Page 43 of Refusing Kendall

It’s not the oddest thing to happen in the past couple weeks, so we both just blow it off. There’s not much on the menu downstairs, but it’s enough to calm my hangry edge. I’m toting a travel cup of coffee back up with us for Goose in case he’s feeling up to it.

Just as we make it back to his door, Teagan slams a forearm against my chest, bringing us to an abrupt halt and almost making me spill the coffee down the front of my shirt. With our backs against the wall, it’s easy to hear the voices floating out of Goose’s room. One his and the other a stranger’s.

“I knew I wasn’t going crazy,” T whispers.

“Who is it?” I ask, almost afraid of the answer.

When he finally gives it to me, all I can do is shut my eyes and hope for the best, “His dad.”

I know it’s wrong, but I have to know what we’re up against. Grabbing him by his shirt tail, I scoot him away from the door so I can take his place. Goose’s murmur is so quiet that I can’t make out what he’s saying.

“Yep,” the strangers voice, however, travels right out to us, “you’ve done gone and screwed shit up good this time.”

Goose says something back, but his dad cuts him off, “I don’t care what you have to say, boy. There won’t be any more football for you. So, I’d suggest you find something else to do with your life, since that’s not going to be working out for you.”

There’s a few seconds of silence before he continues, “I would recommend doing it sooner rather than later. I’ve sold the house. Seemed pointless keeping it when no one is living there.”

This time Goose’s voice is louder, “That doesn’t mean I wasn’t ever going to go back. Where’s all of the stuff that was in there?”

“All of your crap is in a storage unit, waiting on you to go home and claim it. I sold and donated the rest of it,” he says casually, like he’s not kicking his son while he’s down.

With Teagan crowded against my back, there’s no way that he didn’t hear that. When I glance over my shoulder, his face is stone cold. Yeah, he definitely heard it.

“What did you do with all of mom’s stuff?” Goose asks, an angry edge taking over his voice.

“I just told you what I did with all of that shit, boy,” he tells him. “You need to accept that she’s never coming back.”

I’m angry on his behalf, but it wouldn’t be right if I stepped in for him. Goose’s tone has turned so low that I have to strain to try to hear what he says. Whatever it is, lights a fire under his dad’s ass. There’s a loud clatter of something crashing against a wall.

Teagan pulls me back behind him just as his dad roars, “IT’S YOUR FAULT SHE LEFT ANYWAYS, YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE BASTARD! Don’t come crawling back to me for anything. I’ve done my part, and now it’s time for you to grow up and be the man that I tried to raise you to be.”

The man walks out of Goose’s room, and I quickly grab Teagan’s fist before he can raise it to smash against the guy’s face. He sneers at the two of us, and I almost let Teagan pound his head into the ground. The decision is ripped from me as he stalks away from us. There’s another crash from inside the room. T tries to hold me back, but there’s no way in hell I’m going to let Goose suffer alone.

It looks like a war zone when I step inside; shit is thrown all over the room. My chair from earlier is leaning at an awkward angle against the wall. The table previously beside Goose that held some of his stuff is now on it’s side with everything littered around the small space. I ignore all of it and go straight to him. As I grab his hand, his eyes slam shut, I’m sure to hide the tears he doesn’t want anyone to see.

That’s as close as he lets me get. I try to lean in to kiss him and tell him that it’ll be ok, he pulls his hand away from me, “You should go home and get some rest, babe.”

His words sting a little, but I know he’s in pain. I try not to let it get to me as I stand the table back right side up and start collecting his things off the floor.

“I said leave, Kendall,” he snaps at me.

Never once has Goose used a tone like that with me, and I freeze. He still refuses to look at me, and Teagan grabs my elbow, tugging me back out of the room.

“Wait,” I tell him. I walk just inside the threshold. He’s still staring at some nothingness out the window. That’s ok, because what I need to tell him doesn’t require a response, “I love you, Grant.”

I don’t bother waiting for him to not answer. That kind of rejection wouldn’t settle well with me right now. We’ve only made it halfway down the hall before we see Lucas and Maverick.

Maverick has a bag thrown over his shoulder, “Did I see who I think I did downstairs?”

Teagan nods from beside me, and I find a spot over to the right to look at. I’m scared that if I look any of them in the face, I might let the hurt I’m feeling show.

“Yeah,” he tells them. “He was an asshole, like always. It was nasty. I was just going to run Kendall home real quick.”

Lucas and Maverick both shift like they understand what he’s saying without him actually having to say it.

Lucas steps into my space, but thankfully doesn’t make me look at him, “I’ll take her. You guys stay here with Goose.”

There are nods, an exchange of keys, and a couple halfhearted farewells before Lucas and I are on our way to the house. He doesn’t try to talk to me. Even as we get there, and I tell him that I’m going to take a shower.

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