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He still didn’t take his eyes off his game. “What? I just told the truth. It’s not my fault that she has her head so far up Jackson’s ass she’s forgotten about the father that loves her.”
That was the last straw. I walked over to the TV and turned it off, standing in front of the sensor.
“I’ll have you know, I’ve not fucking forgotten I have a father. What you don’t know about the situation would fill a damn dump truck,” I yelled at him, crossing my arms over my chest.
Hayden opened his mouth, but Declan said, “That’s enough. Not another word.”
Hayden got up from the couch as Marcie asked, “What did you need Ava and Oliva for?”
“I needed some ideas as to what to get Jackson for Christmas,” I whispered. “I have a few things, but I wanted to get him something special.”
“Get his name tattooed on your ass for all I care,” Hayden said as he walked away.
I watched him walk away, baffled by his behavior. Declan sighed and looked at Marcie, who rolled her eyes as she shook her head.
“What is his problem?” I asked.
“Your dad calls him daily asking about you. He feels torn,” Declan explained.
Fury set fire to my chest, and I said, “Get your shoes on and grab Hayden.”
“Katie…” Marcie started, but I cut her off.
“No! I am done with all this shit. It’s fucking Christmas Eve, and I just wanted to buy Jackson something special, dammit.”
“Where are we going?” Declan asked.
“My dad’s. I’ll not have him messing up my life any more than he already has.”
I stormed out of the room, heading for the bedroom so I could throw on some clothes and grab my shoes. My “father” thought ignoring me for the majority of my life was okay. He made no effort to see me. I didn’t blame him for how I was conceived or how things went down with my mom. But you do not desert your children, especially when you’re splitting up with their mother because she’s toxic.
I was waiting at the front door when Hayden, Declan, Marcie, and Lucia came down the stairs.
“Glad to know you finally decided to speak to your father,” Hayden said.
I walked up to him and poked him in his chest. He was so tall I had to crane my neck to look him in the eye. “You willneverspeak to me that way again. You are my oldest friend and as close to a brother as I had until Evan came along, but I am also your employer, and I demand a modicum of respect.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and set his jaw, staring at me.
I huffed. “To clarify, yes, y’all are taking me to see Conrad. But do not expect everything to be sunshiny and happy because thatman may have been a second father to you, but he was barely a quarter father to me. Out of sight, out of mind, Hayden. There were months I didn’t hear from him. I was ignored and neglected by both parents my whole damn life, so please quit trying to guilt me into fixing a relationship that never existed.”
Hayden’s stony facade cracked. “Then why the fuck are you going to see him?”
“Because I refuse to let him bully those around me for information about my life when he’s too much of a chicken shit to come to me directly,” I told him.
“You don’t have to stand up to for the rest of us, Katie. We can do that ourselves,” Hayden said.
I patted his arm and said, “Nope. This is something I should’ve done a while ago. I’m going to tell him how I feel. Then y’all are going help me find a kickass Christmas present for Jackson.”
Twenty-Five
Katie
I didn’t pause to knock when we got to Marion and Conrad’s. I barged into the house to hunt him down.
“Katie!” He yelled. A shocked smile split his face.
I looked around the family room filled with laughing, smiling faces, and the realization that I meant nothing to this man solidified in my soul. I walked through the family room without acknowledging a single person and headed to the backyard.
