Page 1 of Alfie: Part Two

ALFIE

PART II OF II

WHERE WE LEFT OFF

…IN PART I

Alfie Scott

Operation Win West Back.

What a joke. I was such a loser.

And now… Now, I had to close myself off again. If I was going to survive, I had to die emotionally.

“You should probably go,” I croaked. “You don’t want me with the Sons, and you won’t let me leave. What the fuck can I do? What the fuck can I do, West?”

He dropped his napkin into the takeout container and rose to his feet. Then he walked over to me, and I saw the way his eyes glistened with unshed tears.

West wasn’t a particularly emotional person, at least when it came to crying, so whenever that happened, it hurt me too.

“I once played a part in making you feel forced to become someone else,” he said quietly. “I won’t do that again. I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

I screwed my eyes shut, and he pressed a kiss to my temple before I heard him walking back inside the bedroom.

I’m sorry, sweetheart.

I’d waited all fucking night for him to surrender to the point where he let his old terms of endearment for me slip out. Babyand sweetheart were the grand prizes, followed by “my little hellion” and “sweet boy,” though the latter two were reserved for bedroom activities. And I got it. I got one of them as a parting gift.

I’m sorry, sweetheart.

CHAPTER 13

Alfie Scott

The following morning, I welcomed the numbness that’d set in after I’d bawled my eyes out half the night.

I got ready and drove over to my folks’ to pick up the kids, and I just hoped the empty feeling inside me lasted. Because dropping Trip and Ellie off at West’s was next. It was his week.

The kids were in a great mood and rambled about what they’d done with Nonna and Pop-Pop. I nodded and commented in all the right places. Mom, however, with curlers in her hair, eyed me in the way that let me know she was aware something was wrong. But she was still giving me grief, so I didn’t expect her to dig for answers anytime soon.

“Okay, kiddos, let’s get your butts out to Daddy’s,” I said. “I assume there’s a pool you wanna jump in.” I handed the car key over to Trip. Old Mr. Thomas was sitting outside reading his paper on the stoop, and he loved the kids. When his grandkids were here, they played with Trip and Ellie.

“Is Mr. Thomas outside?” Trip asked.

“You know it. I’ll be right behind you.”

“Okay.” Trip rushed out the door with his backpack after giving Mom a hug. “Bye, Nonna!”

“Ciao,topolino—see you soon! My beautiful Ellie, I’ll miss you.” Mom sent Ellie off with a hug too. “Be good,nena. Don’t forget your prayers!”

“Yeah, okay!” Ellie gigglesnorted and was already halfway down the stairs, and I reminded her to stay close to her brother.

“Not so fast, Alfredo.”

“Blergh.” I made a face. “I hate it when you call me that.” The only thing worse was, of course, when she’d full-named me as a kid. When she’d hollered, “Alfredo Alejandro O’Dwyer, you get back here right now!” my ass was cooked.

“Shut up. You have a beautiful name, after my grandfathers—God rest their souls,” she replied, doing the Sign of the Cross. “What’s wrong with you? Your face—it’s all…” She gestured at my face and said something, mixing Spanish with Italian.Cazzothis,revolúthat.

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