FEAR

29

•KEEGAN•

In the stables, my dad and I were cleaning horse manure. He was also lecturing me about Verena and that I should stay away from a woman like that. Jennifer is a nice girl blah blah blah. He was a fucking hypocrite. My mom was a wild child. A free-spirited hippy and she loves Verena. The moment she saw her she gave me a look as if saying this one is good. I never brought anyone home other than her and my ex Kendal and my mom hated Kendal. She claimed that Kendal was too cooperative, that she needed to go touch some grass or hug a cow.

My grandparents still hate my mom but my dad still married her. To this day my grandma always complains about my mom and my dad shuts it down. They were getting too old for all this animosity.

"She a drug dealer Keegan."

"And I'm an arms dealer we go hand in hand pops." His lips pressed in a thin line. He disapproved.

He was so proud when I became a marine though my mom hated it, she even cried. After leaving the corps she was ecstatic only to fall into a depression when I disappeared. She grew out of it but I still felt guilty.

"Why son?" He finished shoveling and looked at me.

"I can't even begin to describe how I feel about her," I said feeling my throat close up. I couldn't explain why I was always thinking about her and her well-being. I always wanted to be around her. I want to help her even if she doesn't want it.

"I understand." He said looking at me. "Just please be careful she isn't a traditional woman."

"Nor is Mom." He snorted and shook his head. A memory seemed to cross his mind as he paused, smiling softly at the floor.

"No she's not but your mom only has eyes for me." Oh. So he noticed that too. Of course, the old fart noticed. "She only wants me and though I wouldn't judge someone for who they love I will speak my truth to my son."

I wasn't blind I see it too. It wasn't just them protecting her or her needing help. She likes us, all of us. I think about our time at the pool in Italy and what that meant to me but I question whether it meant as much to her. Fuck. I was so down bad. I can't say I had any right to be mad if she did do anything with them but to say I wasn't fucking jealous. My teeth grind at the thought. To make shit worse fucking Jennifer Hemings. If I had a change with her I likely don't have one now.

My phone started ringing. I put the shovel down and pulled off my gloves to answer the call. "König?"

"Verena wants to talk to you." He said in that usual calm tone that was misleading as fuck. I haven't talked to her at all since Jennifer decided to show up. Not by fucking choice. I couldn't exactly tell how she was feeling. She wasn't an easy person to read.

"Ok." I hung up and turned to my father stuffing the phone in my pocket. "You gon' be alright." He was nodding before I even asked. I smiled before turning around and jogging back to the house.

When I walked into her room she was just finishing getting dressed. Her hair was wet and she was wearing a tank top. I could see mark after mark after mark fucking Ghost. No wonder he wasn't answering. Her neck, her arms, and her chest. A flash of jealousy ran through me this just confirmed it for me. She was fucking him.

She pulled a hoodie over her head and looked at me, with nothing but distaste. "When are you getting that paternity test?" Straight to business.

"Everything is close-"

"Figure it the fuck out." She snapped.

"Verena?" Ghost walked into the room and I never wanted to kill anyone as much as I wanted to kill him. Until he said. "He doing his best."