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“Thanks.” He jams one hand in his pocket and stares at the ground. “I had a fleeting thought about inviting him to the party before I went to the house.”
He can’t be serious. “Are you kidding?”
“It’s her birthday. He’s our dad.” Uncertainty I’m not used to seeing on my best friend seems to surround him like a fog. “I figured we’re all here to look out for her. Maybe…” He clenches his jaw and shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter. He was wasted when I got there. Didn’t even ask how she was doing. About her graduation. Nothing. Fuck him.”
I let out a relieved breath. “I’m sorry. Your heart was in a good place, man.” But having your dad here would’ve been a fucking disaster. I can’t wrap my head around why Remy wanted to invite him.
Remy’s quiet for a few beats, his gaze focused on the track even though I don’t think he’s watching anything in particular. “I don’t want to turn into him one day.”
I shift sideways so we’re facing each other. “You’re nothing like your father. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen you shitfaced.”
He seems to consider that. “You think if we stop fighting, though…”
“You want to stop?”
He flexes the fingers of his right hand. “Not really.”
“You’ve got more of Grandpa Kip’s personality traits than your dad’s.”
That doesn’t seem to reassure him the way I’d intended. His expression doesn’t change. “I should hope so. He certainly spent more time raising me.”
I touch my fingers to my chest. “I don’t exactly come from prime stock either. We learn better, we do better.”
“Do better,” he repeats, nodding slowly. “I like that.”
“All the kids are saying it these days, grampy.”
The corner of his mouth lifts in a wry smirk. “You would know.”
“Ouch.” I press my hands into my gut.
“Yeah, that was low.” His smirk widens. “Your girlfriend isn’t underage anymore.”
“God, you’re such a dick.” I groan and laugh at the same time. “Come on. Let’s go grab a burger. I’m starving.”
“You’re always starving.”
I rub a hand over my stomach. “My metabolism is a finely tuned engine that needs fuel on a regular basis.”
“Christ, you sound like Wrath.” He falls in step next to me as we head toward the grill. “Are you going to lecture me about the evils of sugar next?”
I let out a derisive snort. The Lost Kings enforcer and former underground fighter gave up sugar and never misses an opportunity to preach the benefits to us. “Bro, I hope I’m still as jacked as he is when I’m forty. He could crack both of our skulls without breaking a sweat.”
“You’re probably right.” He chuckles.
Proud of myself for cheering him up, I nudge him with my elbow. “What else did you get Molly?”
“Never mind. What did you get her?” He side-eyes me. “It better not be something inappropriate.”
I stop walking. “Inappropriate, how?”
He stares at me.
Still confused, I shake my head. “Please don’t ruin it for me if I tell you.”
“How?”
I cast a quick glance around. Vapor, Eraser, Torch, Spoons, and Pip are all seated at a picnic table near the grill, heckling Pax. Molly’s friends are over by the starting line with Juliet, waiting for Hayden’s car to return.
