To say that I was grateful that he hadn’t turned last night’s dinner into a disaster of epic proportions would be the understatement of the century. I’d never held my body more tightly in my life. Rafael looked shockingly okay. Nobody should look that normal afterchuggingvodka the way he had during the car ride.
I hated drinking. My Dad was a drunk, and I knew firsthand that alcohol ruined lives. I had no desire ever to have a drop of that stuff touch my lips. Rafael had to be addicted. What a waste of a life. Why would anyone enjoy putting themselves through that and spending the next day in bed? It wasn’t like he got smashed and went to a party. He just sat with us and ate fucking Chinese food. Who needs to get totaled for that?
Someone fucked up, that’s who.Rafael was definitely fucked up. Fucked up in a way I hadn’t realized at the wedding. I thought he was just an asshole, but I saw something else in the car. Yes, he was a tremendous asshole, but he was also sad. He looked so wounded after seeing Mattie’s picture.
Maybe I’d care if he didn’t act like such a bastard.
There was a noticeable pause on Aunt Sue’s end, which I knew meant she was taking a big drag of her cigarette. “Sooner or later, this will be a problem, Cody. Jill and Hank are going to find out eventually.”
Every fiber of my being wanted to tell Mom everything, but I knew it wasn’t the right time. Rafael had just arrived, and Hank was already shaken by how quickly things transpired yesterday. Hank was my Mom’s rock now, and when he was on edge, she was too. I couldn’t be the one to say anything. Rafael was bound to fuck up eventually, so I decided to let him do the honors of revealing his drinking problem to Hank and Mom.
“Please don’t say anything. You know how Mom gets. I’m just venting, you know?”
“I know, honey, and I want you to. Don’t ever hide anything from me. You couldn’t anyway. You know, I always figure it out eventually.”
I had to laugh at that. Aunt Sue always did figure it out. No matter the issue, she’d manage to guess through nonverbal cues or by needling it out of me. “I know. I appreciate you.”
“Likewise, baby. You keep me posted, and don’t let that little asshole push you around. You’re better than he is, Cody. It doesn’t matter how rich he was growing up or the fancy schools he attended along the way. You are better. Period.”
She always knew what to say to help me through it. I felt so wholly inadequate next to Rafael, especially after he overpowered me in the car. God, I hated him. “Thanks, Aunt Sue. I’m pulling up now.”
“Love you, baby!”
I pulled into the driveway and, to my utter dismay, saw Rafael wearing his blades and holding a hockey stick.Please, God, can I just have a moment?
I parked the car and balanced the paper bags filled with Mom’s supplies as I made my way to the garage.
“What’s up, baby bro!” He called out to me.
I swear I’m going to deck him right here on the driveway.With my eyes locked on the door, I took deep breaths to stop myself from dropping the bags and lunging at him. “Leave me alone. I’m busy,” I said.
Rafael huffed a laugh, then said, “Oh, testy, aren’t we? Still pissed that I whooped your ass in the car yesterday?”
I stopped dead in my tracks. The fury inside burned with an intensity that threatened to ignite the paper bags in my arms. “If we weren’t in that car, I would have kicked your ass.”
He nodded and bit his lower lip. “Yeah? You think so? How ‘bout round two? Get your stick, and let’s see who’s really top dog.”
I quirked a brow at how lame he was being. I really expected better from someone like him. I set the bags on the car’s hood and quipped, “Top dog? Is that the lame-ass lingo they use in Greenwich?”
He didn’t like that. His scowl consumed his whole face. “Get your stick, Cody. We’re doing this.”
“All right,big bro.You’re so eager to get your hands on me again. What’s that about?”
Rafael rolled over to me and stopped with merely an inch separating our noses. “I guess I just like seeing you squirm, you little prick.”
I didn’t back down. I looked him dead in the eyes and snarled, “We’ll see who squirms this time, you fucking pussy.”
His tongue swiped over his lower lip, and he smiled. “Where’d you get such a dirty mouth, Goldilocks?”
The heat of his body enveloped me like a plume of steam. My urge to tackle that asshole, grab a fistful of his hair, and pummel his face was palpable. “I’ve lived in places that would make you piss your pants, rich boy.”
Rafael circled me as his cackle bounced off the garage walls. “Not so poor anymore, though. Now that Hank’s footing the bill, you’re eating high on the hog, right? Just don’t forget who his real son is.”
My arms made their way across my chest. So, Rafael was jealous, huh? “Is that what this is about? Are you sad that Daddy replaced you? Are you mad that he likes spending his money on me more than you?”
That one was low, and, typically, I’d never say something that vicious, but Rafael brought the venom out of me.
His whole body shuddered, and his eyes shimmered like icicles. “I fucking hate you so much.” He closed the distance between us and spat out, “I might be the black sheep to your golden boy, but you’ll always be gutter trash as far as I’m concerned.”
