“Instead of being pleased, he was disappointed. He stepped on my arm and made it bleed more. He said Ramon was the only thing that mattered…and I was stupid for disobeying him.”
“You saved his life, and that was his response?”
A wounded expression came over his face, looking lost. “Yes.”
I hadn’t liked his father the second I met him, but I hadn’t thought he was capable of something so malicious.
“And he’s shot me before…when he didn’t get his way.”
My eyes widened.
His hand moved to his injury. “Same spot, actually. At least the scars will be in one place…”
“Jackass.”
He made a slight shrug. “As stupid and insignificant as this sounds, he didn’t remember my birthday. It really bothered me for some reason, made me realize how much my mother held the four of us together.”
What kind of father was he? “The four of you?” I’d never asked if he had a sibling. If he did, I didn’t notice them at the wedding.
“I have a younger sister.”
“Oh…did I meet her at the wedding?” There were a lot of people around that day.
He shook his head. “She wasn’t there.”
What kind of family was this?
“I know your father did a stupid thing, but even when your mother was gone, he still loved you. I respected him for that. Everything I said at the funeral…I meant it.” He finally turned his head back and looked at me, finding the strength to meet my gaze when there was pain in his eyes. “When my father dropped me off yesterday, I said I wished he were dead… He didn’t seem to care.”
Maverick’s story made me miss my father more. He was always affectionate and kind to me, never downplaying his love even in front of his friends. “I don’t understand how your father can be that way. There’s no excuse. Why do you still talk to him?”
“Our lives are too intertwined. We used to work together, the cheese company is technically his because he’s still family, and I guess I thought things might change when we got Ramon. Might give him closure. It’s hard to believe, but when my mother was still here, he was a good guy. He was affectionate, he did remember my birthday. But after what happened to her…all of his compassion disappeared. He turned into a whole different person.”
When my mother died, my father was different too. But he never stopped loving me as a result. “That’s no excuse…”
“No, it’s not. But I guess I still hope that he’ll come back…someday.”
That was never going to happen. But I kept my opinion to myself.
“There. I told you everything. Now what?” He turned cold again, like he resented me for opening up.
“Now, I can share your pain. Now, I can understand you. Now, I can make you feel less alone.” My hand moved to his, and I interlocked our fingers, just the way I had at the funeral. I stared at our joined hands and felt the pain in my heart. He didn’t deserve this. No son deserved to be treated so poorly by his father. “Thank you for telling me…”
“You weren’t going to leave me alone until I did.”
“But still…” I lifted my gaze and met his.
He watched me for a long time, his brown eyes a little less hostile. He didn’t pull his hand away and let our fingers rest together. Even when he was in pain, he still wore the most handsome expression, his jawline so tight, he seemed to be brooding all the time. But the look was sexy on him.
“I noticed you have a TV in here.” It hung on the wall above the fireplace, directly facing his bed.
He watched me, unsure why I’d said that.
“Since you don’t have anything to do today, how about we watch movies together? We can watch a couple of your favorites, and I can watch a couple of mine.”
“I don’t watch TV.”
“Then why do you have it?” I countered.
He smiled slightly, like he knew he’d bested me. “Honestly? When I watch porn, I watch it on TV. Easier than using a laptop.”
It was a dirty thing to say, but I admired him for being honest. It was one of the things I liked about him, the fact that he didn’t care about my opinion. If I thought he was an asshole, he would still act like an asshole. “I didn’t think you watched porn.”
He cocked an eyebrow, like I’d just said something crazy. “If a guy tells you he doesn’t watch porn, he’s full of shit. Just so you know.”
“That’s not what I meant. It just seems like you get the real thing a lot…”
The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “Sometimes it takes too much work. You just want to get off and be done with it. No talking. No drinking. No sleepovers.”