Page 92 of Can't Take My Eyes Off You

Whoa, so things aren’t bliss like they pretend they are. I can’t say I’m surprised by that.

‘Ishe my son, Mel? We don’t really know the answer to that, do we?’ Dad snaps back, my, Berkley and Mike’s heads all whipping their direction.

Wait.

A.

Second.

Did he just say—

‘What?’ The three of us say the word in unison, glancing between one another.

Berkley’s gaze is complete worry, Mike’s is shock and I feel like I just had the wind knocked out of me. How has this never come up?

‘Ishe my son?’ I repeat his words, fidgeting with the clasp on the watch I’ve worn daily since he gifted it to me the day I graduated high school. It’s my tell. When I’m worried, I click the clasp on it nervously.

Mom looks at Dad like she’s a deer caught in the headlights with nowhere to run. She stands from her chair slowly, causing both me and Berkley to back away from them.

‘Jacob Francis Adler,’ Mom scolds. ‘Howdareyou say that out loud. We had a deal.’

‘Deal’s off,’ Dad says. ‘It’s time he knew the truth about what you did.’

The more they speak, the more I feel like a thick fog of lies has settled over me, and I’m rethinking my entire life like I’m near death. Suddenly the watch I’m fidgeting with catches my attention. Dad made a speech at dinner after I graduated college when he gave me this watch. ‘I’m proud of you, son.’ That was all he said. Mike got a fucking slideshow of memories, literal fireworks over the lake at dusk, and the same watch. I got five words and a thirty-thousand-dollar Rolex I’ve let become so important to me that I never take it off. It represented theonething I wanted from this man and now I know it’s a lie. I yank it off and toss it onto the coffee table in front of Mike.

‘Dude,’ Mike says, grabbing it. ‘This is aRolex, man. Don’t throw it down on the table, dumbass. You’ll scratch it.’

‘Why would it matter? It’s nothing but a lie anyway.’

‘Son, that watch wasn’t cheap.’

‘Don’t you dare “son” me, you liar. You three are more concerned over a damn watch then me when my entire existence is suddenly in question.’

I need to get out of here for a minute. I storm out the front door, through Berkley’s office and out the side door to the sidewalk. I could really use a cigarette right now and I’ve never smoked. Maybe a triple shot of Jack Daniel’s. Ugh. I lean against the brick wall, sliding down to the sidewalk, closing my eyes and feeling the memory of Jack settling this without even taking a sip.

‘Will?’ Her voice is small and scared. I am an idiot. I scared her. ‘Are you OK?’

I nod. It’s partially a lie but I don’t want her to worry. I extend a hand to her, helping her down to me, where she sits against the wall at my side.

‘Have you ever had the absolute worst and the outright best day of your life all in the same twenty-four-hour period? ’Cause that’s how I feel right now.’

‘Yes,’ she says with a chuckle. ‘Twenty-four hours ago.’

‘Also my fault,’ I say, leaning into her. ‘Never in a million years did I expect a bomb of bullshit to implode in every area of my life by coming back. I just wanted to come home and win over the woman of my dreams and now everything is a mess and if you weren’t in the picture I’d be headed to the bar right now.’

She tucks her hand into the crook of my arm. ‘They don’t have to stay here. I didn’t realize how miserable they’re still making you.’

‘I’mnothis kid, Berx – it’s all making sense now. He’s fought me his whole life because I’m not his. Part of me is like,yes!Then another part is like,fuck!Who am I, then?’

‘I’m sorry,’ she says, sliding her hand down my arm to my hand. ‘What do you want to do?’

‘I don’t kn—’

The back door slams open, nearly crushing Berkley as I pull her to me. Mike walks out, his fingers pinched together in front of him.

‘What doyouwant?’ I ask angrily.

‘You got a zip-lock bag or something?’

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