Page 94 of Breaking Point

“I can’t believe it’s been a week,” she says from the kitchen, retrieving her shirt from the floor and pulling it back on. She’s avoiding me now, and I watch as she gathers our clothes and starts braiding her hair out of her face.

I watch Olivia Hughes like it’s the last time I’ll ever see her like this. Glowing and carefree and throwing my jeans at me with a teasing smile.

“You’re gonna sink into the couch if you don’t get up now,” she teases. I smile, knowing I’m long past sinking. Long past falling. But that’s the thing about it:

One moment, I had her.

The next, she was never even mine.

Chapter Forty-Two

Crew

My eyes open before the sun is up. If I move, Liv might wake up and realize that even though we fell asleep on opposite sides of the bed last night, we’ve found our way to the middle. Our limbs are tangled together, one of her hands following the rise and fall of my chest. I kiss her brow, and she stirs slightly.

I gently disentangle myself, heading downstairs. Cool gray light filters in from beneath the blinds, and I find myself wandering outside to see if my parents are up yet. I’m unsurprised when I find Dad on the patio overlooking the garden and the mountains in the distance.

He nods when he sees me, and I motion towards the chair beside him, taking it carefully. He sips his coffee, the steam wafting into the cool morning air as he gazes out toward the horizon. While I see the leftover ash from a cigar in a nearby ash tray, I know better than to comment on his smoking habit.

I remember one of the rare mornings we did this when I was younger.Jimmy and I were always bickering- or at the very least debating- but I woke up early one morning and joined him on the patio. We didn’t say much. Just stared out at the trees much like we do now.

The trees are taller now. Older. And I can feel that even I’ve grown all the wiser.

“You leave today,” he says, clearing his throat and drawing me back to the present.

“It’s been a busy week,” I reply, looking out at the finished credenza with a smile.

It’s a good build. Everything I know about building came from him.

“Your mom finally got her credenza.”

I smile, knowing she’ll beam when she sees it. “I’ll let you take the credit this time, old man.”

“You’ve always been a shit,” he chuckles, and I can’t count the times he’s said that to me and we’ve laughed. It’s never been easy between us, but we’ve had our moments.

Even now, I know in my chest that if his fall had been any worse…

I’m not too proud to admit that I love him.

“I don’t want to leave things unsaid,” I start.

“I may be old, but I’m not yet dying,” he starts, brushing the conversation off, but I shake my head.

“I’m sorry, Dad. When I left, I-“ My chest aches as I say the words. Like opening an old wound, it feels like a gaping, hollow sore. “I said some cruel things.”

A heavy sigh drags out of him. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“I do,” My voice is hoarse. “I was too proud to say it while I was gone. I was a shit, and I lied about things. I asked Mom to hide-“

“You were right,” he says, catching me by surprise. His chin wobbles. “May have been cruel but you’re right. I wanted you to stay. Didn’t want to see you make the same mistakes I did. The military- I never wanted that for you. But I was wrong to force that on you.”

“Dad…”

“I’msorry. Your mother’s been telling me about your life for years. Telling me about bartending, working for Skar, your new business. All of it. I wasn’t man enough to just apologize and ask you about it myself.”

He laughs as if suddenly taken aback by a memory:

“Tess is short on patience, you know that. But I like to think it’s because she spends it on me. That woman… has been patient as hell, waiting for me to find a way to say I’m sorry. You’ve been back for a week, and she’s about close to wringing my neck.”

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