Page 35 of Two Wrongs

Those things play in his favor, but he’s too much of a golden retriever for Wren. She might not admit it about herself, but she’s got a kinky side to match mine. She likes my dirty words, the sting of my hand on her ass, and when I fuck her hard. I might be able to tolerate seeing her with my son, maybe, but no one else is going to have her. She’s a Hale, whether she took the name or not.

The booming bass of my music cuts off suddenly. I pull my head out from under the hood and see Charlie standing by the sound system with a look of pity and judgment on his face.

“Whatever you’re going to say, save it,” I bark.

Of course, he ignores me. He’s the only one who’s truly immune to my perpetually gloomy demeanor. “How’s Liam?”

“Alive and pretty damn lucky. You didn’t know he was abusing drugs, did you?” I ask.

“Do you really think I’d keep something like that from you?” He shoots back.

“You didn’t tell me my son was cheating on his wife,” I point out.

His eyes narrow. “I saw what you weren’t willing to admit to yourself. You want Wren for yourself.”

I squeeze the wrench in my hand so hard my knuckles turn white, then force myself to put it into the toolbox. There’s already been one broken window this week due to my temper. “I never acted on it until she left him.”

“Do you think that will hurt him less? He still loves her. She’s his wife,” Charlie yells.

“What about her? He’s fucking lied to her for years. She thinks he gave up a scholarship for her. He’s been screwing some woman for months behind her back. He’s been doing fucking drugs,” I shout back.

“All of that is really shitty. I wouldn’t blame her for being with someone else, as long as it isn’t you,” he says in a more normal tone.

“I get it, okay?”

He shakes his head. “I really don’t think you do. Liam isn’t the only addict in the family. Wren is your drug.”

When Julio arrives, I retreat into my office. It isn’t Charlie’s scowls that send me away, but the words he shot my way. Wren is under my skin, in my brain, and I could imagine she could be the fucking air I breathe if I let her. Is that an addiction?

It’s true that my feelings for her haven’t made me the best person. I’ve treated her like a nuisance, when in reality seeing her is always the best part of my day. It’s also the worst knowing the damage it would cause if Liam ever figured out how I really feel.

But, to label these feelings as an addiction is also wrong. Falling for her might be a curse, but it’s not a disease. My wanting her isn’t selfish, because I still intend to convince her to leave town. Even if we were different people, free to love and be loved without someone else getting hurt, I’m still too old for her. She deserves this time to be young, to figure out who she is, and to fall in love with someone without all the baggage someone nearly twice her age brings.

There’s a knock on my office door, but it’s just a courtesy as it swings open without me saying a word. Charlie stands in the doorway when he’d usually stroll in and make himself at home. He doesn’t speak, and I don’t try to end the awkward tension by asking him what he wants.

Finally he breaks, and speaks first. “You’re thinking awfully hard in here.”

I grunt. He’s not willing to listen, and I’m not even sure how I feel about the things I’ve done over the last couple of weeks. How far I’ve fallen as a father, and how quickly I’d do it all over again.

He comes all the way in and sets the cordless phone down on my desk. “You left this in the shop. The doctor called. Liam is getting moved to rehab tomorrow as long as his vitals stay stable.”

I nod. “Yeah, his liver enzymes were elevated and they wanted to make sure there wasn’t more extensive damage to his internal organs.”

Just saying those words churn my stomach. Not only had I missed all the signs, but now my child, the one person I am actually responsible for in this world, is in the hospital being monitored for an overdose.

“Did he say when I’ll get to see him?” I ask.

“I asked, but he said you’ll find out when they call you from rehab, but expect it to be at least a week after he gets there,” he relays.

I actually already knew this. I’ve Googled the facility, and they have a section for frequently asked questions. What I don’t understand is why Charlie is still looking at me like my world is about to fall apart.

“What aren’t you telling me Charlie?”

He takes a deep breath, and I know it’s going to be bad. My apprehension grows when he closes the door and sits down in front of my desk. “You actually missed two calls. I was coming back to tell you about the first, but you were talking to the supplier Liam had canceled. Then the doctor called.”

“Fucking spit it out, man. We’re getting old, and I’m not sure how much more stress my ticker can take,” I gripe.

He rolls his eyes. “It didn’t give out when you were boning a twenty-three-year-old, so I think you’ll be fine.”

---