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He says, “I’ll call you back,” when he sees me and hangs up the phone. “What do you want?”
“Will you at least tell me what your problem with me is?”
He laughs once—this arrogant, cocky laugh that has me balling my fists. I forget for a moment who he is, as well as the fact that he’s a fucking Goliath who could take me down in a single punch. “My problem with you is that my daughter contacts me, tells me her grandmother is sick, and that I need to come here. So I do. And what do I see? I see her in your apartment, practically naked, playing house as if nothing’s changed between you two. Do you enjoy taking advantage of emotional girls, Josh? Is that your game?”
“Are you fucking serious right now?”
“Oh, I’m dead serious. Every fucking time you show up in her life this shit happens, and guess who has to pick up the pieces?”
I shake my head, my eyes wide in disbelief. “I don’t even know what to say to you. I know I’ve hurt Becca in the past but—”
“And you’ll continue to hurt her, because you can’t seem to leave her alone!”
I start to walk away, because I can feel the anger rising, feel it burning a hole in my chest.
“What’s your plan with her, anyway, Warden?”
I spin quickly. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“You’re going to go off and skate around the world, different places, different girls, throwing around your money like it’s nothing…” He steps closer, towering over me. “All while she’s in college, going to classes, pining over the boy who once loved her?”
“That’s not what this is, and what you think I do, isn’t who I am.” The anger doubles, boils, bursts. “You don’t know fuck-all about me!”
He fists my shirt, pulling me to him until I’m on my toes. His breath is harsh against my skin. Through gritted teeth and narrowed eyes, he fumes, “You’re a punk who knocked up a girl when you were sixteen! And now you’re going to do the same with Becca and ruin everything she’s worked for! I’ve been in your shoes. I’ve made the same mistakes. You think I don’t know you, Warden? I was you!”
I grasp his wrists, trying to get him off of me, but he won’t budge. “Don’t you dare bring my son into this.”
His fists tighten, but he doesn’t speak.
“You and me—we’re nothing alike.” The anger’s gone now, replaced with bottled rage. “Because I’d never, ever, call my son a mistake.”
Rob returns in my truck, the tires screeching as he comes to a stop. “Get your fucking hands off him!” he yells, running toward us.
I straighten my T-shirt when Martin releases me and keep my eyes on his. “You want to come into her life and man up eighteen years too late, then good for you. But don’t ever compare us again. Because I was there for my son through sleepless nights, and colic and teething and every bad thing imaginable. And I’d never let anyone or anything hurt him.” I try to breathe through the agony, the burn, and take a calming breath so I can think. “Where the fuck were you all those times her mother abused her? Beat her to within an inch of her life? Where were you when she was crying, her nightmares a fucking reality? She wasn’t the mistake. You were!”
* * *
Luckily, Martin leaves, giving me time to calm down. I can sense Robby watching me, wanting to ask questions he knows I won’t answer, so instead, we focus on building the stupid ramp on the porch and moving the bed downstairs. As soon as we’re done, Rob gets a call from Kim telling him they’re on the way.
We wait for them outside, the tension between us building. “Don’t you dare say a word to Becca about what you saw,” I tell him.
“So I assume you will.”
“She’s going through enough, Rob. Please don’t make this harder for her.”
* * *
We settle Chaz in her new space while she tries to smile and nod through everything, but she’s annoyed. Frustrated. I can tell. Six people surrounding her, all fussing over her? I would be, too.
Martin returns, refusing to make eye contact with anyone, and a moment later, a nurse I’ve never met before shows up. This one’s here to make sure Chazarae has everything she needs at home, not just physically, but mentally as well. After making sure Becca and I understand what medications Chaz needs to take and when, she leaves, satisfied, with a promise to check in tomorrow. And as much as I love Chaz, as much as I want to be with her, it’s just too damn much with Martin around.
