“Nah. I’m not leaving. You’re going to have to make me, and we both know you’re too pussy to dothat.”
He’s right. I will take on anyone but my father. It’s so dumb because he’s the one I should have put all my anger into long ago. But it isn’t in me to hit a parent. As if I can somehow be a good example of hownotto treat your family, I would always take his beatings and never strike back.
I think if I ever did, I wouldn’t stop.
“You have five seconds to leave or I’m calling the cops.”
He laughs. “Go ahead. Call ‘em. I ain’t done nothing wrong.”
“You broke into my house.” And now that the initial shock of seeing him is over, I can tell he’s rummaged through my stuff. I walk over to the small desk against the living room wall where I keep my laptop and pull on the drawer that’s not shut all the way. The cash I stashed in there is gone. “And you robbed me.” I slam the drawer shut, anger fueling me. “Breaking and entering and robbery. Nice. Anything else you want to add to the felonies today?”
“You’re my son.”
As if that means he’s entitled to my stuff? My life? Fuck him. “No. I’m not.”
“My blood is in your veins, boy. You aren’t anyone else’s but mine.”
Time has not been kind to him. Neither has life. And that’s all his fault. He’s gambled, drank, and sunk below rock bottom and all if stinks of failure on him.
“Leave.”
“I told you. I ain’t going nowhere. I’m your father and you owe me. I’m staying.”
My hands ball into fists, but we both know it’s for nothing.
Dad looks down at my hands and chuckles. “Whatchu gone do with those, boy?”
My heart’s fluttering in my throat. My airway is closing up.
Dad marches over and stands toe-to-toe with me. I’m taller than he is by only about two inches and even though I have more muscle, he’s got more psycho.
He’s on me so fast I’m shocked he’s still this quick. And in the two seconds it takes for him to slam me against a wall, I’m frozen. I’m little again. I’m trapped again.
“You’ll never change, Conner. No matter how hard you try, no matter who you think you are, you’re still a weak ass pussy boy.” Pain bolts through my head when he clocks me with a right hook. “You’re a worthless, useless, ungrateful piece of shit.”
He’s about to hit me again when I see a golden angel running up behind him.
Panic slices through me. “Taylor,no!”
Taylor
I don’t know what makes me get out of the truck. I don’t even know why I carry my bouquet inside. All I can say is that something brought me in here and I’mlivid.
“Taylor,no!” Conner yells.
But I’m already jumping onto his father’s back and beating him with my bouquet.
“Get away from him you no good…”Whack! “Piece of shit!”Whack, whack, whack.
Mr. Montgomery spins around and can’t shake me off. I’m too clingy. And I beat and beat and beat him until all my pretty flowers are destroyed.
Stumbling back, he slams against a table, and I lose my grip, falling off him.
“You crazy fucking bitch!” the asshole yells.
Conner snatches him back before he can get to me. I don’t think this man’s ever hit a woman before, but I don’t want to be the one to break his streak. Except I’m so mad my vision is red.
How dare he come back here. How dare he go after the man I love!
