Page 115 of Breakaway

I think the alarm shows on my face, because he laughs and says, “For a seltzer, kid, calm down.” He weaves through the crowd with his head held high, like he knows he belongs here.

“Want a glass of wine?” I ask Penny. “They won’t check IDs at this.”

“Um, sure.” She trails her fingers over the nearest chair. It’s gold, with a blue silk bow tied around the back. “This is really... really fancy, Cooper, are you sure...”

I brush my lips against hers. “You’re the prettiest girl here. Come on, I have people I want to introduce you to.”

Before we get very far, though, my mother spots us. She’s wearing a deep blue gown with a silk shawl tied around her shoulders. Her hair is done in some sort of complicated knot, held atop her head with a crystal-studded clip. The crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes crinkle as she pulls me into a hug, then does the same for Penny.

“Darling,” she says. “Izzy is still getting ready, but your brothers are around here somewhere. You both look so beautiful. Thank you for coming, Penny.”

“Thanks for inviting me,” Penny says. “This is really incredible, Mrs. Callahan.”

“Oh, call me Sandra.” She squeezes Penny’s arm, flicking her gaze to mine for a moment. My heart swells. “I’ve just been so thrilled about the two of you dating, you have no idea.”

Then she leans in, the smile dropping right off her face. “Sweetie, you need to tell your uncle to leave.”

I’m shaking my head before she even finishes her sentence. “No.”

“Your father doesn’t want him here.” She glances over to the bar, where Uncle Blake is laughing with the bartender. “And frankly, I don’t want him here.”

I take a step back. I had been expecting this from Dad, but from Mom, too? “But... Mom, he’s family.”

She gives me a firm look, reaching out to cup my cheek with her hand. “And sometimes family is best loved from a distance.”

“No. That’s not fair.” I shrug away from her touch. “He’s clean. He’s sober. He moved back to New York to be with us again.”

She sighs. “Oh, Cooper. He said that when you were seven. Then he tried when you were ten, and again when you were seventeen.”

“And instead of helping him, you keep driving him away.”

“No,” she says sharply. Her lip wobbles, a wave of heartbreak coming over her face. Fucking hell. I thought that even if Dad doesn’t understand, she would, and the fact she’s not even mad, just upset—upset because of something I did—hits me like a strike to the ribs. “We tried for so long, but some things can’t be forgiven. Your father and I couldn’t have lived with ourselves if you got hurt again. Make him leave, Cooper, please. We can talk about this later.”

“Again?” Penny says. “What do you mean, again?”

“That was just an accident,” I say slowly. “Mom, it wasn’t his fault.”

“What accident?” Penny tugs on my arm. “Cooper?”

Mom presses her lips together tightly. “I’m asking him to leave, and if he doesn’t, I’ll have security escort him out.” She wipes quickly at her eyes, then blinks twice, standing up straighter. She plasters a smile back on her face. “You need to trust me, honey.”

“He’s not some criminal!” My voice rises even though I don’t mean for it to; a couple of people glance our way. Mom strides across the room, and I follow her, but Penny digs her heels in to stop me.

“Cooper,” she says. “I think you should listen to her. And your dad. Something’s not right.”

“You too?” I grind out. “Penny, seriously?”

“It’s just weird that he asked you for all that money.” Her eyes search mine. “Think about it, Cooper. What grown man asks his nephew for that much money?”

“It’s to pay off his rehab costs.”

She shakes her head. Her voice is very soft. “No rehab is over a quarter of a million dollars.”

“What, are you some expert on it?” I can’t keep the venom out of my tone. I shake her off and stride after my mother.

My father beats both of us.

If I thought I knew what my father looks like when he’s mad before this, I had been witnessing no worse than mild irritation. Rage practically dances across his features; his mouth is a tight slash, his gaze so dark even I’m taken aback. He snatches the glass right out of Uncle Blake’s hand, sniffs it, and slams it down on the top of the bar.

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