Page 87 of A Whole New Play

“Yeah.” I inhale a fortifying breath. “Might as well get this over with.” I unbuckle my seatbelt and exit the car, careful to close the door quietly to avoid waking the twins.

Carter kills the engine and follows my lead, lengthening his strides to round the front of the vehicle and reach my side as I walk over to where my dad waits by his truck.

Dad’s eyes are cool as they take in Carter’s action, and his lips tilt down in a subtle frown. I can’t tell what he’s thinking, and that makes me nervous.

“Hey, Dad.” I manage to keep my tone even as I close the distance between us. “What are you doing here?”

“You didn’t reply to my text,” Dad replies. “And your mother said you’ve been ignoring her calls.”

Shit.

Mom and Dad never talk.

“It was a long day.” I stop a couple of feet in front of him. It takes effort to hold his gaze. Guilt makes me want to shrink and look away. “Sorry.”

“Hmph,” he grunts. His green eyes are as hard as ice as they turn to Carter. “How long?”

“Sir?”

“How long has this been going on?” His eyes dart between us. He crosses his arms, showcasing his muscular biceps.

I speak before Carter can, “A few weeks.”

Dad’s eyes narrow. “Be more specific.”

His commanding tone makes me stand at attention. “My birthday.”

He grunts again. And, again, his hard eyes focus on Carter, drilling into him like he’s waiting for the linebacker to crack under the pressure.

Carter holds my dad’s stare, unflinching. I’m impressed. Lesser men would crumble.

Dad turns back to me. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I… we…”

“We wanted to take things slow,” Carter speaks up when I fumble. He takes a step closer to me. “We didn’t want to say anything if things didn’t work out.”

I feel Carter looking at me, but I keep my attention on my dad. I’m trying to gauge his reaction. The eyes that I inherited don’t lose their hard edge at the information. If anything, they sharpen.

“And is it working out?” He asks.

“I—” Before Carter can finish, a soft, tired voice interrupts.

“Dad?”

All three of us turn towards the SUV. Andy stands next to the car, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

Carter is quick to walk over to his side. “Yeah, bud?” He runs an affectionate hand over his son’s head.

“Can I go to bed? I’m tired.”

“Sure, buddy. No problem.” Carter’s expression is tight when he looks back at me. He doesn’t want to leave me to face this conversation on my own.

“It’s all right,” I tell him with a weak smile. “Go.”

Indecision wars in his gaze.

“Is Valerie not coming inside?” Abby’s voice precedes her just before she sticks her head out of her brother’s side of the car. With a tired yawn, she hops down from the vehicle and blinks her bleary eyes.

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