Page 81 of Bought and Broken

We pile our plates with food and go find a seat. I see Devon talking to her friend Summer, her kid on her hip. She’s a cute little girl with curly blond hair and chubby cheeks.

“Where’s the kid’s father?” I ask.

Dane shrugs, stabbing a shrimp with his fork. “He took off to college, I think. Didn’t care he had a kid here.”

“Classy.”

“Hey, guys.”

I look up and there’s Summer, her kid—still on her hip—and Devon.

“Hey, Summer,” Dane says, not pulling his attention from his food.

“Hey,” I say, doing a double take when I get a glimpse of her kid’s eyes. They’re as green as Devon’s.

“Just wanted to thank you for coming. I know it’s awkward, but I wanted as many people here as possible for Astrid.” She leans in to kiss her cheek.

Astrid? Weird name, but so is Summer.

“It’s no problem,” Dane says, shoving more food into his mouth.

“Yeah, no problem,” I say, giving a polite smile.

She nods at me, giving me a knowing look. It’s obvious Devon has told her everything. “Well, enjoy. I guess I’ll see you around.”

“See ya,” Dane says.

I catch Devon’s eyes and wink. She smiles and walks away after her friend.

“Well, that was weird as fuck,” I say.

Dane ignores me. He’s been in a weird mood all morning. I could tell he didn’t want to come to this party but did because Devon asked him to. He’s a good brother and a good friend. Though he already warned me we wouldn’t be staying here long. Which is fine by me. The only reason I didn’t have a sudden weekend meeting is because Devon is here.

After we eat, we get another drink, then mingle for a bit. We catch a few older guys talking about their businesses and get in on the conversation. Come to find out they know who I am by name and know Dane’s father. Which isn’t surprising. All these rich fucks in Willowdale know each other.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, and when I see it’s my father, I ignore the call, shoving it away. I am not in the mood to talk to him and hear whatever stupid shit he wants to say today.

“So, Tate, your father, he’s no longer living in Michigan?” Bryan asks. He owns a chain of grocery stores.

“No, he’s in Japan,” I say. “Left a few years ago.”

“Lucky you, huh?” he says with a chuckle. “He takes off and you get the company.”

I can’t tell if he’s joking or being serious, so I huff out a laugh and raise my glass before taking a drink.

“I remember him from high school,” Victor says. “He did well for himself.”

“Too bad he ruined it all,” I add with a smile.

“I’m sorry?” Victor says, as if he didn’t hear what I said.

“Oh, nothing. What did you say you do again?”

“Marketing,” he answers.

“Right, right.” I take a mouthful of my whiskey and look around for Devon as the other guys keep talking business. Usually this is what I enjoy doing. Not because I like talking to people, but because I like my business and making it better. Today, all I want to do is be with my girl.

I find her playing with Astrid and a few other kids in the front yard. They have balloons and are throwing them around and hitting them like volley balls. The kids are laughing. She’s laughing.

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