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Chase
Fear wraps its tendrils around me as I come back to consciousness. Every bone in my body aches, and the rotten taste in my mouth tells me that I’m in trouble even though my memories of what I’ve done are fuzzy.
I do my best to make a mental list of everything that hurts before I attempt to open my eyes. I don’t need to look up to find myself wrapped around a tree to know my face is scratched and the ache in my lower back isn’t going to go away anytime soon.
I groan as I try to move, my muscles refusing to cooperate fully.
I’m a stupid man. I let my anger at Madison drive my actions last night, and it makes me no better than Emily because the boys don’t deserve the fallout from this.
“Just lying there is only going to make it worse.”
I jolt at the sound of my father’s voice, but my eyes are still slow to open. They feel like they did that one time in agricultural class where I thought it would be fine to weld without wearing glasses. It’s as if I washed my eyes with sandpaper as I attempt to pull them open.
“Tying one on in your thirties isn’t the same as doing it in your twenties.”
I groan as I roll over, my eyes blinking painfully. “Where am I?”
If I’ve died, I know my own personal hell would be my father nagging me relentlessly about all the bad decisions I’ve made in life.
“The front porch. You better be glad you live on a dead-end road, but I imagine anyone who saw you down at the bar, acting a fool last night, will have a lot to say about it to anyone they see today.”
There’s a hint of humor in his voice, and I have no doubt the man is giddy that I’m going to be miserable for a while.
“How did I end up on the porch?” I ask, wincing when I try to sit up. “Where are the boys?”
“The boys are playing in the yard.”
“They shouldn’t see me like this.”
“Then maybe you should have gone inside instead of deciding to sleep it off on the porch.”
“Where’s Madison? Why didn’t she take them to the park or something?”
“The park? Madison? Boy, just how drunk did you get?”
I feel like death as I swipe my hand over my face.
“Madison is gone. You left the boys with me last night before you went and put your damn liver to the test. This is just like that time when you were in high school and you—”
“Dad, this is the last thing I need right now.”
I don’t bother looking over at him. I know there will be nothing but disappointment in his eyes. I’ve seen it there many times before. He helped me become the hockey player I was. He supported me through every camp, every long drive to play, but then he frowned when I told him I was going to Detroit to play for the Ice Crusaders. He wanted me to be excellent, but only if it kept me in Texas. He acted as if I betrayed him for moving up north to build my career.
“Where’s Madison?” I grumble when the sound of Cole’s laughter filters through my head.
I’m embarrassed to be in this state in front of my kids.
“Probably back home with her parents. That’s where I figure she went after calling me to tell me she no longer works for you. I don’t have a key to your house, or I would’ve had the boys go inside.”
I shake my head, trying to figure out if I fired her yesterday or if she’s slinking off after having sold our story to the damn tabloids. Maybe it’s best that I don’t see her. I knew I couldn’t face her last night. It’s how I ended up at the damn bar.
I fought my anger and that sense of betrayal that started to eat away at me the second I heard her whispered voice in the video attached to that damn article. When I started to tell myself that there had to be some sort of explanation for what happened, I knew I couldn’t come back here. I was already making excuses, and I did that for far too long with Emily. Look where it got me?
I groan as I stand, the front porch making the worse damn bed I’ve ever fallen asleep on.
“Good riddance,” I mutter as I squint toward where the boys are playing.
Dad scoffs but he doesn’t say another word.
