Page 18 of In Daddy's Hands

Boone stood and tossed his napkin on the table. He moved to his mother’s side. She tilted her cheek his way, unconcerned by everything. He kissed the offered cheek. “Lovely to see you, as always, Mother.”

Her gaze finally locked on Boone. If Jupiter wasn’t mistaken, a hint of sympathy flitted across her features. A silent message passed between them.

“Don’t ruin dinner, Boone.”

Boone ignored his father. He took Jupiter’s hand and helped him from the table. “Good luck, Banks.”

Banks held up his whiskey glass in a bit of a salute. Jupiter tried like hell not to look at anyone as Boone practically dragged him from the room. They made it to the car. Jupiter was in the passenger seat with the door closed when Beau bore down on Boone.

“It’s been a goddamn decade, Boone. You can’t keep avoiding your childhood home and family over this.”

Jupiter wanted to pretend he didn’t hang on every word, but he literally leaned closer to watch every detail.

“It’s fine, Dad. Go back inside and humiliate your wife. I just want to go home.”

“For fuck’s sake. No one is humiliating your mom. She couldn’t care less what I do. She’s been here for the money since day one. Adan is here for love.”

Boone’s snort was the ugliest sound Jupiter had ever heard.

Beau motioned toward the car. “You have a new Little. There’s no reason we can’t let this go and get back to being a normal family.”

“We’ve never been a normal family!” Boone’s angry yell made Jupiter jump. He had never heard Boone like this. Boone motioned wildly toward the house. “What about this is normal? Normal people don’t turn their wife and youngest son into junkies. Normal people don’t steal their son’s fiancé.”

“None of that is fair. I’ve given all of you everything and I didn’t steal Adan. We just… we just fell in love.” He sounded defeated.

Jupiter felt like Beau sounded. Being abandoned by his parents suddenly didn’t look so bad.

Boone swiped his hand through his hair. “It’s fine, Dad. Go back to him. I promised Jupiter a bubble bath.”

Beau’s gaze slid his way before moving back to Boone. “All right. We’ll plan dinner for another night.”

Jupiter rubbed his chest. This was a bad place. He wanted to go home. Tears burned at the backs of his eyes. It truly seemedlike this Adan guy had been the one for Boone. Why else would Boone still care? He wanted his things back home. His blankets and bears. The anxious feeling inside grew bigger by the second. This was adult stuff. Someone had to take it from him before he melted down. Adan was so pretty. Fuck.

Boone climbed behind the wheel. He didn’t start the car. He clutched his head. Jupiter’s full focus shifted. His anxiety vanished. He tore open the glove box and found a bottle of pills. Jupiter shook one out.

“Take this.”

Boone dutifully popped the pill into his mouth. Jupiter dug around until he found half a pack of cigarettes that smelled exactly like the cigars Boone smoked. There was a lighter tucked inside. Jupiter lit one. He immediately choked on the smoke.

“Take this too,” Jupiter ordered through a coughing fit. He couldn’t let Boone get so bad he was bedridden again.

Boone stared at nothing and smoked.

Jupiter watched him. “It’s no wonder you have migraines.”

Boone didn’t laugh like he hoped. “I have migraines because I caught my fiancé blowing my dad, and I put a bullet in my brain.”

Jupiter’s mind stuttered to a stop. Banks had told him Boone had been shot in the head. He hadn’t said Boone had been the one to do it. “Oh.” Jupiter twisted his fingers in his lap, trying to stay in control. “I guess you really love him.”

“No. I really loved my dad.”

The pain that sideswiped Jupiter was massive. He heard the hurt in Boone, and it broke him.

Boone kept his gaze locked straight ahead, staring at nothing. “I know this is a fucked-up family, but despite what people see, I used to have an amazing father. Everything he’s ever done has been for this family. He gave us everything. He’s right. It’s been a decade. I should’ve already let this go, but every time I step foot in this house…” He shook his head.

Jupiter got it. He had been betrayed by one of the very few people he trusted. Someone he never dreamed would do such a thing. Worse than that, Beau now openly flaunted Adan, as if he hadn’t done this horrible thing to his son. Boone had almost died over this, and still Adan mattered more. Beau’s greed mattered more.

“Do you want me to go back in there and pull Adan’s hair?”

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