“Hey,” Dad snarled. “Get your butt back here and apologize.” Two nurses looked up, both giving him a heated stare.
“Shane,” Mom snapped. “Cool it.”
He swung his glare on Mom. “You need to teach that boy some respect. I oughta lean him over my knee and take a switch to his backside.”
“Pshaw. I’d like to see you try. He’s taller than you now.” Her brow flicked up. “And don’t you tell me what Ishoulddo. You’re not the one raising him. Physically or financially. Heck, you owe me child support for the past nine months.”
“What?” I gave Dad a pointed look. “I know for a fact that I gave you money to give to her.”
Dad sneered at me. “Youknowyou gave me money? How would you know that? You can’t even remember your middle name.”
I rolled my eyes like every one of his words wasn’t an abrasion to my soul. “It’s Walker. And maybe I can’t remember a lot of stuff right now, but I have a banking app and a girlfriend who’s wicked smart at helping me figure things out. Now where’s the money you owe Mom?”
“Absolutely not.” Mom shook her head, the crows feet around her eyes hinting at exhaustion. “Blue, I told you not to do that.”
“Mom.” My head dipped. “You can argue when my memory comes back. I have no idea why I decided to send money through Dad instead of straight to you.”
“Maybe you wanted to believe he’d do the right thing for Colt and me. But you need to keep your money far away fromhim.” She jammed her pointer finger at Dad. “Before you have none left.”
“Where’s the money you owe Mom?” I repeated, incensed.
His eyes flashed. “Where’s the money you owe Mom?” He imitated me in a high-pitched feminine voice that sounded nothing like me at all.
I threw my hands up. “Are you five? Where’s the money?” I refused to let him get under my skin. This is what he did. When you called him out, he tried to needle you until you snapped. I didn’t normally stand up to my dad. At least, teenaged me didn’t. It wasn’t worth it. My dad wasn’t going to change regardless of what I did or said. But when it involved Mom and Colt, that was worth the fight.
Dad’s face twisted in anger. “She’s not your girlfriend. She dumped you. Four years ago. Now suddenly she shows back up after you’ve made it big. You’re an idiot if you’re letting her see your financials.”
She dumped me?Adrenaline rushed my system and I took a large step toward him, curling my fingers around his shirt.
“Blue, no. People are watching.” Mom pushed me back, her tired eyes wide with a warning.
My head lifted. The nurses were staring. A doctor too. I stepped back but my blood was still boiling.
Dad smoothed his shirt, a slight upturn on his lips. He got a kick out of getting under my skin. Did I like him now that I was twenty? I couldn’t think of another reason why I would allow this d-bag to live near me as an adult. When I was fifteen, I couldn’t wait to move away from him.
Dad bared his teeth. “I’ve said it a hundred times, but I’ll say it once more. That girl is nothing but a distraction.” He pointed to my room. “I moved us twenty-three hundred miles to get you away from her. Your football career didn’t begin to take off until California. All she did was plant doubts in your head!”
Every patient on this side of the hall heard that. I’m certain Anna would’ve if she hadn’t had AirPods in. At least, I prayed she still had them in. A nurse picked up a phone and eyed us from her periphery as she talked into it.
I looked to Mom for confirmation, panic rising inside of me. Had Anna dumped me? Did she put doubts in my head? Mom’s expression was stone. But Dad was watching so maybe that was why.Listen to your gut.Dr. LaForce had pulled me aside earlier and said that to me. With everyone pulling me in different directions, I didn’t know who to believe. He’d said that was the best advice he could give me. Well, my gut said two things. One, my dad was a terrible human. And two, Anna was everything good in the world. She’d said we broke up because I moved. I made a choice right then to believe her.
I forced a smirk and folded my arms. “Well, I’d say you moved me for nothing, then. Because she’s back in my life and that’s exactly where she’s going to stay.” I shrugged. “And if you don’t like it, I really couldn’t care less. You can always move back to California. Now give Mom the money or pay me back so I can give it to her.”
A security guard stepped into the hall.
Without a response, Dad turned and stalked off in the other direction, escaping into the stairwell.
Mom gripped my arm. “You’re going to be okay if Colt and I head home?”
“Yes. Don’t worry about me. I’ve got Anna and Stilts. And all the coaches.”
“Madden, honey.” She laughed.
I smiled. “I like Stilts better.”
Colt walked back up, frowning. “He’s finally gone?”
It took a second for my brain to process he meant Dad. “Yeah. He’s gone.”
