“I’m sure it is. Try me.”
I hesitated, but the silence said more than I wanted it to.
Her face went pale. “Scott.”
“I messed up,” I admitted. “At work. Took some product off the truck and sold it. Just to make ends meet. Marty found out. He’s been… taking a cut—no, taking all of it and more—to keep quiet.”
“How long?” she asked. “How long has this been going on?”
“Almost a year.”
She stilled, disbelief giving way to anger, her voice sharp when she spoke. “Youstolefrom your employer?”
“I did it for us,” I said. “Because I promised I’d give you a good life—”
The instant they left my mouth, I knew I’d misfired. Michelle’s eyes narrowed, her lips pressing thin with something darker than anger. This was hurt. Betrayal. “Don’t you dare put this on me. You didn’t do this for us. You did it because you were too proud to let me help. I offered to get a part-time job, but you shut it down. You said you had it covered. And now you’ve put us all at risk—me, the kids, everything.”
“Michelle—”
She didn’t answer. She stood there, breathing through it, her chest rising and falling. Her eyes flicked to the kids playing in the living room before returning to me—searching, weighing, grieving. I watched the moment it happened, when the decision locked into place behind her eyes. The anger was gone. What replaced it was colder. Final. She turned, walked to the closet, dragged the suitcase out, and started packing.
“What are you doing?” I asked, though I already knew.
“What I have to,” she said, piling clothes, toiletries, and diapers into the suitcase. “I’ve tried to be patient, Scott. You know I have. I don’t say anything when you go out with your coworkers for a drink after your shift. Or when you hang out with your stoner friends. Or when you come home smelling like you stuffed a skunk into the cab of your truck. But no way am I going to allow you to put our kids at risk. I love you, but that’s where I draw the line.”
I reached for her, my fingers grazing her waist. She twisted away.
“Babe, come on. I’ll fix this. I promise.”
“Then why haven’t you?” she snapped—then checked herself, her voice dropping into something tight and controlled. “One year, Scott. You’ve had a year to fix this.”
“I know. I just… I will.”
Michelle held my gaze for a long moment, like she wanted anything other than what she was about to do. It was my chance. I pulled her into my arms, holding her, apologizing. I felt her give. One broken sob. But then her hand came to my chest and pushed me back.
“No, you won’t.”
She rolled the suitcase into the kids’ room. I watched her throw their clothes in and zip it shut. My life was closing in on me, fast. She moved into the living room without looking at me, scooped up Emma and reached for Keith’s hand. “Let’s go.”
I trailed behind as she took our kids down the stairs. Keith kept turning back, asking questions she didn’t answer, his confusion rising with every step. By the time she buckled him into the car, Emma was crying, her face buried against Michelle’s shoulder.
“Babe, please,” I pleaded. “Don’t do this. It’s late—”
“I’m not staying here with him knowing where we live.” She secured Emma into her car seat and got into the driver’s seat. Through the open door, she looked up at me, her face set, eyes full of heartbreak and fury. “I never asked you to give me a good life, Scott. All I wanted was a happy one. A safe one.”
The engine started, and the headlights cut across the parking lot.
Then she was gone.
And I stood there alone in the driveway, the night pressing in, knowing I’d become him. Myfuckingfather.
23
MICHELLE: BEVERLY HILLS 90210
My sneakers squeaked across the marble floor, each step feeding the dread building inside me. This was the last place I wanted to be, but it was past the kids’ bedtime, and I needed to get them somewhere safe. I hiked Emma higher on my hip, her cheek pressed against my shoulder, her thumb in her mouth, while Keith clutched the hem of my t-shirt, looking a little shell-shocked by the sudden turn of events. We’d driven around for a good hour before our journey took us through Beverly Hills. It was then that I came upon one of my father’s properties and knew what needed to be done. I’d deal with the fallout later.
The man behind the opulent counter gave me one of those smiles that wasn’t a smile at all. “Can I help you, ma’am?”
