I rolled my eyes as she carried on the conversation. “This isn’t going to work out. I should have known better than to agree to anything Mark wanted. I mean he hasn’t been in the child’s life since he was baby, and we don’t need this kind of negativity in the house. Everything is perfect as it is without him here. Just look at what’s going on now; the kid isn’t even here yet and you’re already arguing with me.” My fingernails dug into the edge of the sink, my eyes lingering on the immaculate green lawn outside the window. Perfection was around every single corner of this house. I took in a deep breath, willing my nerves to cool. I already knew my mom was a bitch, but I never knew more than in this one single moment how true that statement was.
I stood there in silence, not saying a word even though I wanted to scream at her for being such a cruel person. It wasn’t our job to judge him, and if he hadn’t seen his dad since birth then I’m sure this was already hard enough for him too. The woman only heard and believed what she saw on paper or what would fit into her neat little imaginary box.
My silence only settled the matter more for her. “I am calling Mark and telling him to call this all off. You don’t need this kind of influence in your life. You’re going off to college next year, and we don’t need someone like him coming into our lives and causing problems.” I was seriously considering cutting my ears off so I wouldn’t have to listen to the insanity spewing from her mouth anymore.
“It’s not your choice, Mom. Let Dad decide that for himself. It’s his son, not yours.” I tried to keep my voice neutral because I wasn’t ready for her bat shit crazy self to go off on me.
“Excuse you!” Her anger was mounting. Clearly I hadn’t kept my voice neutral enough. “It’s my choice because I am protecting my daughter from that vile boy. Which he will most likely bring a charade of bad habits with him as well.” She sighed into the air as if talking about the entire issue was the most exhausting thing ever for her. I was done with this conversation, and done with letting her ruin my day.
“I’m going to let Dad make that choice. I’ve got homework so I’m going upstairs to finish it.” I tuned her out, even though she continued to speak as I headed up the grand staircase. Why did this entire thing between Mark, my mom, and Royal’s mom seem so fucked up? It seemed like there was so much more going on behind the scenes. Shit that I knew nothing about. I felt a little lost, and I wondered if Royal would be just as confused.
It didn’t start to sink in on just how fucked up it really was until I walked down the hall realizing that Mark was a millionaire and had all but plucked my pregnant mother up off the street. He cared for us when no one else did. He gave us everything he had all while he had a son on the side that he had nothing to do with? Then there was everything with Royal’s mom. Somewhere along the lines things weren’t adding up. Why would a man as good as my dad leave his son just to take in a woman expecting another man's child?
I shook my head. It was too much for me to wrap my head around at the moment, but I would bet almost anything that’s what caused Royal to act out, and that would be the pulsating wound that would show through in his actions and emotions. My mom didn’t know anything about loss, or about dealing with your feelings in any other way than she did so herself. If you were different than her in any way, you were below her; at least in her eyes.
I got the feeling Royal was doing all he could to get by, and I would do whatever I could when he got here to prove to my mother just how good of a person he really was. Underneath that bad boy persona lied a lost little boy.
Chapter Three
-Royal
“Welcome to Sauk Falls, Royal.” My father’s deep voice shattered the bubble that I surrounded myself in. I needed that bubble because without it I was like an F-5 tornado heading down the Oklahoma plains. My teeth ground together as I sized him up; my gaze going down to his extended hand and then back up to his face.
Did he honestly think he could be gone from my life for seventeen years and then walk right back into it like we were a normal father and son with a good relationship or something? No fucking way.
“Yeah I don’t shake hands, and I don’t plan on bonding with some asshole who abandoned me for my entire life.” I shoved past him and headed toward the car he was standing in front of. It’s an Audi. Of course it was. I almost wanted to laugh, not the funny kind of laugh but the lunatic kind of laugh. I should’ve known, still I’m surprised. Shock wasn’t something that gets me nowadays, not when you have heard it all.
“Your mother tells me you’re fighting. Wreaking havoc at home? That you’ve put a number of people in the hospital and have been arrested?” I smirked.
“Don’t get in the ring with me and not expect to wake up in the hospital,” was all I could say.
Still now wasn’t the time for him to show up and suddenly want to be a dad. Again. Fuck. No. I answered his question with amusement and anger, and opened the door to the back seat, throwing my bags in then sliding in right next to them, not wanting to sit next to him or hear any of his excuses. This man doesn’t know me, and I’ll show him just how much he doesn’t if he keeps it up.