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Fuckers.
Ingrid stands by me as we step up to the front door, and I press the doorbell.
“Here goes nothin’,” I murmur, my stomach swarming with anxiety.
Ingrid rubs my back tenderly, but as soon as the door opens to my mother standing there, she drops her hand from me.
“Romeo! I’m so glad you could finally make the trip back home to see us. You could have taken thatghastlyclub cut off to visit us, though. Be a little respectable to see your parents and all. Never mind, you can take it off when you come inside.” She waves her hand, gesturing for us to enter.
“It stays on, Mom,” I tell her in no uncertain terms as I walk inside the place that holds so many terrible memories for me. Ingrid follows, and Mom looks her up and down in curiosity.
“Fine, fine, I don’t want to argue with you. I thought you were bringing your girlfriend with you. Could she not come?”
Clearing my throat, I exhale. “You remember Ingrid, Reaper’s Old Lady?” I ask her.
Mom furrows her brows, looking Ingrid over intently, but then the recognition hits her. “Oh yes, of course. I’m so sorry to hear about Reaper, my dear. What a tragic loss that was. You had that darling daughter, Novah. Oh! Is Novah your girlfriend, honey pooh bear? She would beperfectfor you—”
“Mom, stop! No, Novah isdefinitelynot my girlfriend.”
She places her hand on her tiny hip and exhales. “Then I can’t for the life of me understand why you’re here, Ingrid?”
I lean in, wrapping my arm around Ingrid’s shoulders, and pull her to me, placing a kiss on her temple. “Because Ingrid is my Old Lady, Mom.”
Her hand snaps to her heart like she’s having palpitations, and she shakes her head. “Oh no… no, this just won’t do.Angus!”
His heavy footsteps thump down the grand staircase as he enters the toxic environment. “What the fuck do you want, woman?” he yells.
“Angus, thisharlothas seduced Romeo. I don’t know what she wants, but she is up to no good.”
My blood begins to boil, and my palms are clammy as I hear my mother talking about Ingrid this way. “Do you even hear yourself, Mom?” I berate as Dad steps down to join us.
Mom scoffs, pointing at us while Dad moves in beside her, and she scrunches up her face in disgust. “She’s Reaper’s ex, Angus, and they’re having an affair. Thishasto be illegal or something,” she screeches.
Dad places his hand on Mom’s chest, making her take a step back. “Calm down, woman, it’s not illegal, just immoral. How long has this been going on?” Dad asks in a much softer tone.
Maybe hewillbe the sensible one in all this?
“A while. Long enough for us to know we’re in love, and this is a forever kind of deal,” I reply.
Dad wracks his jaw from side to side, his eyes focusing on Ingrid. “You think Reaper would agree to this kind of behavior from you?”
Ingrid lets out a small laugh. “Honestly, what your son and I do and share between us has absolutelynothingto do with Reaper. He’s not here. My time with him was wonderful and magical, and I wouldnevergive that up. But I can’t live in the past. I have to focus on my future, and my future is with Romeo and the family we’re creating together.”
His mother bursts out laughing. “Family?What family?You can’t provide a family for him! You can’t provideanythingfor him. You’re trapping him in a life where you will die years before him, and he will be left pining for you. That’snotfair!”
I step forward, my anger beginning to boil. “The age gap doesn’t bother us. We live for today. Yes, down the road, it will be harder, but we cross that bridge when we get to it. Will I love her any less?Fuck no.And the fact you think she can’t give me a family? Well, congratulations, Mom and Dad, you’re going to be grandparents because Ingrid is pregnant right now.”
Mom gasps, turns, and begins pacing. “This is ridiculous!”
Dad shakes his head, stepping forward and getting closer to me. “You’re bringing a child into this world now, Romeo. That’s ahugeobligation. You’renotresponsible enough to be a father, and she is toooldto be a mother. This is a disaster waiting to happen. You should get this taken care of immediately. For everyone’s sake.”
A huge wave washes over me so intensely it’s like burning acid runs through my veins, boiling my blood to the point I can’t see anything but red.
I feel it.
The second the switch inside me flicks, all my control is lost. I can’t hold back. My anger surfaces as I lunge forward, my need to protect my family the only thing on my mind right now. I let out an animalistic growl, my hands grabbing for my father’s collar, and I shove him back so forcefully he stumbles, falling back onto that fucking piece-of-shit piano.
“Romeo!” Mom screams, but it’s a blur as my fist comes back, slamming into his face, punching as hard as I can. Blood spurts out of his nose as he struggles against me to get me off him.
