Fuck, I was doing that a lot lately.
I eyed Jae, not ready to see the look on my dad’s face.
He gave me a small nod and mouthed, “Together. Ride or die.”
After another breath, I nodded back and finally, finally, I met my dad’s stare. His lips were pursed tightly, his arms crossed over his chest as he silently studied me.
Would he hate me for continuing to lie to him?
“Why don’t you come in?” he finally said, no hint of judgement in his voice.
My throat constricted, no sounds coming out as I opened my mouth.
“Nox?” Jae called, brows raised as he waited for me to say something.
I swallowed roughly, suddenly in need of some water.
“Y-yeah,” I forced out.
I rubbed the ache in my chest and pushed forward, following them all inside.
Jae and I slipped off our shoes and my eyes bounced around the unfamiliar space. Even the photos on the walls were different, many of them void of me, memories of milestones and events I’d been absent for.
We passed through a hallway into a large open kitchen, dining and living space. My dad motioned for us to take a seat at the table and my mom lingered in the kitchen. Drinks, I realized, as she pulled out a pitcher from the fridge.
I sat down at the only thing I recognized in the space, our family dining room table, and Jae followed, sliding onto the bench seat beside me. My dad sat opposite us, hands folded on the table as his eyes bounced between Jae and me.
“It’s a pleasant surprise to have you both home. Is there a particular reason you decided to show up today?”
I swallowed, giving my mom a nod of thanks as she set a glass of iced tea down in front of me.
He wasn’t stupid, my dad knew something was going on, even if I hadn’t had a fucking meltdown in the driveway. I waited for my mom to sit beside my dad, taking a sip of the tea tofurther delay responding to my dad’s question. When the silence grew too long and charged, I cleared my throat and smoothed my palms against my jeans beneath the table.
“I need your help,” I finally said. “But if I tell you what it’s about, it could put you all in danger.”
My mom’s brows bunched, but my dad’s face remained stoic.
“I don’t understand, honey. What’s goin’ on? Ya know ya can tell us anythin’ at all. Does this have to do with your sobriety?”
I shook my head as Jae placed a hand on my leg, a silent gesture to cease my bouncing knee.
My dad sucked his teeth and glanced at my mom. “You can tell me first, and then I’ll decide what I share with your mom.”
My mom clicked her tongue with disapproval and sent my dad a glare. He ignored her and held my stare.
I eyed Jae and he shrugged. “It’s up to you. But you’ve gotta speed things up. We’re on a time crunch here.”
Fuck. He’s right. Bradley is on his way to the hotel.
I took another deep breath.
Fuck, this is excruciating.
“Okay.”
My dad turned to my mom, stroking a hand across her back. “Go in the yard and I’ll come get you when we’re finished.”
My mom’s nose bunched like it did when she was real mad but she complied with his demand and rose from the table, not giving any of us a second glance before she slipped out the sliding glass door.
