I had to shake my head at her.

“Are you trying to make your Dad hate me? He’s already going to find out that we’re together. There’s no way I’m showing up at his house with light beer.”

“Oh, come on, Knox. It’ll be funny. You know, puff out your chest or something and stick it to the man. He can’t order you around about what kind of beer to get. Tap into your inner alpha or whatever it is you guys call it when you get all pissy from someone telling you what to do,” she says, waving her hand in the air in front of me. “Plus, once he sees Evelyn, he’s probably going to try to find some sort of dowry so I’ll be barefoot and pregnant in your kitchen in no time.”

Surprisingly, the thought of her carrying my child doesn’t cause me to panic and run for the door like it usually would. With Charlie, I’m finding myself opening up to things I never thought I’d want. I’m not saying I want her to have my kid anytime soon, but I’m hoping she’ll be in my life for the long term, whatever that ends up meaning.

“Umm, Charlie, I know I don’t have much experience dating, but there’s no way in hell I’m going into your dad’s home for the first time, especially as your boyfriend, bringing him something he doesn’t want.”

I take my attention from the beer and look at her as she stands up from the bottom shelf she was looking at. She looks at me, a silly grin crossing her face.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” I ask as she throws her arms around me. Standing on her tiptoes, she leans up for a kiss, and I don’t mind planting one on her right here in the middle of the store.

“I like that. Boyfriend. That sounds almost as good as Rugged,” she says as she pulls away. She’s tapping her chin as she looks me over, checking out the jeans and Braves t-shirt I’m wearing. “Hmmm, Rugged Boyfriend. Yeah, I think that’s perfect.”

Shaking my head, I decide on a couple of different kinds of beer. Charlie isn’t helpful when it comes to what her dad likes, so I’m hoping that he likes at least one of these.

I’m surprised when we pull up to a modest one-story ranch on a huge plot of land. I don’t know why, but I just assumed that an officer, especially a physician, would live in something extravagant. I must have a weird look on my face, because Charlie touches my arm.

“Not what you expected, right?” I nod, wondering how she read my expression so well. “Don’t worry. Dad gets that a lot from his colleagues. He says he doesn’t need anything bigger than this and he doesn’t want to feel lonely in a huge house by himself.”

I can understand his reasoning, and the more I learn about Wade Davenport, the more I respect and like him. Getting out of the car, I grab the beer and follow Charlie to the front door where Wade opens it and greets us before we can knock. Eyeing me up and down, he looks at my Braves shirt.

“All right, son. Nice choice. It might not be a Crimson Tide shirt, but I can get behind the Braves. Get your asses in here. It’s almost time for kickoff. If it weren’t, I’d be taking that gorgeous baby out for a spin, but there’s time for that later.” Obviously Charlie wasn’t wrong, and if Evelyn is the way to his approval, I don’t mind whoring her out for him.

He leads the way to the kitchen, where he advises me to place the beer on the counter. I take the six-packs out of the bags and wait anxiously as he looks them over. I have no idea why I’m nervous, but part of me wants her dad to like me, and this is the first step in making that happen. After a couple of moments, he puts me out of my misery when he grins at me and then at Charlie.

“I knew you’d be able to follow orders better than my daughter,” he says, grabbing a Guinness and handing me one before putting the rest in the refrigerator. “I bet she even tried to get you to buy that light shit.”

Laughing, I nod my head, earning a glare from her. “You definitely know your daughter, sir.”

“Come on, Knox. We talked about this. No sir bullshit when we’re not in uniform.” I nod, remembering that exchange, and follow him to the living room where the pre-game show is playing on the big screen.

Wade sits in a recliner in the corner while Charlie and I settle into the couch. They start arguing over the merits of their quarterback, and I can only sit back and watch them interact. I can see where Charlie’s stubbornness has come from. A part of me feels jealous at how close they are, and I wish, for the first time in a long time, that I could have a relationship like this with my own parents.

The invitation to the Labor Day party that Megan gave me is in my kitchen somewhere, and I’m wondering if I should go. If I have Cohen and Charlie, I’m sure I could get through it. Who knows? Maybe this could be a path to reconciliation. I’ve spent years being angry, avoiding this, but part of me feels that its time. If I’m honest with myself, I miss my family. So if I have a chance of getting to know them again, how can I not take it?

They finally agree to disagree, and I take the moment to thank Wade for letting me take part in their tradition. He waves me off, taking a drink of his beer before watching the television.

“Don’t sweat it, Knox. In fact, I have a friend who will be joining us, too, so I’m glad you’re here.”

Charlie’s eyebrows lift up, and she leans forward, giving her dad the stare down.

“A friend, huh? Is she a doctor? Gorgeous hair, flawless skin, last name can be found on a tree?” She’s teasing him, and he nearly chokes on the sip of beer he just took. We haven’t talked about it, but I’m guessing this is new territory for him, and I feel bad for the guy.

Placing my hand on her thigh, I try to help him out. “Sweetheart,” is all I get out before Charlie’s silencing me. It’s too late though, and Wade’s narrowing his eyes as they zone in on my hand touching her.

“Sweetheart? I know it’s been a while, but I thought you told me you were just roommates. That nothing else was going on and you had no interest in my girl.” He’s challenging me, knowing I never said that last part.

Charlie’s looking back and forth between us like she’s confused about what he’s saying. Grabbing her hand, I bring it to my lips and plant a kiss on it as I look him right in the face.

“I never said I wasn’t interested, but at the time, I didn’t think anything would happen. Our relationship has progressed since then, and well, we’re together and I’m lucky as hell that she’s mine.”

Silently, he watches us for a few moments before a huge grin spreads across his face. “Well, you’re damn right about that,” he says before turning to her. “Guess you finally found a soldier with some balls. Nice going, Charlie.”

I’m not even sure I want to know what that means. I’m saved by the bell when the doorbell rings. Wade’s about to get out of his chair, but Charlie quickly jumps up. “I’ll get it, Dad,” she says before she scurries out of the room.

Shaking his head, he looks at me and lifts his beer in my direction. “She’s all yours now,” he says, and I grin as I raise my bottle. I have no problem toasting to that.

Charlie reenters the room with a shit-eating grin on her face. I’m about to ask her what’s going on when Dr. Branch comes into view. I almost lose it when I see what she’s wearing. She looks different out of her lab coat and dress clothes, but the fact that she’s in jeans and an Auburn jersey makes me want to kiss her.

Wade rises from his chair, but not before he lets out, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Charlie is failing at trying to contain her laughter as she rejoins me on the couch.

When Wade approaches Olivia and greets her with a kiss on the cheek, I have to fight the urge to take out my phone and snap a picture of these two in warring jerseys. Leading her to the loveseat, he takes a seat next to her.

“You never told me you were an Auburn fan,” he says accusingly.

Setting her chin, she glares at him. “The way that I see it, it only matters on one day of the year, so instead of getting you all in a huff, I decided to keep that little fact to myself.”

Holy shit. Go Dr. B! Wade shakes his head as Charlie and I try not to laugh. I kind of feel like a voyeur as I watch them, but when I see Wade grin as she leans back against him, I know things will be just fine—at least until the Iron Bowl. Watching Wade and Olivia in the same room as their rival teams play each other should be pretty interesting.

Surprisingly, I find that I’m enjoying being around Charlie and her dad. For the first time, I feel like a boyfriend and it doesn’t bother me. We spend the afternoon watching Alabama crush Virginia Tech, but the way Wade and Charlie are acting you’d think they were winning the National Championship. Once the game is over, we get up to leave when Dr. Branch—or well, Olivia as she told me to call her since I’m no longer her patient—invites us to go to dinner with them. Charlie looks at me, and I shrug, not caring either way.

Charlie answers for us. “Sure, Olivia. That sounds great.”

The two of them start discussing what type of food they want, and Wade gestures for me to follow him into the kitchen.

“If I know those two, they’ll be arguing over whether they want sushi or Italian,” he says, pulling two beers out of the fridge and handing me one. “We might as well enjoy ourselves while they’re sorting dinner plans out.”

“So you and Doc B? Is it serious?” I ask, even though I know I have no right. I’m trying to get the inside scoop for Charlie.

Looking me up and down, he counters with, “How about you and my girl? How serious is that?”

Check freaking mate. “We’re just starting out. We’ve been a couple for”—I pause to check my watch—“less than twenty-four hours now. So we’re not exactly serious, but I can assure you that I do care about her.”

Slapping me on the shoulder, he grins. “I’m not worried about that. I can see the way you look at her. Be good to her, Knox. She deserves it.” He finishes off his beer as his face turns serious. “But if you hurt her, I’ll kick your ass. I may be an old man, but I figure I can get in a swing or two before you could take me down.”

Before I can respond, the girls enter the kitchen, declaring that they’ve decided on Mexican. We go to leave, and although I know Wade wants to ride in Evelyn, Olivia coaxes him into her car. I make him a promise he can drive her another day.

Entering the restaurant, the four of us are led to a booth. Instead of sitting next to me, Charlie slides in next to her dad, leaving me to sit across from her for some reason. I’d much rather be sitting next to my girl, but I’ll deal for now. After we get our drinks and order, the table falls silent until Charlie speaks up.

“So, Olivia, how long have you and Dad been dating?” Damn, my girl goes straight for the jugular.

Olivia takes a sip of her margarita before responding. “Well, we’ve been friends for a couple of years, but it just recently developed into something more.” Wade grins at her, and Charlie looks back and forth between the two of them.

“I’m glad, Olivia. I love seeing Dad happy, even if you are wearing an Auburn jersey,” she says, smiling at her. She’s definitely her father’s daughter. I want to lean across the table and attack her mouth, but I settle for messing with her foot, wishing I could be close to her right now.

I start to slide my shoe up her leg when I suddenly feel a sharp pain on my shin, the result of someone kicking me. Holy shit. That fucking hurt. “Fuck,” I say before I can censor myself around her dad.

Wade grins at me, and I wonder what the hell he’s thinking. “Hey, Knox, I think you have a problem if you can’t tell the difference between my size 11s and Charlie’s much smaller feet. As much as I enjoy a little attention, I’d rather rub feet with someone other than my daughter’s boyfriend.”

Charlie snickers, and I shrug, feeling only slightly embarrassed. I was caught and I can get over it, even though my girl’s trying not to laugh at me. I like to pride myself in my masculinity, and I’d never knowingly play footsie with another fucking man. Sipping my beer, I brush it off, and the rest of the dinner goes off without a hitch as I make sure to keep my feet to myself.

When the check comes, Wade moves to pick it up off the table, but I swipe it out from under him at the last minute. Moving to grab my wallet, I watch as he scowls at me and sticks his hand out, waiting for me to hand it over.

“The bill, Knox,” he orders, and I grin, wondering how many times he’s used that tone with Charlie. Glancing over at her, I notice she’s watching our standoff with playful eyes.

“It’s cool, Wade. I got it.” I try not to smirk when I see him glare at me, and I know it’s really only a matter of time before I give in. Watching him get all riled up lets me know exactly where his daughter gets it from.

“I’m not letting my daughter’s boyfriend pay the bill. This is not a double date. That’d just be weird, so put your damn wallet away. This is me, a father, taking his daughter and her man, along with his woman, out for dinner. Give me the damn check.”

“Yes, sir,” I say, trying to keep a straight face as I pass him the bill, and he scowls again.

By the time we leave, I have to reaffirm my promise that he can drive Evelyn to get back into his good graces. For the first time, I actually care what a girl’s father thinks of me, and if I have to use Evelyn, then I’ll hand over the keys any time he asks. Okay, not any time, but for Charlie, I’d at least consider it.