Page 111 of Abundance of Obsession

“Good morning, Mr. Montgomery. It’s Mick,” the man greets me.

“Hello, Mick. What’s going on?”

“You have a visitor. He says he’s your father, George Montgomery.”

Annoyance wells up inside me in a flash. How dare he show up at my house after everything that’s happened? The last thing I need is this.

“Tell him to turn around and get the hell out,” I say.

There’s a moment of silence on the line, and then Mick speaks again. “Sir. He asks me to tell you he won’t leave until you talk to him.”

Stubborn old mule. We need to end this once and for all.

So, I growl through my teeth. “Fine, let him in,” I say. And then to Zoe, “It’s my father. He’ll be here in a minute.”

She displays mixed emotions and bites her lower lip. I want to unleash this thirst and sink my teeth into that tender, soft pillow. Unfortunately, that will have to wait. Instead, I plant a quick kiss on her cute little nose.

All I throw on are a pair of sweatpants. There’s no point in dressing properly, as it won’t be a long conversation.

Before my father even knocks, I’m already opening the door. He stands there, looking awkward, with his hand raised. Dressed in jeans and a sweater. I’ve never seen him in an outfit like that before. As you can see, a lot has changed.

“Son,” he greets me when I let him in without a word.

Back then, at the restaurant, in the dim light, I hadn’t noticed it at all. Now I do. He has aged. I hope his graying hair is just from worry, nothing more.

“What do you want?” My voice is harsh.

I’m not asking nicely. I don’t offer him coffee.

I don’t pretend this is just a casual visit.

“I came to talk.” He turns to face me, his hands in his pockets. I stand where I am. There’s no point in forcing myself to be hospitable; he won’t be staying long. “You don’t answer your phone, you don’t reply to messages. You didn’t leave me a choice.”

I fold my arms. “What a shitty excuse. You had a choice. You could have caught the hint and not come.”

“You’re my son.”

“Biologically, yes. And that’s a matter in which I had no choice.”

Despite the lack of an invitation, my father walks into the living room and sits down on the couch. He rests his elbows on his knees, his head hanging low.

Despite how much it irks me that he’s so comfortable here, I follow him.

“I’m not denying I was a shitty father. It’s true. But I’m trying to change that—can’t you see?”

“You didn’t have to tell me that. I’m a grown man, not a kid. I don’t need a father; I want nothing to do with you.”

“Eli, please. Hear me out. I know nothing can excuse how badly I screwed up. I loved your mother to the point of madness. She was and is the love of my—”

His lies are too much for me. “Save me the bullshit. You were on a date with your new girlfriend.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s any less true. Your mom will be the love of my life until the day I die. No woman will ever measure up to her.”

“Again, spare me—and yourself—the stories about your love life. If this is all—”

“No,” he cuts me off. “I came here to apologize to you for everything I did and didn’t do, and God knows I should have done this a long time ago. I don’t deserve forgiveness, but I don’t want to lose you, Eli.”

Shaking my head in disbelief, I let out a short laugh. “Lose me? You can’t lose what you don’t have. Get on with your life and leave me alone, for God’s sake.”