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“Nervous?”
“Nope,” I lied.
“You shouldn’t be,” Micah said with an assured nod. “The almost three years working for Elite will give you a leg up in the classes you’re taking. There’s nothing better than on-the-job training.”
I snorted. On-the-job training—sucking cock and getting dicked down were my favorite aspects of my employment, but I understood what he’d meant.
Mom and Jasmine chatted quietly while finishing up with the dinner prep, but Micah continued to watch me rather than the woman he normally couldn’t tear his focus from.
“Has Pop said anything to you about it?” my brother asked.
I shook my head. “Not a single word.” And, he hadn’t. Not when I’d announced I was going to college and not even when Mom prompted him to converse about it.
He’d grunted, not bothering to tear his attention off the TV rather than even offering me a good luck.
A muscle ticked in my jaw.
One day, I would prove I could be just as accomplished as his favorite son.
At least Micah always had my back. Because of him and Mom’s affection, I’d managed to have a decent childhood regardless of Pop’s assholery. Some love was better than none, but the kid inside me would mourn not having that pop/son relationship I’d wanted as a kid.
We sat down to a late dinner during halftime so Pop wouldn’t grumble more than usual. Still, he focused on the TV through the archway leading into the den more than he paid attention to the chatter at the table.
He drank water, same as the rest of us since we’d agreed as a family to avoid my favorite beverage—beer—in their home. With him being sober, Mom’s stress had lessened. Her features were more relaxed than pinched, and I’d wondered over her happiness in the past. Had she stayed with my asshole of a father out of love? Or for me and Micah? Somedays, I wished she had left his ass and taken us with her. Being away from Pop would have been for the best for all of us.
But she’d made her choice, and we lived with it.
“Tomorrow is the big day!” Jasmine stated loudly, jerking her head my way, eyes wide as though she’d just remembered.
“Yep.” I shoveled a bite of gravy-covered beef into my mouth and grinned.
“Are you excited?” Jasmine appeared enough of that emotion for both of us. Fuck, did I love the woman. Yet another person who accepted me regardless of my wildness.
I shrugged.
“I think it’s incredibly brave what you’re doing,” she went on, her cheeks a pretty pink, her blue eyes sparkling. “I couldn’t imagine heading back to school after all this time. You’re going to do amazing—I just know it.”
Pop snorted, but I ignored him as my throat tightened.
“Thanks, Sis. I appreciate your vote of confidence.”
She winked at me and turned toward Mom, jumping into the conversation they’d been having prior to her outburst.
Micah met my gaze across the table. “I’m proud of you, kid.”
I swallowed hard and nodded, ignoring the man at the head of the table same as he did to me. Pop had helped spawn me into existence but could care less about what I’d tackled in life. While I recognized the fact he only hurt himself by not having a relationship with his second son, his lack of interest in who I was still stung. Always would.
“Thanks, Micah,” I choked out, longing for more of that damn praise.
But I made myself content with what I had. Between the three loved ones at the dinner table and my handful of friends, I couldn’t ask for more.
Even if my heart wanted it.
Chapter 4
Matteo
I used to love the summer months, all those long hours of extra time to spend with my love. We would travel for weeks around her birthday. We’d visited the corners of the US. One year, for our fifth anniversary, we’d jetted across the pond to visit Ireland, the land of Katie’s ancestors.
