Page 6 of Eligible Best Friend

Lia grins. “Playing her. I like it. See you on Wednesday.”

“See you.” She goes to her car and I go to mine.

The car seat in the back cements my resolve. I call Cass.

“Yeah?” She always sounds irritated when she answers.

“Hey. I have the weekend off. Do you mind if Jayden hangs with me? We can do an overnight.”

“The whole weekend? Ford, he hasn’t been away from home for more than a night.”

Which means his other grandparents have had him spend the night. I tamp down the irritation. Letting it out will only make things go in reverse with Cass. “How about just a night?”

“We’re going out of town this weekend. Dad’s taking us to the Mall of America.”

My heart sinks. I can’t compete with the Mall of America. “Are you sure you don’t want to let him stay here so you can have some adult time?”

“That’s just the thing, Ford. I can have adult time and keep it away from Jayden. I can’t have him seeing the tramps you trot in and out of your place.”

I grind my teeth together. My personal life is none of her business, but she uses it against me whenever possible. I have no rebuttal. Guilty as charged. Going home with a new girl every night off is a lot better than looking at my four walls, wishing I could get to know my son.

“What can I do, Cass? How can I prove that I’m a decent father so you’ll trust me with him?”

“Um, maybe start with going on more than one date with someone? The fact that you have to ask is an issue. Christ, Ford. Our son needs a father who can commit to something. Prove you can be a good role model for your son.”

She hangs up.

“Fuck.” I fist my hands and spin around before I do something stupid like hit the frame of my car. I gotta keep my job and breaking my hand would make it hard to do that.

It’s not like I dropped out of high school and fucked off with my life. I finished medical school but left medicine before I started my prestigious residency. Mom needed me more.

I might not be a doctor, but I’m out there busting ass every shift to help people. I am a good role model. But maybe I have too much of my own dad in me to be a good father.

Three

Ford

“I need you to come to Karoline’s wedding with me next weekend.”

The sounds of silverware tinkling against plates fade as Mom drops that little bomb on me. Going to my stepsister’s wedding is akin to shaving my entire body with a dull razor and then dousing myself in cheap aftershave. “Do we have to go at all?”

“They’re making an effort.”

I can’t believe Karoline invited us in the first place. It’s probably her brother Ryan’s doing. The peacekeeper. He acts all altruistic as if it’s so easy to forget how they treated me and Mom.

I get that they were just kids and didn’t see their dad’s pattern of treating women like they were interchangeable. Karoline and Ryan were too busy hating on me, their new stepbrother, to pay attention to how abysmally their dad treated me. When he started traveling for “work” and messing around on Mom, she let him. Life was more peaceful when he was gone.

Before Karoline and Ryan’s dad, my dad ran out on her when she was pregnant with me. He left her barely out of school with a baby to raise and parents with no interest in supporting her. To this day, I assume she figured staying married to my cheating asshole of a stepfather was better for all of us. Karoline and Ryan wouldn’t have to demean another stepmom, and at least this guy would bring home a paycheck.

She paid for that decision. Literally and figuratively. With my help, she’s almost paid it all off.

“Do you think you’ll bring a date?” Mom asks, hopefulness lacing her tone.

Back to the wedding, I don’t want to go. I haven’t wanted to go to anything less.

Karoline and her soon-to-be husband, Sergei. Ryan and his wife and kid. Happy. Untouched by their father’s bad decisions, while I gave up my career and then my chance at a happy family because of the guy.

No. I can’t think of it like that, or the resentment will take over. I did it for Mom. I gave up my dreams of being a doctor for Mom. She needed my help and she had no one—again. Cass gave up on me, on us, and I can’t control her decisions.

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