“Yeah…” he says, brow furrowed. “That’s me.”
“Good. I have a question for you, then. What the fuck is wrong with you, asshole?”
He blinks owlishly, clearly stunned. “Excuse me?”
“First you end things with my dad over some stupid, fucked up bullshit that’s been completely blown out of proportion. Then you don’t even let him explain. And now you’re just sitting around here moping like a fucking loser because you’re too chicken shit to talk to him.”
He juts his chin, clearly aggravated. Whatever, he needs to hear this shit. “I’m not moping.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Dude, you’re a fucking wreck. It’s pathetic.”
“You know you’re being a total asshole right now, right?” he says, hitting me with a flinty look.
Was that supposed to be breaking news? “I’m always an asshole. You’re not getting special treatment.”
Deacon lets out a sigh of obvious frustration, lifting a hand to rake through his dark blond hair. “Look, I get that you want to stick up for your dad, but you really don’t know?—”
“Don’t know everything?” I cut in, issuing him with a sharp look. “Fuck that, I know the whole sordid story. You’re the one who knows fucking shit.”
He folds his arms in a defensive stance, eyes narrowed. “Fine—what don’t I know? I’m not sure there’s much that can top him being married this whole time.”
Fucking hell, this guy. “Look, I don’t know why he didn’t tell you about Natalia. Maybe it’s because you were only fucking for a few weeks and he wasn’t ready to share every single detail about his private life.”
I see Deacon flinch at that and feel a stab of guilt for my blunt disregard of his and Dad’s relationship. Iknowwhat’s between them is far more serious than I just suggested; I spoke to Dad about it just an hour ago. He’s in love with this guy; andif Deacon didn’t feel the same way my Dad still being legally married wouldn’t be the issue keeping them apart.
I let out a heavy sigh and opt for a gentler tone. If there’s a chance for this guy to be a true partner for Dad then I should probably try to be a little more respectful. “Or…maybe you were his happy place and he didn’t want to tarnish that by mentioningher. Because, trust me, that bitch is fucking poison. Even when she’s not trying she’s still ruining things for him.”
He frowns, shaking his head. “I still don’t understand. He’s the one who lied?—”
I groan, raking a hand through my hair. Fucking hell—seriously? I try to be nice… “Fuck, you’re not getting it—she’s a trigger, Deacon. And I know he told you all about that shit so don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
“Yeah, I do, but I still don’t?—”
I hit him with a penetrating look, trying to force the information to stick in his brain through the power of my gaze. “All Dad wants to do is forget she exists. Marrying her was the biggest mistake he ever made.” Considering the current situation, I correct myself, “Well, actually, right now he’d probably say not telling you about her was his biggest mistake. But if he’d never married her to begin with he wouldn’t have been keeping it from you, so…”
“But hedidmarry her,” Deacon says, still looking miserable. “She does exist. Why hasn’t he just divorced her if he hates her so much? I asked him if he was planning to and he said no.”
“Well, if you’d given him more than two seconds to explain, you might have learned that she’s holding him to ransom until the terms of their pre-nup come into effect. She’s threatened to take Izzy if he tries it before they hit the ten-year mark,” I tell him, unable to keep the sharpness from my tone.
“Fuck.”He swipes a hand over his face and steps back to lean against the chalkboard, as though he needs it for support in the face of this revelation.
“Bet you feel pretty shitty now,” I say with mild satisfaction as I watch his reaction.
Yeah, I’m kind of being an asshole right now but I think it’s somewhat justified. I know logically that even if Deacon is aware of Dad’s anxiety he’s probably never seen him on the verge of a panic attack before, but that hasn’t stopped me from wanting to punch him in his incredibly attractive face for just walking out and leaving Dad to deal with his distress the other night.
My reaction prompts Deacon to issue me with an aggravated glare. “Clearly you’ve never been heartbroken.”
I let out a derisive huff. “Fuck no. I don’t do any of that love and romance shit.”
He rolls his eyes. “Color me surprised.”
“But let’s just clear one thing up—you broke your own heart, dude,” I say with a pointed look. “Dad could have explained all of this if you’d given him a chance to. You could have spent the past few days fucking instead of moping around like pathetic idiots.”
I wrap up the conversation with Deacon and leave the school, confident that my role as cupid has been a successful one. I consider going straight home—it’s been a long as fuck day and I’m running on about two hours’ sleep—but I decide to return to Whiskey Tango instead. There’s a sexy bartender there who needs to meet his boss.
6
“What can I get you?”I ask the guy who’s just sauntered up to the bar like he owns the place. I try not to generalize or stereotype—I mean, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, right?—but it’s hard not to in this case. If they were making a “Rich Pretty Boys” calendar this guy would be on the cover. Designer sweater; tall, lean build; flawless pale complexion; and raven black hair that has no doubt been impeccably styled so it looks just the right amount of messy.
