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He stopped in the entry, and at first, I feared he might turn around and walk out. I wouldn’t blame him if he did. I felt like doing the same myself.
“Dad?” he choked out. Jackson’s gaze moved over everyone there and landed on the little boys before looking at Aiden and me. “What’s going on?”
“Jackson, we wanted to talk to you,” Mom said, speaking up since Aiden and I both seemed speechless. Kat hadn’t said a word either. Was she also thinking the same thing I had thought? That Dad had another family this entire time? Was that why he had just dropped us like yesterday’s news?
“We?” Jackson asked, looking at our father.
Aiden finally stepped up and cleared his throat. “I asked Dad to come here, because I hoped you would see that we all care about you and we’re all worried about you.”
Jackson scoffed as he pointed toward Dad. “He’s not worried about me.”
“See, I knew this wasn’t a good idea,” our father said, speaking to no one in particular.
“Why? Because you can’t handle the heat?” Jackson asked. “You’d rather run away with your trophy wife and replacement kids? They’re too young to be much trouble right now but just wait, one day they won’t be so perfect, and where will you be? Will you beat their asses, too, and run out on them like you did to us?”
I stepped between Dad and Jackson. I wasn’t sure what I could say to diffuse the tension, but I was going to try. But Dad, as usual, was having none of it.
“I don’t have to put up with this,” he said. “Come on, Meredith.”
“Just wait, he’s going to fuck up your kids just the way he did us,” Jackson called out to the woman.
Meredith looked at us with wide eyes, reminding me of a terrified animal, waiting for the predator to strike.
Dad kept talking. “Aiden, I agreed to come, I didn’t agree to be treated like this. You still owe me a name.”
“A name?” both Jackson and I asked at the same time.
“The name of the person who leaked the photos,” Dad answered.
Aiden closed his eyes and sighed, as if he knew that things were about to get worse.
“So that’s why you came, huh? You had to be bribed?” Jackson asked. “Typical. You are only willing to help others if you benefit from it.”
“Listen here, son,” Dad said, closing the distance between Jackson and him. “My life was ruined because of that little bitch—”
“Bitch?” I interrupted. “How do you know it was a woman?”
“I saw her as she ran off. I noticed the flash and saw her take off. She was young, a teenager perhaps,” Dad said. “I thought it was harmless, just some stupid kid. I can still see that flash of red hair…”
Red hair. Teenager. My mind was spinning. It couldn’t be, could it?
Jackson was too busy speaking over Dad to hear his words, and for that, I was grateful. “It’s not her fault you were fucking around. If you weren’t there cheating in the first place,
there wouldn’t be photos to release to the public. You did this to yourself Dad, and you deserve all the fallout from it.”
Meredith had taken the boys’ hands and was slowly walking toward the exit. Jackson was blocking the way and I feared trouble as he turned his gaze toward the woman and her boys.
“Don’t let him fool you, Meredith. He’s a monster. He will ruin your life and take your boys down with you,” Jackson said, speaking calmer than any of us expected. “Get out while you can.”
He opened the door and let the three of them leave. Dad wasn’t far behind, rushing after Meredith. Jackson slammed the door behind him and said, “Good riddance.”
He then pushed past us. “I need a fucking drink.”
Aiden and I shared a look.
The guilt was clear on my brother’s face. “Hey, you tried.”
“I know, but I should have known better.”
