Page 68 of Losing a Piece of Me

He stumbles, but doesn’t fall. He steadies himself and turns for me. “That fucking family is my problem. And you’re in there having some fancy-ass brunch with them. My own fucking son!”

"I'm not your fucking son!" I scream back.

Realization washes over him. "You too good for me now? Is that it?" He pushes me.

I stumble back but don't take the bait. He's nothing more than a drunk. He's not even worth my time. "Yeah, something like that." I turn and walk away from him.

He grabs my shirt and swings, but I duck and shove him off of me.

He spins me back around to face him. "Don't you fucking get it?" I hold my arms up at my sides. "I'm not fighting you. Never again. Whatever we had, it's gone."

"So you're going to abandon me just like your whore of a mother?" His eye are bloodshot, nearing tears.

"Yeah, I guess so." I turn and walk inside without a look back.

Chapter 17

When Striker takes Ken outside, my dad’s eyes find mine. He is seething mad. His face is reddening as the vein in his forehead pulsates.

“Is this the outcome you were hoping for, Alexis?” he asks me.

“What? No! How could you even think that?” I feel my face heat up under everyone's eyes.

“Why did you bring him here? You had to be hoping for some kind of reaction from us.” His hands are on his hips, holding his jacket open. His tie is loose and he looks angrier than I've ever seen him.

“I didn't want this to come out!” I stand up to square off with him. “Why do you think I ran away or stayed gone as long as I have?”

He looks taken aback. He straightens his tie around his neck and walks away from me.

The whole table watches him go. My head slumps forward and then I slowly look at everyone around the table. Most have the decency to act like they didn't notice the exchange, and some are just starting with their mouths hanging open. My sister, on the other hand, is watching me with unshed tears in her eyes.

I sit down and reach for her hand on the table, but she pulls it away. “You knew about this? About Dad and his mom?”

I close my eyes and nod my head. Please don't make me say it.

“And you didn't tell me?”

With my eyes still closed, I shake my head no.

“How could you do this? This is why you left? You left me here with those people so you could hide from the truth?”

My eyes snap open. “No, it's not like that. I didn't want to leave.” Well, I did, but not the way that it happened.

“Mom is right. You don't care about anyone but yourself.” She stands and runs away from the table. Striker is behind me now. He touches my arm and I stand beside him.

“Come on, let's go. These people don't deserve you. They only think of themselves.”

He takes my hand and leads me away from the table, in the same direction the rest of my family stormed out in.

As we’re walking through the lobby of the country club, I see my sister yelling at my father across the room. He’s trying to control the damage that has already been done, holding her by the arms and softly rubbing them up and down to calm her.

She pushes his hands off her and my dad’s eyes lock on mine. His back is stiff and his shoulders are held high.

I drop Striker’s hand and start toward them. They need to know that I wasn’t wanting this to come out. It wasn’t some plan I had formed just to hurt my family. It hurts me that they would even think that, but I have to make sure they understand.

As I’m approaching, my dad starts to turn away from me. “I’ve heard enough from you, Alexis.” He starts knocking on the door to the ladies’ room.

I’m guessing my mother locked herself inside.

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