Page 3 of Just This Once

Thane merely widened his eyes scoldingly, telling me to chill.

Across the circle, Matt asked Alec, “So you were there?”

Alec nodded and lowered his gaze to his hands, wringing them in his lap.

“Were you at home?”

Alec shook his head. “No. He didn’t live with us.”

“So you were at your dad’s house?” Matt persisted.

Disgusted, I almost threw my hands up, not sure why it matteredwhereit fucking happened. His dad fucking died. Who fucking cared about when or where or how or why? He’d lost a parent,Matt. How the fuck was he supposed to get over that? That’s allIneeded to know.

“No, I—I’d never been to his house,” Alec said. “I actually thought he lived far away. I mean, why else would he only come to visit on my birthdays and just send money for Christmas?”

“But hedidn’tlive far away?” Matt asked, looking confused.

Alec shook his head and grew nervous, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. “No. I don’t think so.”

“Okay,” Matt answered, clearly lost. “So how did you learn he lived nearby?”

“I was at the town carnival with my mom,” Alec explained. “And I saw him there. He was standing in line for the Ferris wheel with some…girl.” He shrugged, letting us know he had no idea who the girl had been. “So I ran over to say hi. But the girl—she asked him whoIwas, and she—she called him dad, too.”

“What?” Matt yelped, his eyes wide before he slapped a hand over his mouth to excuse his reaction. But he only ripped the hand away to ask, “So you have a sister? You have a sister and didn’t even know it?”

Alec shrugged and then nodded his head. “I guess.”

“Well, shit,” Hudson murmured, taking an interest now.

I had to agree. This was gettin’ fucking juicy.

“He had a whole other family,” Alec explained. “And they didn’t know anything about me or my mom. And I didn’t know anything about them. My mom might’ve known, though.” He made a face. “But she never told me.”

“Unreal,” Foster breathed, shaking his head in amazement.

“When his wife showed up and met me…” Alec kept talking. “She and his daughter had an absolute cow. Theyreallydid not like learning, you know, that he had another kid.”

“Was the sister older or younger than you?” Thane asked.

“Older,” Alec said with a wince. “She’s a year older than me.”

Meaning, this dude had cheated on his wife with Alec’s mom.

“Damn,” Hudson whispered from beside me.

I glanced his way, and we made eye contact, sharing a sympathetic grimace.

“My dad’s wife and daughter got really mad,” Alec explained. “They started yelling at him. So my dad… He just—his breathing grew fast and choppy. His face turned red. Sweat popped out on his forehead. And then, he clutched his chest, and—you know—fell over. Right there at the carnival.”

“Whoa,” Matt answered with wide eyes. “That, uh, I mean, that must’ve been pretty scary for you, huh?”

Alec nodded. He still kind of looked shell-shocked from just talking about it. “At the funeral, my dad’s daughter yelled atme. She said I killed him. She called me a murderer. But I—” He shook his head, his lips trembling. “I don’t know howIkilled him. I didn’t even touch him.”

“Oh, Alec, no,” Matt assured gently. “You didn’t kill him, bud. Not at all. Your dad just wasn’t able to deal with the consequences of his own actions.”

“Then why did she say I did?”

“Well, she—” Matt shook his head with a wince. “You know, I bet she felt guilty.”

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