Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25885 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 129(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 86(@300wpm)
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“It’s fine.” Sadie elbows her dad. “Tell her that everything is going to be okay.”
“He just needs time, Fischl. It’s a big change for all of us. It’s hard to look at Cooper and not be pissed. I’m still adjusting.”
“I think Cooper means well. I feel bad for him.” Sadie has always had the sweetest heart. She tries to see the good in every situation.
We all glance down the hallway when we hear a noise. Cooper is standing at the end of the hallway. His expression isn’t much better than Van’s was. I’m sure Van had a few choice words for his dad.
“I’m going to talk to him.” I can’t help but feel sorry for Coop. He doesn’t deserve this. It wasn’t his fault. In time, hopefully I can get that message across to Van.
“We’ll go grab some more stuff to bring in.” Sebastian wraps his arm around Sadie’s shoulder.
Cooper steps aside to let them by. He comes to me, pulling me into his arms. I wrap mine around him, burying my face in his chest.
“It’s going to be okay.” He rubs his hand up and down my back, comforting me. I drop my head back and mouth to him that Van is right there on the other side of the door so he doesn’t say something he shouldn’t.
“I’m going to talk to him,” I tell Cooper. I haven’t gotten to give him all the details yet. I too should be on the receiving end of his anger. It was my mother’s fault that all of this happened. And I should have known better than to believe her. I was young, stupid, and filled with hormones. She took advantage of that.
Cooper leans down, his mouth coming to my ear. “This isn’t all your fault. Don’t put it all on you.” He kisses me below the ear. “I love you.” I’ll never get tired of hearing those words from him.
“I love you too.” I drop my hands to go face-off with my son.
Van never asked anything about his father over the years. I thought he didn’t care, but I’m seeing now it’s because he’s angry. He thinks Coop abandoned him. I need to set the record straight.
“I’ll be down once I talk to him,” I tell Coop before I head to Van’s room.
“I’ll be waiting. Everything’s going to be all right,” Coop says. I’m not sure if he’s trying to convince me or himself.
I take a deep breath to calm my nerves before I knock on Van’s door. “Honey, can I come in?” There is a long pause. He wants to say no. I close my eyes. Van has never pushed me away. I deserve it. I’m not going to force him to talk about this. Not yet, anyway. “Okay. I love you,” I say, letting him know I’m not upset with him. I’ll give him space if that’s what he needs.
“Mom.” He jerks the door open. His eyes meet mine before they dart above me, I’m sure to look at Cooper. “Not him.”
“Don’t make her cry.”
“Fuck you, man. That’s all you ever did.” Shots fired.
“Hey!” I put my hands on Van’s chest to push him back into the room. I close the door as soon as I can. “Don’t do that.”
“Mom, he—”
“It was my fault too. I never told him.” When we talked about it briefly, I said there was a misunderstanding.
“I know what you’re doing.” Van walks over and drops down on the bed. “You cover for everyone. You would rather take the blame so that I don’t hate him.” I can’t disagree with him there. I would do something like that. But that’s not the case here.
“It’s true, Van. I’m not covering for anyone.”
“He hurt you. You tried to hide it, but there is a reason you don’t date. I didn’t have to ask. I knew.”
“I really didn’t tell him. I mean, I thought he knew, but my mother lied to me.” Van’s eyebrows rise. He never met my mom, but he knows a little about her. One of those things being I didn’t talk to her. I sit down on the bed next to him and tell him everything. He should get to hear it from me. “Cooper did try to find me, but he thought I was married with kids. He went through a lot too. Lost a lot of the people he loved.” I take his hand. “You think a man would raise his nephew but not his own son if he knew?”
“His nephew is a dick.” I wonder if he doesn’t care for Dunc because Cooper raised him or if there is more to it.
“You don’t know him.”
“He’s a jerk to Sadie.”
“What?”
“He thinks I don’t see him, but I do. Should keep his eyes to his fucking self.”
“Did Sadie say something?”
“No, she never does. You remember what happened at our old school.” Right, Van is touchy about how people treat her.