"I don't care about all your friends. Go wipe it off your face."
"But Dad—"
"You're not leaving the house looking like you're twenty-five years old." He pointed to the hallway. "Your shorts are too small, too."
Jess groaned. "Not even. You won't ever see me wearing those walking shorts that are popular with the girls right now. Talk about looking like an old lady, they go down to your knee, dad. Your knee. It's ugly. Besides, these shorts are just like the ones the girls wear for volleyball."
"Dude, check this out." Travis walked into the living room, holding a magazine open and tilted.
His gaze went to the cover and the picture of a hot rod before he relaxed about what kind of magazine Travis bought. He glanced at the Mustang spread across two pages. "Nice."
"More than that. It's gnarly, dude." Travis walked off, heading for the kitchen.
"Enough with the dude talk at home. Save it for your friends," said Wyatt.
"Dad, please?" Jess crossed her arms and popped out her hip. A hip he hadn't seen before.
"You're killing me, Jess," he muttered.
"Tyler is coming over. I want to look nice."
"Who the hell is Tyler?"
"Duh. He's Banks' son. Mrs. Banks...I don't think that's their last name. Whatever. You said she could pick us up for the party since she had to come to town to go to the store anyway. Tyler is with her. He can't have anyone on the back of his motorcycle yet. It's some rule, and he said he'd be with his mom, so we're not stuck talking to her by ourselves the whole ride to the party."
His head hurt, and his thoughts scattered following his daughter's conversation. Banks called yesterday and had asked for the kids to come to the party. He'd given his permission after he heard Banks' wife could pick the kids up.
A knock came, stopping him from arguing. Jess jumped, rushing for the door. Joey walked in and smiled, raising her brows and looking twice at Jess.
"What's going on?" asked Joey, looking over at Wyatt.
Jess jumped between him and Joey. "Tell Dad that I'm almost sixteen years old and girls my age wear makeup."
"Uh..." Joey met his gaze then looked at his daughter. "Let's try something a little different."
"What?"
"I'll show you in front of the mirror. It's a little trick only women know." Joey took Jess's hand and led her down the hall.
Wyatt blew out his breath. If Jess went outside looking like that, he'd have every male from twelve years old to thirty trying to gain her attention. Not to mention the boy from school who kept coming over and now that Tyler kid.
"Dad, can I open the cereal box?" yelled Travis.
"You had dinner over at Joey's apartment an hour ago." He folded the blanket he'd used to sleep with, and hadn't picked up all day, and set it on the back of the couch.
"I'm still hungry."
"Fine, but leave some for tomorrow morning." He tossed the pillow to the corner of the sofa.
He needed to go grocery shopping. Since the kids started living with him, their appetites had increased at top speed.
He kicked a sneaker over to the wall and picked up the dirty clothes scattered around. Joey came out to the living room and gave him a hesitant smile before motioning toward the hallway.
Jess walked out with less makeup on but still had her eyes outlined in blue. He walked to his daughter, bent down, and kissed her forehead. Jess extended her arms and hugged his neck.
"Watch your brother tonight, and don't leave their house. If you want to come home early, call the number I gave you, and I'll come get you," he said.
"Aren't you going to be with Joey? She's playing pool tonight." Jess walked over and sat on the couch, rummaging through her purse.
"Yeah. That number goes to Roddy's phone. He'll be at the bar, too." He walked into the kitchen and grabbed the box of cereal from Travis. "Get ready. Your ride is going to be here any minute."
He squeezed Travis's neck, pulled him over, and kissed the top of his head. "Mind your sister."
Lately, Travis seemed more content. He hadn't tried to run away, and with Joey watching the kids over the summer, both of them stuck around the apartments and followed his rules. They'd all fallen into a routine, and that involved having Joey in his life.
The only thing that wasn't going for him was living in different apartments. He wanted her beside him every night, and that wasn't possible when the kids were around and he slept on the couch.
Protecting the kids from his sex life had come and gone. They were used to seeing him and Joey together, and if he'd ask them, they'd want her living with him. But he couldn't ask her to sleep on the sofa.
Jess turned around on the couch and looked out the window. "I think that's Mrs. Banks, or whatever her name is."
"Travis, kick it in gear." Wyatt went to the door. "Let's go."
"Geez, Dad, what's your rush?" Travis hitched up his jeans.
"Manners, son. You shouldn't keep people waiting." He pushed his kids outside, waved to Banks' wife, and waited in the doorway until the car pulled out of the parking lot.
Once he saw his kids safely off, he shut the door and went to Joey. Gathering her in his arms, he kissed her deeply, trying to bite off the urge to strip her naked. He had something important to talk to her about tonight but would wait until after she finished playing pool. She wouldn't need the distraction while she played.
"You're hyped." She ran her hand over his chest. "What's going on?"
"I'm ready to go out." He grabbed his smokes off the coffee table and shoved the pack in his pocket.
Joey picked up the light jacket she'd carried over with her. "Can I put this in your duffle bag?"
He took the coat from her. When they rode home after midnight, it'd
