“No,” I say, meeting his eyes again. “You don’t really give a shit about Ashton’s future at all.”
His expression darkens. “You should choose your next words carefully, son.”
I step closer, crowding his space. “If you actually cared about his future,” I say, my voice low, “you wouldn’t spend so much time trying to hold him back.”
Mark’s eyes narrow, like he’s daring me to keep going.
“You wouldn’t make him feel scared to chase his dreams,” I continue. “Like it’s wrong for him to have a mind of his own instead of blindly following your wishes.”
The silence in the hallway grows thick. Mark’s fingers tighten around the soda can, the aluminum popping softly in the quiet.
“I don’t think you care about what Ashton wants at all,” I say steadily. “I think the only thing you care about is that precious family name of yours.”
His lips press into a thin line. “That’s enough—”
“You don’t love your kids,” I cut in, my voice shaking now despite my best effort to keep it steady. “You love theideaof them. The picture-perfect version of a family you can parade around town so everyone thinks you’ve got it all figured out.”
Mark opens his mouth to respond, but before he can—
“Mr. Tremblay?”
We both turn.
A nurse stands a few feet down the hall, waving us over.
“He’s awake,” she says.
Relief floods through me so fast it’s dizzying.
Mark and I move at the same time, hurrying down the hallway toward Ashton’s room. The nurse slows as we reach the door, holding up a hand before we walk in.
“Just a heads-up,” she says quietly. “He’s on some pretty strong pain medication right now, so he might seem a little… loopy.”
My stomach twists. “Is he okay?”
She nods. “Yes, of course. Like we said, the surgery went well without complications. He’s just waking up.”
She pushes the door open and steps aside so we can enter.
The room is suddenly crowded.
The rest of Ashton’s siblings must have returned from the cafeteria while we were gone. They’re all gathered around the hospital bed now, packed shoulder to shoulder. Olivia stands closest, leaning over the railing with her arms crossed.
Ashton lies propped up against the pillows, his eyes heavy-lidded. A slow, dopey smile stretches across his face.
He looks… completely out of it.
“You scared the hell out of me,” Olivia is saying, her voice sharp with emotion. “Do you have any idea how fast I drove to get here?”
Ashton giggles. “Sorry,” he slurs softly. “Was accident.”
Olivia sighs, shaking her head, but I can see the relief on her face.
Then Ashton’s eyes drift across the room before landing squarely on me.
His entire face lights up, his smile stretching even wider.
“Troy!” he blurts.
