Chapter 25
"I'm Not Me Dad"
Jack was asleep on the floor of Jess' cabin, Jess and Deana were in bed - very much awake. Jess whispered, knowing that once Jack was snoring, he was dead to the world, "Is she all right? Me dad didn'…'e didn' hurt 'er did 'e?"
Deana shook her head. "I don't think so - she's just scared that…he could."
"Me dad would ne'er 'urt a woman tha' wasn' holdin' a cutlass to 'is throat…oh, she wasn' doin' that, was she?"
"No, no…just slapped him."
"What did 'e do that was so…"
Deana interrupted him. "It's only partially what he did. The rest… Jess, I just can't talk about it - at least not now." She motioned her head in Jack's direction.
"I understand."
"Jess?"
"Hm?"
"Remember when you said you're not like your dad?"
Jess nodded. "Um, yeah. What of it?"
Deana blushed, hoping that she wasn't going to make a fool of herself. "Do you call…is every girl that you meet just…you called me love."
Jess smiled and pulled Deana close to him. "Aye, I did."
"So, um…"
Understanding what was going through Deana's mind, he said, "I told ye, I'm not me dad." He winked at her and kissed her cheek. "Let's get some sleep, hm?"
Deana did all she could to hold back the smile that was trying to force its way out. "Sure."