Page 99 of Eight Steps to Alpha

Elliot stepped toward him, his chest tightening. “If she likes me so much, why was she asleep on your lap?”

“Because I was here. You weren’t.”

“Bullshit!”

Colton lifted one eyebrow, then pushed a finger toward the living room. “If you’re not careful, you’ll wake her. Then what will you do?”

In spite of himself, Elliot immediately calmed. The last thing he needed was for Fe to be awake right now. Witnessing—this. He rinsed out his glass, set it on the rack to dry, and turned toward his bedroom, intending to put himself to bed. But Colton’s words stopped him. “Talked to Mom tonight.”

Elliot took a deep breath and turned around to face him, “Oh yeah, and what did she say?”

“Said she hasn’t talked to you in a few weeks. Says she misses you.”

“I’ll call her tomorrow—”

“Why haven’t you been home since grandpa’s funeral, Elli?”

Elliot adjusted his stance, his heart suddenly heavy. “Why are you asking me this?”

“Because everyone misses you.”

“Like I said, I’ll call her tomorrow—”

“I’m talking about Dad.”

Elliot froze, but his heart clenched in his chest. “Yeah, right,” he almost laughed.

“Why don’t you talk to him? Why do you pretend he doesn’t exist?”

Elliot’s jaw tightened. “If you don’t remember, he basically threw me out of the house.”

“You seriously think that?”

“I know it.”

“He sent you to college. That’s hardly the same thing.”

“Yeah, two-thousand miles away.”

“Because Texas wasn’t good for you. Because he knew if you stayed, you’d never grow to your full potential. You’d never live it down—”

“What? that I’m mom’s bastard?” Elliot’s hands fisted at his side, but he didn’t move.

Colton laughed. “Sure.”

Realizing there was no way out of this conversation but through, Elliot lifted his chin and stepped forward. “You were the closing pitcher of the high school team, just like him. You were the most popular guy in school, just like him. And I was everything that reminded him of their past. Of course he wanted me gone.”

“He didn’t want you gone! He wanted you to see your own damn worth.”

“That’s bullshit.”

Colton laughed, then walked closer. “You see everything in black and white, don’t you, Elli?”

Elliot remained quiet, so Colton continued. “You think it was easy for him to hear all those damn rumors? You think it didn’t affect him?”

“Oh, I know it did. That’s why he was so determined I leave.”

“He was determined you leave so you could start a life of your own. So you could be known for something other than his and mama’s mistakes. Not so you’d never come home. He wanted you out of there because he loved you, not because he didn’t.”

Colton then turned to the living room, where Fe was still sound asleep on the couch. “When are you going to realize that people love you? Always have, and always will.” He came closer then, looking him straight in the eye. Nose to nose, chest to chest. “I want you to imagine your future. Not a year from now, or even two, but someday. You’ll be standing at the end of a long aisle, dressed in your finest suit, waiting. Then that girl out there will walk toward you, looking more beautiful than you’ve ever seen her before wearing a white dress… But she won’t be walking to you. Nah… she’ll be walking to some other chump because you’re too much of a chickenshit to see what’s right front of you.” Colton shoved him away, and walked toward the hall.

“I tried, Colton, I tried, and she told me to go back to Mary.”

Colton paused at the hall before turning toward the bathroom “Because she’s chickenshit too.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

But Colton didn’t answer. He closed the door behind him, leavening Elliot alone I the dark.

He ranked his hands over his hair, letting out a heavy breath, and turned to look back at Fe. She was still fast asleep on the couch, hiccuping.

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