Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 80197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
My uncle is an alcoholic, and this man has the same ruddy, disheveled look about him.
Elias mutters something under his breath and turns away, looking like he's considering striding off in the opposite direction. He doesn't, though. Instead, he fixes his face with a blank expression. "What are you doing here?"
"Came to see you play," the man says. Is this Elias's dad? It couldn't be anyone else, could it? They look so alike.
"You shouldn't have bothered."
The man's face drops, then flashes anger in less than three seconds. "Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?" It comes out with three flecks of spittle, which fall to the floor.
Elias flinches. It's almost imperceptible. He does a good job of holding his ground, but I catch that motion out of the corner of my eye, and my stomach drops. Fuck. This is his dad.
"Just go home." It's a brush off, but there is a cool edge to Elias's tone that ripples around the group. Celine takes a step closer to him, and so do I. It's an instinct to provide him with support, especially against someone who appears to have hurt him in the past. Elias is bigger than his dad, but that wasn't always the case.
"Embarrassed of me? Am I causing a scene?" He holds his hands out and looks around like he's daring someone to say something to him. Colby moves Ellie back, and Kain does the same with Gabriella. Anticipation of an impending confrontation settles into the air around us all. I'm ready to step in to stop it from happening.
"Dornan!" My dad chooses this exact moment to appear with a big bag of treats and groceries, grinning from ear to ear. I've never been more conscious of what a good man my dad is than right now, faced with Elias's father.
"Dad."
I can’t move because I'm the only one close enough to get between these two men who are staring at each other with palpable malice.
"That play…I got it on video. I'm going to watch it over and over."
"Thanks, Dad."
Elias's father turns slowly, his gaze fixing on my oblivious father. The atmosphere must finally register, and my dad's eyes flit from face to face, trying to work out what's wrong.
"You need to leave," Elias tells his dad again, his tone arctic.
"It's a fucking free country." His dad stumbles back and spreads his arms to regain his balance. We all stare, unable to take our eyes off the car crash happening in slow motion in front of us.
Before Elias's dad has a chance to say anything else, my dad puts out his arm. "Come on. I've got snacks for you guys. You must be ravenous."
Elias doesn't take his eyes off his father for a minute, but as the rest of the group crowd around my dad to accept the bags of chips and sweets, whether they want to or not, the atmosphere is diffused. Celine's arm and shoulder are just in front of Elias, her face tilted into his body. She's trying to shield him, and when Elias realizes, the look on his face is enough to tug even the blackest of heartstrings.
His dad is the first to break the standoff. He wanders away like nothing has happened, swaying and unsteady on his feet.
Elias seems to shrink as he does, all the tensions crumbling from his body. "It's okay," Celine says, turning to touch his arm.
He closes his eyes, shutting out the world for a few seconds. "It's never okay."
"At least he came to watch you play. My dad doesn't even bother to call me anymore."
"I wish he didn't bother."
I take a bag of chips and offer it to Elias. He takes it, eyeing my dad suspiciously or maybe jealously. I wouldn't blame him for feeling either way.
"Let's go grab a beer," I say, looking directly at him. "I think we deserve it."
Elias nods, and Celine whoops and Gabriella tells Kain to call his brothers.
By the time we hit the bar, there's a big group of us, and everyone is chatting. Travis has arrived with Dalton and Blake. Seb and Micky have come, too, leaving Noah with Ellie's mom and their dad. It's a raucous celebration, but Elias is still quiet. I buy him a beer and pass it to him. He downs the whole bottle in one go, slamming it onto the bar hard enough to draw the attention of others around us.
"Don't let him get to you," I say.
He fixes me with stone-cold eyes. "Says the man with the world's greatest father."
What do I know about what Elias has been through? Nothing, that's what. But I clap him on the shoulder and avoid getting drawn into any back and forth. "We don't get to pick our family, Elias. You might have a let-down of a father, but you have friends. You're on track to ace your degree. You can leave the past behind if that's what you want."