Page 91 of Can't Take My Eyes Off You

‘Ugh,’ Berkley groans. ‘You know what money can’t buy?Manners.’

Everyone’s heads snap in her direction. I can’t help but smile. She would stand up for me to the scariest person on earth. If there’s one thing no one does, it’s backtalk my father.

‘She’s right, ya know. I’m not exactly the favorite son. For that reason alone, even if I had money, you wouldn’t get a dime,’ I say, my eyes on his.

Dad glares.

‘All you’ve done my entire life is try to ruin me. Now the tables are turned. I’m not helping you, but Berkley offered because she has more of a heart than I do.’

‘God damn it, William!’ Dad barks, standing from his stool and pacing the room. ‘You’d do this? Abandon your own family in a time of need?’

I snort then continue to laugh, looking at Berkley, sincerely shocked to hear these words come from this man. Slowly – and honestly terrified – I walk towards him, stopping so we can talk face to face.

‘I almost died after a car accident in college and not once did you come to visit me in the hospital. Instead, once I’d recovered enough to not need life support, your lawyer called me to remind me that my drunken stunts were an embarrassment to the family and I’d be paying the hospital bill myself. You tried topaymy girlfriend to leave me. You talked me into contract after contract, with either bribes or threats, the entire time telling me that Berkley would forgive me, as “she always does for some reason” –your words. You pushed and pushed me onto a woman I had no interest in, who wanted exactly what youdon’twant Berkley to have. My entire life, you’ve threatened my trust fund, cars, parties, vacations, my future, if I didn’t behave exactly as you wanted. You even threatened to fire Sylvia once when I mistakenly called her “Mom”. I wassix.’

‘Thatwas your mother’s doing,’ he snaps, calling out my mom like he’s not the one who made the threat. What a fucking coward.

‘This is where I get the blaming others from. By watching you blame someone else for everything and never taking responsibility for yourself.’

‘Not true,’ he argues.

‘You know, I’ve never lived a life where I thought I could relax – without booze – because God-fucking-forbid I do or say the wrong thing and disappoint you. What would you do to make me pay? Nothing I’ve done is ever enough for you, while Mikey over here is the fucking golden boy.’

‘William,’ Melinda scolds. ‘That is not true.’

‘Isn’t it?’ I ask. ‘I graduated from both high school and college with honors. I’ve built up my own bank accounts. I know what I’m doing enough to make the last chaotic few years work for me and, luckily, I found a woman with a heart bigger than I’d ever known who never gave up on me. She made sure I knew right from wrong, and the only times I’ve ever struggled with that was when you people were involved. Maybe I screwed up with her for a while, but she’s always been the angel on my shoulder. While you idiots have forever been the demons. Now you want to guilt me into helping because we’refamily?’

Dad listens to my words silently, the two of us now in a stare-down that, I’m not gonna lie, kind of scares me. The true ‘king’ Adler – the one Mike’s always worshiped – has been stripped of his power, and the spare son is finally standing his ground. This took way too long.

‘Um…’ Berkley says behind me.

I laugh. Of course, her word brings me peace as she takes the chance and interrupts, stepping up to my side, gripping my hand tightly. She’s afraid of nothing. With this woman by my side, I will never have to fight a battle alone.

‘Obviously, we’re not working out all your relationship kinks in a day. If you don’t want to stay here, surely you guys have friends who can help?’ Berkley asks.

Silence.

‘Extended family?’

Nothing.

‘People, who owe you?’

Crickets.

‘Someonein the city you haven’t blackmailed or fucked over?’

A needle could crash to the floor and sound like a rockslide in this silence.

‘Jesus, Adlers. This may be a wake-up call that you’re not the stand-up folks you think you are. ’Cause if I’m your only hope, a woman you’ve tormented for a decade, you’re on thin ice of ever pulling out of this.’

‘Did you checkallthe credit cards?’ Mom yells at Dad, ignoring Berkley completely.

‘He’ll help us,’ Dad says, his eyes still locked with mine.

‘He won’t. Berkley might still be up for it, although I’d rather she didn’t,’ I say, shaking my head, my face casual, like none of this bothers me. Truthfully, if I still drank, I’d need one after this.

‘Fix this,’ Mom snaps, grabbing Dad’s arm, clearly pissed as she motions between him and me. ‘He’s your son. Nearly twenty-six years old and already more of a respectable man than you’ve ever been.’

---