More Than Love (NG3)

10 - Father

Reed skated around the rink, ready to knock down anyone in his path.

What the hell happened? He thought she was a gift from Sasha, which was crazy because he was supposed to be at work. It wasn't unusual for him to show up on weekends. It was odd Sasha hadn't mentioned her jewelry show unless he had forgotten.

The joke was on Sasha because the most perfect girl wigged out because Sasha was his stepmother. Why would it matter?

Kevin skated beside him. "Still mad at your dad."

"What?" He had forgotten how his day had started. Laney had made him forget his problems. "Yeah. I walked out on him this morning."

"Are you going to look for a new job?"

Was he? "I don't know. Maybe."

After their games, Kevin slapped his back while Reed was untying his skates.

"You look like you could use a drink."

He shook his head. "Too tired."

He had driven over three hours, surfed, skated, and had his heart squeezed by a sexy, sweet Siren. The only thing he needed was his bed.

"Dude, you're not even thirty and you're no fun."

"I know. It sucks."

He continued to take off his equipment. He remembered teaching Sasha how to help him. At ten, he needed an adult to tie his skates tight enough, plus help with the pads and gloves.

He couldn't decide if he should be angry with Laney. By morning, he felt foolish. What was he thinking, falling for a stranger? But she never felt like a stranger. From the moment he saw her painting, she felt familiar to him. He woke up in the perfect mood to demolish his kitchen. The cabinet order was in, still he would be without a kitchen for weeks. Swing, crash. It felt good to swing the sledgehammer.

He jumped when he heard a voice. "Shit, you really need to get laid."

"What are you doing here, Cay?"

"Since when did I need a reason to stop by? Although your dad called mom yesterday. Whad'you do?"

"Nothing. None of your business."

Great. His mother knew he had walked out of work. Did Sasha? He hadn't given his parents a reason to talk for about ten years.

Sighing, he asked, "What did Mom say?"

"Nothing, because none of us had heard from you. They all decided you were sulking here. Payton confirmed you were alive." He should have known there was more to her random phone call. "I drew the short straw, so here I am."

"Seriously, am I that much of a chore? You fight with Mom and run off all the time. I do it once and the family is in crisis mode."

"Maybe we should be. You are destroying your house."

"Because I have to, for the remodel. Do you want to help?"

Cayden put his hands up. "No thanks. I might get hurt."

Reed laughed. "Wussy!"

"Cry baby!" Cayden stuck out his tongue.

"I don't cry, but you used to a lot!"

They continued to trash talk as Reed swung the sledgehammer. Cayden left to report back to their mother, and Reed took a break. His muscles would be sore in the morning.

He had a working microwave, fridge and sink, so he slapped some turkey between two pieces of bread. It didn't compare to Rick's creations. He sat on his sofa and clicked on the remote. Nothing was on, except a baseball game, but he preferred hockey. There were woodworking and DIY shows. He stopped on The Office. Steve Carell was acting foolish and Pam and Jim were dancing around their attraction.