Page 15 of Regaining Integrity

God, I hope I don’t run into her.

That breakup was messy. Not on my part, but hers. She just wouldn’t let go.

Is this what every chick who has pursued me felt like?

An uncomfortable shiver crawls up my spine and sizzles around the base of my skull. I feel dirty, but not in the way anyone would think. I feel dirty about my past for the first time in my life. I never really put any thought into it until now.

She’s made me see—facemy past mistakes in a short time.

Fuck, maybe she was right.

I don’t feel any better with that revelation. Shaking my head, I don’t want to think about anything for a while. Turning up the radio, I nearly swerve off the motherfucking road when Jerrod Niemann sings through the crackling radio about treating lovers no good.

“Fuck this shit.” Turning it off, I drive the rest of the way in silence and do my best to keep my mind that way as well.

I’m in no better of a mood when I pull into the junior high’s parking lot. I’m late. Ridge is one of the last kids diligently waiting out front. There’s a single teacher outside—a male one—waiting with my nephew. I dart around in the hopes of seeing Angie, eager to talk to her again, but there’s no sign of her anywhere.

“Fuck.” I wanted to prove her wrong.

The teacher walks up to my truck with Ridge and helps him in even though he’s perfectly capable of doing it himself. My truck may be jacked up slightly, but it isn’t like I’m picking up a kindergartener.

“Mr. Thorne, it’s good to see you made it home safely.”

How does he—

My eyes widen when recognition slams into me at the sight of my former high school history teacher. I made the man’s life a living hell inside the classroom as well as out. I spent more time after school with him cleaning shit than I did with any other teacher. That tends to happen when you’re constantly pulling pranks.

“Thank you, sir.” My easy smile makes the old man cringe. I don’t think he ever got married because of the hell I put him through. “It’s great to be home. I hope Ridge is doing well in history?”

“Much better than his uncle ever did.” He pins me with a look that once meant I was in trouble. Yeah, it still has the same effect, seeing as I lock up at the sight of it. “Believe me when I say, I’m glad for that as well. I don’t think this school district could handle another Chase Thorne.” Tapping on the door of my truck, I know he’s nervous around me. I may be a grown man, but I scarred the guy for life.

“We better be off; Patience is waiting at her café with some after-school treats for Ridge.” He blanches at the mention of the little snowflake. She was just as damaging to the teachers as I was.

“You be sure to tell Ms. LaClare I say hello,” he remarks.

“Mrs. Michaels now. She married Duke Michaels.” There’s a sick satisfaction seeing him go pale.

Then he shakes his head and offers me a pinched smile. “Have a good evening.”

“You too.”

Ridge’s frown is pointed in my direction the second the door has closed and I’m pulling away. “I’m not little.”

“Compared to me, you are,” I point out even though I know what he’s getting at.

He scoffs, rolling those eyes that he got from me, and turns to look out the window. “Whatever.”

“Ut oh, are the mood swings starting already?” I mock gasp. “Maybe we should just skip going to see Patience and go hom—”

“No!” He panics. “No, I haven’t gotten a treat from her in a while.”

“But you don’t need treats anymore,” I tease. “You’re a big boy, right?”

“Tell that to Dad.” He huffs.

“Your dad isn’t the greatest example of an adult. He’s still a child.”

“He says the same about you,” Ridge fires back.

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