“You are.You might not know it, but you taught me more than any other teacher I’ve ever had.It’s because of you that I didn’t go to Heaven with your mama, Kel.And it’s because of you that I’m happy and have love in my life.
“You taught mehowto love.”
“Ilove you,” he whispered, reaching up to pat my cheek.“And I don’t care if you’re my uncle or my dad.”
Covering his hand with mine, I held it in place, hoping the stubble beneath wasn’t too scratchy as I fought hard to hold back tears.“I love you too, kid, more than I’ll ever be able to explain.I know you can’t understand it yet, but it’s why I stayed away.And I know I probably don’t deserve it, but I hope someday you can forgive me, because your love is the most important thing in my life.”
“But you have lots of people who love you,” he said.“Granny, Athena, my mama and daddy, Uncle Brand, and Aunt Abey.And your friend, Avery.She loves you too.Do you love her?”
“How do you know AJ loves me?”
He rolled his eyes dramatically, like it was old news.“She’s always smilin’ at ya, and she gets them googly eyes whenever you talk.”
“She does?”
“Yep.That’s a green flag.”
“A green— How do you know what a green flag is?”
“Sydney at school.When she came back after the chicken pox, she said she loves me.She said her mom told her she thinks I’m a cute little thing and that it’s a green flag that I come from a good family, and that my dad is hot.”
I snorted.I couldn’t help myself.“She thinks Bax is hot?”
“No, she thinksyouare, but I don’t understand.It’s hot today, but the day she said that, it was a lot cooler.”
Laughing, I said, “It means Sydney’s mama thinks your dad is handsome, but she meantme?How’d she know who I was?”
He shrugged.“Lots of people talk about you.”
Oh, I bet they do.
“So just now, when you asked if I was your dad, you already knew?”
He nodded.“I’ve had my sup-pishons.”
“Suspicions.”
“That’s what I said.”
Thank fuck.My brother can’t kill me.It’s not my fault!For once in my life, somebody else gets the blame.
Although, that didn’t convince me at all that Bax still wouldn’t murder me and dump my body in this very lake.
ChapterTwenty-Nine
Dixon
Bax bellowedinto his cell phone, “You did WHAT?”
When we got back to the house, I heated up Stu’s dinner and sat him at the table with a glass of milk.That seemed like a fatherly thing to do.
And then I hid in the laundry room so Stu couldn’t hear me and called Bax.
“Dixon, I warned you.I fuckin’ warned you!”
“Bax,” I whispered into my cell, “you’re not hearin’ me.He already knew.Hebrought it up.All I did was confirm the truth.Did you want me to lie to him?”
“Oh, that’sallyou’ve done?Right.Just don’t say another word till we get there.Jesus fuckin’ Christ.We’re leavin’ the fairgrounds now.”
