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He’s quiet for a while. “It’s my dad. He’s drunk and passed out, and Sarah isn’t here. Ty’s been crying. I don’t know what to do.” He sounds so young and afraid.
I look at the time. It’s four in the evening. What the hell is he doing drunk off his ass?
“Hey,” I say. “I’ll be right there.”
I bow my head. The harder I try to stay away, the faster I’m drawn in.
When Justin lets me in, the first thing I notice is that the place reeks of stale alcohol. A smell I am quite accustomed to. How long has this prick been putting the kids through this bullshit? Denton is passed out on the living room couch.
“Ty’s upstairs,” Justin says, his eyes are hollow. He hasn’t been sleeping well. I hear the baby cry and look at their father; he doesn’t even stir.
Justin and I walk upstairs, and he leads me to his own bedroom, where Ty’s mobile cot is.
“How long has he been sleeping in your room?” I pick Ty up, and he immediately stops crying. I feel his romper, and it’s wet.
“A while,” he says. Justin looks so frail and little. He takes a seat on the corner of his bed, his head bowed low. “When Dad wouldn’t wake up for him, I just moved him in here.”
I look around the room and see that his changing table is also pushed up against a wall. I walk over and place Ty down. “Hey, monster, you need a change?”
I undress him, wipe him up, and Justin brings me a change of clothes. “I gave him a bath earlier.”
“You did great, Justin.” I smile, but it breaks my heart that he had to. “Is Sarah off this weekend?”
“Yeah, she’s off every weekend, so I’m kind of a pro now,” he shrugs.
I pick Ty up, and he giggles when I nuzzle his cheeks.
“He likes you,” Justin tells me.
“Well, he’d better. I just changed his diaper,” I coo at the little man. “I’ll take care of him for a while. You look like you could do with some sleep.”
I remove the carry section of the cot and carry it downstairs with me. I place Ty in it, placing him on the couch as I draw back the curtains and open the windows.
I kick Denton’s feet. “Time to get up.”
He startles awake, disorientated, looking around him. Ty fusses, and I pick him up, taking a seat with him in my arms.
“Bre, when did you get here?” Denton asks, sitting up, rubbing at his red eyes.
“Justin called. Ty wouldn’t settle down.”
“He should have woken me up,” he mutters.
“Yeah? And you’d have done what?” I say through gritted teeth.
Denton staggers to a standing position and makes his way to the kitchen, returning with a large glass of water. He gulps it down.
“He shouldn’t have called you.” He blows out a noisy breath, fixing me with a stare.
“Oh, so he’s supposed to deal with all of this on his own then?” I retort.
“No, he’s supposed to let me know if there is a problem, and I’ll deal with it.”
“While you’re flat out drunk?” I can feel a roiling heat in the pit of my stomach.
“You’re making a big deal out of nothing, Brianna.” He turns away from me.
“Nothing? So Justin moving Ty’s stuff into his bedroom is nothing?” I lay Ty down in his rocker. He’s preoccupied with the dangling toys immediately.
