“Alex, you’re never going to believe this,” Dax says, and then his expression changes. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he mumbles and throws himself down on the couch. “What are you so happy about?” he scowls.
“The record label is working on an offer, and we should have it first thing tomorrow morning,” Dax says.
“Great. Exciting.” Alex isn’t the least bit excited.
“Care to share why you’re being a royal douchebag right now?” I ask.
“It’s none of your business,” he spits.
“Whatever,” I say and get up. “Congrats, everyone. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, Dax. Don’t worry, it’s going to be a great offer.”
I walk out of the room, and I hear Dax ask Alex about some girl he saw him with. The door shuts behind me before I can hear anything else.
I spot the blonde as soon as I enter the bar, and I’m ready to find another room in this place. She sees me too and makes her way across the crowded room. Just before she reaches me, my cell phone vibrates in my pocket. The only people who have this number are the guys and my mother. Since I know it’s not Alex, Dax or Tristan, I realize it can only be Mom.
What could she be calling about? She called me as soon as I woke up this morning so she and Bill could sing “Happy Birthday” to me.
I swipe to answer and I hear her soft voice. “Garrett?”
It’s loud in the bar area, so I hold up my finger when the blonde reaches me and I mouth, I’ll be right back. She smiles and her full lips are so inviting. I back up into the quiet hallway behind the bar.
“Mom, can you hear me?” I ask, covering my exposed ear while I hold the phone to the other one.
“Yes, I can hear you,” she says, and I can immediately tell by the tone of her voice that something is wrong.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, worried.
“No, it’s not,” she immediately replies. “Garrett, I’m so sorry to be calling you with this news. Especially on your birthday.”
“Is Bill, I mean, Dad okay?” I ask, terrified she’s about to tell me something bad happened to him.
“Yes, Bill’s okay. But…” She pauses and I swallow hard.
What’s going on?
“Mom?” I ask again, urging her to tell me what happened.
“But your father, he’s—he’s dead.”
I close my eyes and breathe deeply. Dead?
“Are you okay, Mom?” I ask. I know that she’s feeling this, hard. She did everything she could to save her marriage when I was a kid. She was the glue that held us together. After he left, she remained the glue and filled our house with more love than I could imagine. We didn’t need that fucker in our lives.
“I don’t know,” she says, and I hear her sobbing through the phone.
“Tell me what to do. What can I do?” I beg her, and her sobbing just gets louder. I hear a muffled voice coming from her side, and Bill is consoling her.
“Garrett?” His voice is solid and strong.
“Bill, tell me she isn’t this upset. She can’t be, that asshole made her miserable. Tell her I’m okay. I’m fine.” I don’t want her to worry about me. I don’t feel anything for him.
“There’s more to it than that. John’s dead, but…” He stops and I swallow hard.
“How?” I ask.
“He killed himself.”
Sam
Present
Villanova, Pennsylvania
Age 23