He sighs heavily and sits up from where he’d been sitting in the arms machine. “I didn’t want to be with Sally. I panic-proposed when she told me she was pregnant, and then the holidays, birth, Valentine’s Day—all of it was right around the corner, and all of those times seemed heartless to call it off. Then she fucking died, which I’m not mad about. Wait. That came out wrong. I’m not…”
Denny closes his eyes. Zenia grips his arm gently.
“I’m frustrated that she died before I could tell her the truth. I’m sure she knew, but the fact that I didn’t have enough balls to just tell her kills me. And then her damn brother shows up and I fall in love with him, which feels like a damn slap in the face to her. Not that she’s aware of it because she’sdead, which makes it even worse.” He shakes his head. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to get heavy. Yes, I’m happy to be with Tyler. That’s the short answer.”
“I’m sorry you’re struggling,” Felton says.
I smile at the sincerity in his voice. The biggest man here has the softest soul.
Denny gives him a tired smile. “I’m not as much as I make it sound. Which, again, makes me feel guilty.”
“Have you talked to someone about how you feel? Maybe Tyler?” I ask.
“Tyler and I have had conversations, yes. He knew his sister much better than I did. They were incredibly close, which I hadn’t known. Again, another thing to be guilty about since I’m sure she’d mentioned him many times and I simply didn’t care about her enough to pay attention.”
“You’re beating yourself up about her a lot,” Ren says.
“No, I’m really not. It’s just that we’re talking about it now, and I never talk about it, so it’s all coming out. I swear to you, I’m fine,” Denny insists.
I’m not sure any of us believe that.
“So… Did you name your kid after her brother?” Willits asks.
Denny laughs. “Ididn’t, no. Sally did. I didn’t know her brother’s name even though she likely told me many times. I didn’t realize until he showed up on my fucking doorstep. It’s amusing that Ty looks more like his uncle than he does me or Sally. It’s a strange way to make a junior, no?”
I grin. He seems far happier about this part of the conversation.
“I have a good therapist,” Felton says quietly. “I can give you her number.”
Denny gives him a smile. It’s not a fake one this time, but soft. “Thanks, Fel. Maybe I’ll take it.”
Felton nods. “It’s hard to talk about some things, especially when you’ve struggled with them for a long time. But it feels good to talk about it with someone who understands how you feel and helps you heal from it.”
Denny nods, his eyes closed. “I’ll think about it.”
“Okay,” Felton says.
I glance at Ren, unsurprised to find him smiling fondly at Felton. He’s been stupidly good for Felton over the past year. I thought I’d been pretty attuned to Felton and what was going on in his life, but I hadn’t realized just how much he’d kept from us until Ren came along.
The confidence he hid behind was a whole wall of fake. It covered cracks so deep that you could fall through them. His big smile for fans and arrogant demeanor for the opposing teams were all just a façade to take attention away from the torment he carried around with him.
I’d always known he didn’t get along with his family. He’d said so early on. If I’d have thought for just one second that his father was a piece of shit whostillverbally abused his grown son, I’d have lost my shit.
Felton’s been used to hiding his wounds from the world though. You don’t look at a guy like him and think that he’s anything other than intimidating. Being told he’s been abused since he was a kid is unbelievable. People would scoff. The man is enormous. Who could be big enough to abuse him?
It still pisses me off, and I’m sure I don’t know the depths of what he’s been through. He’s shared more with Willits and me since Ren truly stepped into his life, but I’m positive we don’t have all the horrible details.
I’m not necessarily an overly affectionate guy, but thinking about the torment he’s gone through his entire life, I always want to wrap him up in a hug.
“Are you bringing Ty and Tyler to the Halloween party?” Willits asks.
Denny nods. He’s kept both pretty well hidden from the world. I’m not even sure the public knows that they’re together. There was a whole hoopla when Denny’s baby was born and the mother died in the hospital. There’s a haunting picture that still circulates of what appears to be a grief-stricken Denny looking down at his newborn.
I think, more accurately, he’s lost as fuck and doesn’t know what to do. He’d never intended on being a full-time single father.
There was coverage of Sally’s brother showing up, but from what I’ve seen, no one thinks anything of it. He’s just there to help with his nephew. He and his sister were close, best friends. It’s not a scandal.
“He’s got the cutest costume,” Felton says with a big smile.
