Page 57

Chapter Twenty

Trey

I fucked up.

Big time.

Scrubbing the towel over the bar way harder than I need to, I try to push that thought away but it keeps resurfacing, reminding me of what a complete asshole I was to the one woman in this world I can’t live without. What the fuck was I thinking? Oh, yeah. I was thinking that the stupid ex was creeping around and trying to get back together with her, and she still hasn’t opened up to me all the way. And I have no idea what the fuck she wants. So, when I saw the flowers and then his number popped up on her phone, I fucking lost it.

Before I started whatever this is with Addy, I would have said that I had really good control over my emotions but that’s a crock of shit. Up until now, I’ve avoided any real, strong emotion, and so when I fell in love with Addy and she brought out all these strong feelings, I didn’t know how to deal with them. I overreacted, and I hurt her. I know I did because I could see it in her eyes as I stormed out of her apartment two days ago but I couldn’t stop myself either.

What a fucking mess.

“Hey, Trey,” Moe says, slapping my shoulder as he steps up next to me, and I nod at him in greeting. “Can you come to the office? We need to have a little chat. I already got Bree to cover you.”

“Uh…yeah. Okay.”

Why the hell do I feel like I’m in trouble? He starts walking back to the office, and I follow him, trying to figure out why he needs to talk to me. When we get in the back, he sits behind his desk, and I sink into the chair across from him. He sighs and grabs some papers from off the desk.

“Here’s the deal, Trey. I’ve been thinking about what I want out of my life and what I want for this bar.”

“Okay,” I say, still not sure where this is going.

“I’ve poured my heart and soul into this place for so long and, now I’d like to enjoy the benefits of that so I’m retiring, in a sense.”

I just stare at him for a second, shocked by his revelation. I kind of always pictured Moe running this place until the day he died, and I can’t believe he’s actually leaving. “Wow. Okay. So, are you selling it?”

He smiles. “Not exactly. I’d like you to have it, Trey. I know you love this place as much as I do, and I couldn’t think of a better person to take over for me.”

I run a hand through my hair as my mind races. “You’re giving me the bar?”

“Well, kind of. I’ve been over everything with a lawyer, and my only conditions are that you pay me a monthly check just like the paycheck I get now but the bar will be yours completely. Think of it kind of like a rent check.” He hands the stack of papers over to me, and I thumb through them, still too out of sorts to make any sense of what’s written.

“I…why me?”

He scowls and studies me for a second. “Who else would I leave this place to?”

“I don’t know. Emma or Tucker. Or Nix. I mean, he is your nephew.”

“Trey, why would it be any different for me to leave this place to them? You’re just as much family as they are. Haven’t you figured that out by now? And you know no one else will take care of this place like you will. They each have their own passion and running a bar isn’t it.”

“I’m not, though. Look, I know you all care about me but I’m still the kid they took in after his mom died. I’m not really your family.”

He lets out a heavy breath, and when I look up, he has tears shining in his eyes. “You couldn’t be more wrong about that, son. The moment Michael and Charlotte met you, they loved you like their own, and they suffered for years watching the hell you went through with your family. Hell, I lost count of the number of times they called social services to see if they could get you out of there and with them.”

“They did that?” I ask, wondering why no one ever came to get me out of there if they knew what was going on.

“They did. And even though nothing ever came of those calls, they still did whatever they could to help you. They left their doors unlocked at night so you could come over any time you needed to, and they were always buying you things you needed.”

I drop my head, remembering how Mom would have clothes sitting out on the kitchen table when I would come over after school with Tucker. She would tell me to take them because she bought them for Tucker but they didn’t fit. I never even thought that she might be doing it on purpose.

“She also sent Tucker to school with two lunches in one bag so he could give you his extra food because she knew that you weren’t eating much at home with your mother spending all her money on drugs.”

Emotion clogs my throat as I realize everything that these people have done for me, and I can’t believe I never saw it before. She was always looking out for me but I would have been too proud to admit just how hungry I was or that my shoes had holes in them and my pants were slowly turning into capris.

“You’ve always been their son, Trey. It just took the rest of the world a little longer to catch up. And this family wouldn’t be complete without you.”

“I don’t know what to say,” I whisper as I wipe my eyes and look back up at him. He smiles and shrugs.