UNBROKEN: A Bad Boy MMA Romance (Midwest Alphas) (Book 2) (40 page)

She shakes her head. “I think we could all do with some apologizing, really,” she mutters.

“Yeah, but… especially me,” I joke. “I’m…” My eyes wander over to Kai. “I’ve been pretty selfish and stupid and I really need to tell you how sorry I am.”

Ava steps forward. “Piper…” She rests her hands on my shoulders. “Luckily, selfish and stupid are common traits for both of our families.

“Yeah, I guess they are.” I look at the study door again. “Do you think he’ll see me?”

She releases my shoulders and follows my line of sight. “Only one way to find out,” she shrugs.

We follow her across the room and I pause in front of the study door to turn back to Kai. “Actually, I think I’ll go in alone,” I tell him.

“Are you sure?” he asks.

I nod. “Yeah. I think this needs to come from me.”

He looks nervous, but steps back with acceptance. “I’ll be out here,” he says.

Ava grabs his shoulder. “Come on, Kai,” she urges. “Let’s leave them be.” He hesitates, but eventually lets her drag him into the kitchen with her.

I reach out and knock softly on the door.

“Yeah?”

I hear his voice and it brings a smile to my face. I recall all the times I knocked on his door as a child. He always answered with the same word, the same tone of voice. The same everything.

It’s scary how much life has changed, but also, how much it has stayed the same.

I push the door open and step inside.

His silence is comforting, but only for a moment. “Hey, Dad,” I say. My voice trembles a bit, but I manage to keep it steady. If there’s one thing my father can see clearly, it’s weakness.

He stares at me from behind his desk. I expect him to stand up at any moment and point towards the door, but he stays still as I walk across the room.

“May I?” I ask, looking down at the chair in front of the desk.

He nods silently.

As I sit down, I let my eyes wander the large room. The last time I was here, I was delivering the itinerary for my trip to Europe. A complete map of my exact whereabouts for an entire week — or so he thought. It was accurate, to a certain extent. “You know,” I say, just about a whisper. “I spent all day rehearsing what I wanted to say to you, but now I can’t remember a word of it.”

He leans forward in his chair. “That’s why I taught you to always use note cards,” he says as he fixes a stack of papers on his desk.

I give a short smile. “I thought note cards would be a little strange for a normal conversation with my father,” I say.

“Piper…” he sighs. “I don’t think you and I have ever had a normal conversation.”

“You’re probably right.” I stare at my hands. “Conversation was more Mom’s specialty.” I bite my inner cheek, suddenly wary of the idea of bringing her up, but he nods in agreement.

“I never figured out how to talk to you, Piper,” he says. “I could teach you, give orders… but I could never talk to you like she could. I was under the impression that it wasn’t my job.”

It makes all the sense in the world, but that doesn’t stop it from stinging a bit. “You were always so busy,” I say.

“Every man is busy,” he replies. “That’s no excuse for failing to parent his child.”

“You didn’t
fail
…”

“I pushed my daughter so hard, she fled from me,” he says. “No, Piper, I’d say I failed you.”

“Dad,” I whisper. “I should have tried to talk to you again instead of…” I pause. “It was the wrong decision.”

“I agree.”

“But I don’t regret it.” I shift my feet to force myself from nervously tapping my toes against the chair. “I
can’t
regret it. If I never went to Europe, I never would have reconnected with Mom… and I never would have found Kai.”

My father’s shoulders go tense. I’m honestly not sure which thought strikes him cold the most. “I have no doubts that your reckless decision-making benefited you the most in the end, Piper.”

“Dad…” I tilt my head. “I’m sorry. I don’t expect that everything is going to go back to the way it was by saying that. I just need you to know it. I’m really sorry for what I put you and Ava through and… I hope we can find some common ground again.”

He pauses for a moment and stares at me through his spotted glasses. Finally, he sighs. “I wouldn’t be much of a father if I turned you away, Piper,” he says.

I smile. “It’s a good start.”

“And I regret what was said at dinner,” he says. “It was wrong of me to call you…”

I nod and let his words fall. “I have a pretty thick skin,” I say.

“You always have.” His lips curl slightly. “I’m not sure how I feel about you and my stepson being romantically involved though…”

“Yeah…” I chuckle. “It was awkward for us, too. But… worth the trouble, I think.”

“I will take your word for it,” he jokes.

I breathe a sigh. “Thank you, Dad.”

“As long as you’re happy…”

I think about the phrase for a moment. “I am…” Laughter teases my throat. “Yeah. I think for the first time, I really am.”

“Does that mean you’re staying put for now?” he asks.

“Yes.” I take a quick breath. “Mom and I found an apartment not too far from campus.”

“From campus?”

I nod. “I’m
considering
going to school in the fall. Summer, if I can get paperwork done in time. USC ain’t Harvard, but—”

“
Isn’t
Harvard,” he corrects.

I grin, amused that he took my bait. “It
isn’t
Harvard, but…”

“It’s a good start.”

A warm feeling tingles my limbs. “Yeah.”

My father looks at me and his eyes turn soft. “It’s nice to have you home, Piper,” he says.

“It’s nice to be home, Dad.”

***

The elevator doors open and I step onto the fifth floor. I spin around. “Right this way,” I say to Kai.

He lingers in the elevator first before stepping off with narrow eyes. “Are you sure you two can afford this?” he asks. “This is a really nice building…”

“Yeah,” I assure him once again. He follows me slowly as I walk backwards, leading him down the hall. “Especially since my dad offered to foot the bill for school — which I wasn’t expecting at all, by the way.” I reach into my pocket for my new keys.

“Well, I especially like the proximity to school,” he says as his eyes continue to scan the white hallway.

“Just a ten minute walk, both ways,” I say. “Clocked it myself.”

Kai grins at me. “You’re getting really excited about this, aren’t you?” he pokes.

“Maybe…”

“And here I thought your excitement over academics was a ruse put on to satisfy daddy dearest…” He shakes his head and ticks his tongue.

“It was…
kind of
.”

“You little nerd.”

“Bite me.”

He raises an eyebrow. “I intend to.”

I pause in front of the door. “And here we are,” I announce.

“Five D,” Kai reads the letters aloud.

I reach into my pocket and pull out a spare key. “Mom had this made up for you in case either of us get locked out,” I say as I slide it into his palm. “And she repeated that multiple times to make it clear that it is the
only
reason why you would ever use it.”

Kai chuckles. “But Penny was so
cool
before…”

“Well, as
cool
as she is,” I say, “I don’t think she’s keen on my boyfriend sneaking into my bed in the middle of the night. She’s still a mom, after all.”

“Holy shit…”
He stares at me with wide eyes.

“What?” I ask.

“You just said boyfriend and you didn’t even
flinch
.”

My eyes fall to the floor. “Did I?”

He leans in closer and blocks my reach for the door handle. “Hey…” he says as he wraps his arms around me. “Kiss me.”

“Why?” I tease.

“Because I’m about to enter a
hands off
zone…” His lips graze mine, pulling me in until I’m forced to kiss him myself.

“There,” I say, leaning away.

“Wait, wait…” He kisses me again, his lips tasting sweet and perfect.

“Kai…” I whisper. “There will be plenty of time for this later once we get back to your dorm…”

He raises his head. “I wasn’t aware we had plans later…”

“We
always
have plans later,” I tease with a smirk. “Because I’m not going anywhere.”

“Promise?” he asks.

“I promise.” I slide the key into the lock. “Kai, there is nothing in this world that can tear us apart now.”

He smiles at me as I push the door open.

Movement catches my eyes and I freeze in the open doorway.

My mother moves quickly to cover her naked skin with a thick blanket on the living room sofa. Two sets of clothing lie tossed about the room. A man sits beside my mother on the sofa with his groin obscured by nothing but a throw pillow. I scan his body, enticed at the familiar shape of his muscles. My eyes move to his face and my jaw drops to the floor.

Brown hair. Brown eyes. A stunningly perfect jaw-line. Just like Kai’s…

“Mr. Casablancas?”

Kai steps forward.
“Dad?”

The two of them stare up at us with awkward smiles. I stumble back and pull Kai out of the room before slamming the door closed. We stare at each other and let the shock sink in.

“That was your dad…” I say.

“With your mom…” he continues.

I bite my inner cheek and wait for Kai’s reaction before committing to my own. As his lips start to curl, just like mine, we both split the silence with laughter. It grows louder and louder until we have to lean on each other to stay upright.

“Want to get out of here?” I ask as I try to catch my breath.

“Desperately,” he replies.

“Thank god.”

He grips my hand and entwines his fingers with my own as we bolt down the hallway together. We board the elevator and I cup his face to plant a firm kiss on his warm lips.

Kai, there is nothing in this world that can tear us apart now.

I’ve never been one for optimism. I could be very wrong about that, but… not right now.

In this moment, it feels so very right.

Kai kisses me back as the elevator doors slide closed.

END OF BOOK TWO

Continue the Story of

Piper & Kai

RAIL ME, RIDE ME, RUIN ME:

A Stepbrother Romance

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This is a work of fiction intended for mature audiences only.

Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All characters detailed within are eighteen years of age or older.

No characters engaging in sexual acts are blood related.