The Broken Soldier She Fell For (Book 2 of Something Series)

Chapter 15

James shrugged and looked nonchalantly while he looked between the two of us. "Eh," he said, biting back a small chuckle while he cleared his throat. "I am neither going to disagree or agree with that statement, Cap."

My father bit back a small snort and shifted on his feet, and I could instantly tell that he was in pain as one of his episodes set in, even though he was trying to hide it. The left side of his mouth twitched, but he didn't grimace like he wanted to at that moment, and I knew it was because he didn't want to appear "weak" in front of everyone.

I nudged Johnny's side, and he instantly looked at me before he looked at my father when I nodded toward him.

He didn't say a word but excused himself to get my father a chair without me having to tell him to get it as if he knew what I wanted him to do.

I cleared my throat and folded my arms across my chest while I stared at James with both eyebrows raised, and he looked at me from the corner of his eyes. "You have, though, James," I said, and James shushed me with a wink.

He didn't say a word about his son leaving the group as if he knew that my father was in pain but was trying to hide it so that we wouldn't worry about him. "I would say that you have, but I have no idea what you do at those parties," he said and flashed me a teasing wink, and I rolled my eyes and scowled.

"I haven't done anything illegal," I said and shrugged while I grimaced. "At most, I got myself some water and a soda before I called it a day, especially if I was out later than normal. Dad knows." I gestured to my father, and my father scoffed teasingly and rolled his eyes with a small scowl on his face.

"Oh, are you sure?" my father asked and placed his hand on his hip and raised an eyebrow in question. He didn't pay any attention to Johnny much to my relief, and I had a feeling that he thought Johnny was going to do whatever his father wanted him to do and not something for him and for me. "Are you sure that I know what you are doing, Em?"

I scowled and narrowed my eyes while I folded my arms across my chest and jutted out my hip too, and my father couldn't help but start to grin amused. "I mean... you are the one that normally picks me up because you always stay up while I am awake and out of the house."

"N-"

"Here you go, Captain," Johnny said, interrupting him, and set down the chair behind him, and my father turned to look at him and the chair that he brought with him. Johnny stood and stared at him with wide innocent eyes. "You can go ahead and sit down now, Sir."

My father set his jaw and pressed his lips into a thin line with something flashing through his eyes that I didn't quite catch. He looked at me before he looked at the chair and then at Johnny again. He didn't say a word and didn't sit down, being the stubborn man that I knew him to be.

"Dad," I said, holding back an eye roll and scowling, and he looked at me with a small scowl on his face. "Please, sit." I gestured to the chair and looked at him. "Don't start acting like a stubborn old man."

My father wrinkled his nose and pursed his lips in annoyance and disgust. "Old man?" he asked, and I bit back a small laugh while I nodded. He narrowed his eyes further, and a spark of amusement filled them while he stared at me. "Who are you calling an old man, Youngling?"

"Well..." I gestured to him up and down with a small laugh in my voice, and he scowled and narrowed his eyes playfully. "You are the oldest person in this little group at the moment, Dad, so it is you that I am calling an old man."

Dad set his jaw tighter and looked at the chair before he looked at me. He didn't say a word, and I knew that he didn't want to do this and seemed weak, but he knew that I wouldn't let up until he did.

"Dad, please," I said and tucked my head closer to my chest while I stared at him with a pleading look on my face, praying that he wouldn't fight like I knew he wanted to because of that fact, especially since Kanen was with us. "Can you sit down in the chair and not fight with me on this like I know you want to?" I paused and cleared my throat, shifting on my feet and giving him my best puppy dog look that I knew he couldn't say no to. "For me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper while I stared at him, making my eyes grow wider.

My father set his jaw and narrowed his eyes further while he looked at me. He didn't say a word before finally relenting and doing what I asked him to do.

However, he didn't do it quietly and grumbled something under his breath that I couldn't hear while he did so, biting back a small sigh of relief and rubbing his leg to relieve some of the pain he felt.

I breathed a small sigh of relief and offered him a tight smile, my shoulders sagging as if the weight of the world was lifted off of them. "But anyway, don't you stay up late to make sure I get home safely?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question, changing the subject back to what we had it at. "I mean, it is you who takes me home."

"Pfffft." My father rolled his eyes, and he playfully glared at me with a small scowl on his face, even though one of his lips twitched in amusement. "You are eighteen-years-old and are almost out of high school, Em. Why should I do such a thing when I love to sleep?"

Even though you have a hard time sleeping some nights with or without me at home... I wanted to say but didn't while I bit my tongue to keep that from spilling out because it was the only thing I wanted to say. Even I know that.

"Hmph." My father leaned back in his seat and bit back a small tired smile as if he knew what I was thinking and was grateful that I didn't say it out loud. "What do you have to say?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question, and I bit back a small smile and shook my head.

"I don't think that you want me to say it out loud, Dad," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "It's not worth it." I glanced around the small group that was gathered around us before I looked at him again, clearing my throat. "We can talk later if you want, but for now, I think it is best that we don't discuss it." I gave him a pointed look.

My father hesitated before he nodded, biting back a small sigh of relief. "Ok," he said before he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "Now, go ahead and get back to work," he said and gestured to the Mess Hall where everything was still getting ready for the party that was happening soon before he wagged his finger and looked at me with a small playful scowl on his face. "Or for you, Missy, get to work. Is that understood?"

I bit back a small snort and saluted him, and he rolled his eyes and scowled playfully, biting back a small smile. "Sir, yes, Sir," I said. "Right away, Sir. Come on, Kanen," I said.

And with that, I went to work with Kanen by my side as if he knew that he had no choice, and I couldn't help but feel grateful that he didn't fight me on it, especially with my father near us.

Thank God...