AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Or maybe that was a full one.
“And now you’re attempting to bullshit me, and I’m not going to buy it, Hale. Come on, I know you,” Tom chided. “This is not what you want for your life.”
“I’m not sure we’ve ever had that conversation, Tom,” Hale said coolly.
That was when Tom lowered the boom.
“You’re him. He’s made you him. A different version of him. But you’re still him.”
Jamie shifted in his seat, because he knew how heavy that blow was, but he didn’t say anything to alleviate it.
“My father was a brilliant man,” Hale said low. “It might not have been his intention, but he’s given me the means to make a real difference.”
“You can make a difference and not country hop, getting three hours of sleep here, four there, none there, and not find someone to share your life with,” Tom shot back.
Hale was done.
To communicate this, he said, “You’re heard. I’ll think about it.”
“Hale—”
“We’re done talking about it,” he stated firmly. Then, when Tom didn’t appear ready to let it go, he threatened, “We can either be done, and I can stay, or we can be done by me going home.”
“This is all from love,” Tom said quietly.
“I know. I’d be a lot more pissed if it wasn’t. And I’d have walked out of this house ten minutes ago. I get here and Chloe gets up in my shit about who I’m dating, then you get up in my shit that I don’t have a life. I’m not ten, Tom. I’m a man. I make the decisions about my life and how I spend my time. I appreciate your love and concern, I’ve listened to what you had to say, and now I’m asking you to back the fuck off.”
Tom gave in by inclining his head.
“Okay,” Mika said, and Hale started, then twisted to see her leaning in the doorway to the living room. “I know I can count on you men to leave this here and bring nothing but family vibes up to my dining room. Grub’s up.”
And with that, she disappeared.
All of the men got up, and Jamie came to Hale, clasped his biceps and said, “You’re a good man, Hale. I’m glad you took the time to listen.”
He then walked up the stairs.
Tom got closer. “We good?”
“Sure,” Hale pushed out.
“I love you like I made you. And I can’t know. I’ve learned some surprising things about your father since we lost him. But my guess is, he saw the light at the end. It’s tragic he didn’t allow himself to share that with all those who loved him. And maybe I’m wrong. Maybe it’s what I said, and he did mean to make you into his image by giving you all he had. But I don’t think I am wrong. I think he’d be distraught that you’ve thrown all that is you at this and didn’t learn what he finally did. I think he’d be even more upset to know you don’t intend to share your life with someone. I think he’d be more than upset about that. I think it would fuck him up, Hale.”
With that, Tom caught him on both sides of the neck, gave him a squeeze and a shake, let him go and left Hale alone in the room.
But he did it after he’d lowered another boom.
Leaving Hale wrecked.
* * *
He didn’t knowher very well.
So he vacillated about whether or not to call her and lay his shit on her, or just call her because he’d promised he would to say goodnight.
In the end, he laid his shit on her.
And he knew why.
