Joker stared at me.

“So, he has me on vandalism and assault,” I boiled it down. “And he was pretty mad, so I’ve been waiting up to tell you and/or face the police when they got to our door.”

Joker kept staring at me.

I kept talking.

“You have my permission to use my savings as bail money. And if Aaron successfully uses this lunacy to get full custody of my son, all I request is that you hide the sharp knives and razorblades.”

“Come here.”

“I…” I shook my head. “What?”

“Get your ass over here.”

His expression and tone weren’t giving me anything.

I debated the merits of going to him.

I debated the merits of not going to him.

I did this in seconds then went to him.

He turned as I did, so when I stopped two feet away, he was facing me full on.

“First, my dad’s a dick,” he stated.

“I, well, I know that, Carson,” I whispered.

“He’s just a dick, but he also thinks he has a big one. No way in fuck he’d report it to the police that a woman marked him. He wouldn’t take that hit to the cred he thinks he’s got at all, but especially gettin’ that mark from a curly-haired ex-cheerleader.”

“Really?” I asked, hope blooming.

He nodded. “Really. It’s not gonna happen. Even if you didn’t mark him, just got a punch in, he wouldn’t share that with anyone.”

Well, that was good.

“Good,” I whispered.

“Second,” he began and the minute amount I’d relaxed raced away. “He saw you. He saw me. At the grocery store while you were dumpin’ beans in the cart, he looked right at me… and you. He knew in a glance who you were to me, what we have, what I’ve got. He looked away, Carissa. I coulda made an approach and rubbed it in, but why the fuck would I waste my time with that shit? It isn’t worth it. Bein’ in a grocery store with a beautiful girl who likes bein’ with me who’s babbling about chili hit him harder than I could ever do it even if I wanted to put in that effort. I took off to get outta his space. He doesn’t deserve that, but I had my pretty girl with me babblin’ about chili. We were settin’ up for a good night ’cause that’s what we always have. I introduce him into it, it means she might not have a good night. So I got us the fuck outta there.”

“Oh,” I said softly, thinking perhaps I should have discussed things with him before I went out and committed felonies.

He went on like I didn’t make the sound.