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Whose fault is that?I could see the accusation in his gaze, but he didn’t say the dreaded words. I expected the barbs or some kind of counter-attack to start immediately, and I was prepared for him to dig into my character and tell me how much of a bitch I was for keeping his child away from him this long.
But he didn’t do any of that. He only took a deep breath, looked away from me, glanced around the room, then got to his feet.
“I’ll talk to you later, Vin,” he said as a way of addressing the situation. I saw Vinny nod, and then Monty walked out, ignoring me and the obvious eyes at his back.
Those same eyes turned to me when he left.
There was silence in the shop, and that was when I realized how loud I had been shouting. I had drawn every eye to me, and they kept stealing glances at me for the most part, even as conversation slowly returned to normal.Well, you certainly put on a show Kayla,I thought, embarrassment filling in.
Now that the haze of panic and the venom from my anger had cleared, I finally started to think rationally again.
Had I been too hard on him?
Yes.
Now that I had space to think, I realized how much I overreacted. Sure, he had broken my one rule about watching Hunter, but now I realized he had not maliciously done what he did. Hunter was his son too, and Monty had simply not thought enough about how his disappearance would affect me. It was reasonable that he had not known to tell me before he left, especially considering he hadn’t had any experience with being a father yet. And then I completely flipped out and humiliated him in front of everybody.
In other words, I seriously fucked up.
Regret and self-loathing filled me. “Oh God, what have I done?”And why was I like this?
“I’d say you’ve made a huge blunder in your judgment, but that’s just me,” Vinny replied. I glanced at him, blushing at the expression on his face. It was suitably set in disapproval, his displeasure for what I had done to his friend clear on his face. More embarrassment washed in. Not only had I humiliated Monty, but I had also made him seem like an irresponsible bum in front of his friend.
Just what was wrong with me?
“I’m sorry,” I said. “For causing a scene and overreacting.”
“I’m not the one you need to be apologizing to,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “And I think the scene is the least of the offenses.”
His harsh tone was cutting, but I nodded. I deserved it. I let the ugliest side of me through and just threw it at Monty. But what could I say?I’m sorry?That phrase seemed far too hollow at this point.
You messed up, Kayla, big time.
“I don’t even know what to say to him,” I admitted, shamefaced. “Or how to…how to fix it.”
Vinny stared at me closely, then his expression softened slightly, and he sighed, gesturing to the seat opposite him.
I took his invitation, sliding into the seat as he began speaking.
“I’m less interested in what you did and more in why you did it,” he said. “I mean, if there’s one thing I know about overblown instinctive reactions like that, it’s that there is usually a reason for them.”
I shook my head.“I don’t know. I just….” I analyzed Vinny and his expression, wondering just how much I could trust him. Monty said he was a friend, and Faith had been doing nothing but singing his praises since we met. But could I really trust him?
You have to trust someone,I thought. According to what Faith had told me, Vinny’s family held a lot of power in this town, and he could help me look out for Hunter in case my father ever came looking for him. If I could trust him with my son’s safety like that, surely I could trust him with a few of my secrets.
Vinny didn’t rush me for an answer, seemingly waiting patiently.
“I guess I’m not good with men,” I finally admitted. “Trusting them, that is. They always seem to let me down one way or another.”
He nodded, and sympathy softened his expression even more. “I’m guessing it stems from your relationship with your father.”
I glanced up at him, startled. “Faith told you?”
“No. Lucky guess.” Somehow, I felt he was telling me the complete truth. Possibly Monty had clued him in, in an effort to protect Hunter. I couldn’t fault him for that.
I nodded.
“Look, I’m not exactly sure of your relationship with Monty,” Vinny said. “But I can tell you that he’s a solid guy, and he’s been through a lot. It’s not my place to tell you about his past, but while he’s a phenomenal soldier, he’s been unlucky in the personal life aspect. He was lost for a while after he got out, but he seems to be in a more stable place now. And I don’t want anyone to fuck that up. Not even a friend of my wife’s. So the two of you have to decide how you want this to work and how to co-parent well, at least for the kid’s sake. Don’t let your issues from the past cloud your relationship, alright?”
