Rematch (The Reed Brothers Book 22)

18. Seth

Ilet myself into Matt and Sky’s apartment and stop short when I realize that there are no children present. No one is upside down on the couch, rolling across the carpet, or putting together a puzzle at the kitchen table.

“Anybody here?” I call.

“In here!” Sky calls back from the breakfast nook.

I walk around the corner and freeze. Matt is on one side of the table, Aunt Sky is next to him, and someone sits with his back to me. I recognize the hair, though. He has the same dark curls as me. We have similar builds, too, although he’s a little less fit, which I’ve heard is common with age.

“Look who’s here,” Sky says with a flourish and a fake smile. I know it’s fake because her real smile is genuine, and it shows all her teeth. This is the smile that she used to use in the legal office. This is the smile she saves for the hateful neighbor who once told her that she didn’t really fit with me and my sisters, right after she adopted the girls and we moved to this building.

“What are you doing here?” I ask him.

My father lifts his hat and runs a hand through his hair. “Is that any way to greet your father?” he asks in rapid-fire Spanish.

“Don’t be rude,” I reply in Spanish. “You know they don’t speak Spanish.”

He chuckles, but it’s a grating sound.

I walk toward Matt and open my arms. He stands up quickly, wraps his arms around me, and thwacks me on the back. That is how you greet a father. I lean over and kiss Sky on the forehead. “Where are the kids?”

“They went over to Paul and Friday’s. Your dad called and wanted to talk with us about something important.”

I nod. “Okay.”

Matt’s eyes catch mine, and his subtly widen. He’s waiting for me to make the first gesture.

“How have you been?” my dad asks.

He’d know the answer to that question if he ever reached out. He doesn’t.

“Fine.”

“It’s been a long time,” he tosses out.

“What’s it been? A year and a half?” I ask.

“No, it hasn’t been that long,” he says in protest. But it has. It really has been that long. It has been longer.

“To what do we owe the honor?” I ask as I sit down in the empty chair at the breakfast nook.

“I just thought it was time to check up on you.” He doesn’t look at me. He looks everywhere but at me. “You haven’t called.”

“Why would I?”

I used to call right after my mom died. I desperately wanted to connect with someone. He either didn’t call back, or he answered, told me I’d see him soon, and then he never showed up.

“I’m your father,” he says.

I snort. “Okay.”

Sky’s hand lands on my knee under the table, and she gives it a quick squeeze. Then she pulls her arm back almost as quickly as it landed there. It’s not an admonishment. It’s more of an I’m-with-you.

“It’s good to hear from you,” Matt says. “What have you been doing with yourself?”

“Just job hunting,” he says. “I lost my job about six months ago.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Sky says.

“The job market’s not great right now.”

“Isn’t it?” Matt replies.

“Terrible prospects.”

“Mm-hmm,” Sky hums.

My dad turns to me. “I was thinking you and I could go and get some dinner.” He gets to his feet.

“You don’t have to,” Sky begins, but Dad cuts her off.

“I wanted to spend some time alone with my son,” Dad says, his voice harsh.

Sky freezes, and Matt bristles.

“We can go in the other room,” Sky says as she gets to her feet.

Dad gets up, too. “So, dinner, Seth?” he asks.

I watch the three of them. I can tell that Matt and Sky aren’t on board.

“Sure,” I say. I get to my feet. “Where do you want to go?”

“That diner on the corner. Didn’t we go there once with your mother? We had pie.”

I nod. “I was seven.”

“It was good pie.”

“They do have good pie,” Sky says. She looks at me. “Do you want to go, Seth? Or do you have schoolwork you need to do?”

It’s just like Sky to try to give me an out.

I shake my head. “No, it’s fine. I have time.” I might as well get it over with. One thing I have learned through the years is that my dad isn’t going to go away until he’s been heard.

“If you’re sure,” Sky says, but she looks at me and back at me like she’s worried.

“Let’s go,” I say.

Dad follows me to the door. He doesn’t even say goodbye to Matt and Sky. He follows me into the hallway.

“How’s school?” he asks as we ride down in the elevator.

“You already asked that.”

“Did you answer?”

“School is fine. My life is fine.”

“What sport are you doing now?” he asks.

He’s my father, and he doesn’t even know that I am wrestling for a well-known school. “Badminton,” I say.

“What?”

I finally have his attention. “I play badminton. It’s kind of like tennis, but bougie, you know?”

“What position do you play?”

I choke back a noise. “Right guard.”

There’s no such thing, but he doesn’t need to know that.

“You get money for that?” he asks.

“Enough.”

“Good, good,” he says as we step out onto the street. We walk in silence to the small diner, and he slides into one side of the booth, and I slide into the other.

The waitress comes, and she says, “Hey, Seth. How are you?”

“Doing well. I hope you are.”

“How are my favorite boys doing?” she asks.

She means the Reed brothers. This part makes me smile. “They’re doing fine. They said to tell you hello.”

“Well, tell them hello right back.” She grins so big that I can see all her fillings. “What can I get for you?”

Dad and I both get a piece of pie.

“So, what have you been up to, aside from job hunting?” I ask.

“I got married,” he admits sheepishly.

“Again?” I reply.

His brow furrows. “The others didn’t work out. You’ll like this one. She’d like to meet you. She thinks you could use some mothering.” He chuckles.

But his comment is like a knife to the guts. “I could have used some mothering years ago. And some fathering, too, but I think I’m good now, thanks.”

His spine straightens. “I’ll set it up so you can meet her.”

“No, thank you.” I shovel my pie in. I know it’s good pie, but it tastes like sawdust right now.

“Don’t be like that,” he chides.

I set my fork down. “How do you expect me to be?”

He blows out a breath. “I don’t know. I feel like I barely know you.”

“Whose fault is that?”

“Would you cut it out?” He looks annoyed. “Your sister would like to meet you,” he suddenly blurts out.

“My what?” I shove the empty plate back from in front of me.

“You have a sister. She’s three.”

If she’s three, there’s no way she could have asked to meet me. “And you’re just now telling me.”

“My life with her mother has been rocky,” he admits. “I don’t get to see her as much as I’d like.”

“This is the stepmother you were telling me about?”

“No, different woman. It didn’t work out with her mother, and then I met your stepmother.”

“Oh, what a tangled web we weave,” I croon. I laugh out loud. I can’t help it. “So you have another kid you’re not taking care of. That’s rich.” I sound bitter and hateful and rude, and I don’t care.

“Your mother wouldn’t let me be a part of your life,” he tries.

“That’s a lie. My mother invited you to every sporting event, every award day at school, and every father-son lunch. You never showed up.”

“Your mom didn’t make it easy.”

“It wasn’t her job to make it easy. It was your job to do what needed to be done.” I point my finger at him. “I honestly can’t help but think that my little sister is better off without you in her life. You’re one disappointment after another.”

His face starts to turn red. “That’s not fair,” he sputters.

“No, it wasn’t fair. It was awful.” I stare at him. “Do you have any idea what it’s like not having a father who gives a damn?” I don’t wait for him to reply because I know it won’t be acceptable. “I am thankful that my grandfather was a part of my life because he hooked me up with Aunt Sky and Matt, and they became the parents I didn’t have.” I stop, and I draw in a breath. “Why don’t you tell me what you want? You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want something. So, what is it? The last time you were here, you wanted money. Is that it? Do you need money? I know that Matt and Sky gave you some cash last time, even though I begged them not to.”

“They’re not doing that anymore.”

“I’m so glad.”

He reaches into the inner pocket of his jacket. “I had an opportunity,” he says. “I started a non-profit.”

“A what?” I don’t open the packet, but he lays it on the table in front of me.

“A non-profit. It’s kind of hard to explain.”

“Try.”

He shakes his head. “It’s all legal.”

“Mm-hmm.” Finally, I reach for the packet. I open it, and I immediately see that it’s a scam. It’s some paperwork he downloaded off the internet. “Bullshit,” I say as I fold it back up and lay it back on the table.

“Your mom left that trust,” he rushes to say.

My mom left money in a trust. A percentage of it earns interest, which is donated to non-profits every year. My grandfather manages the trust. He lets me help choose the groups that receive the money. “What about it?”

“Now that I have a non-profit, I thought you might be able to funnel some of that money my way. To keep it afloat.”

“No.”

“Seth,” he starts. He bites his lips together. “You have access to all that money.”

“And that’s all you want from me.” I toss my napkin on the table. “I’m done here.”

“Don’t be so stingy, Seth,” he warns. His face is beet-red now. “Think of your sister. She needs this.”

“You and I both know she’d never see a dime of that money,” I growl.

The waitress comes over with the bill and leaves it on the edge of the table. Dad doesn’t reach for it. I take it and reach into my pocket. “I forgot my wallet. Do you have enough to cover it?” Dad asks quietly.

“I got it,” I say. “Don’t worry about it.” I leave the amount of the bill and a generous tip on the table. “Don’t call me again,” I warn.

“You don’t want to meet your sister?”

“If her mother is smart, she’ll keep my sister far away from you.”

I walk out of the diner, and I run straight into Matt and Sky, who are standing outside.

Sky holds up her hands like she’s surrendering to the cops. “We just wanted to check on you,” she explains.

I stop and stare up at the sky, which I can’t see for all the street lights, but I stare up at it anyway. I turn and look into the café, and I see my dad get up from the table. He reaches for the money I left on the table, pockets it, and walks out the side door, where he assumes no one will see him.

I run toward that side of the building and stop him as he walks away. “Go put it back!” I shout.

He looks from me to Matt and Sky and back. “Put what back?” But he looks guilty as fuck.

I point toward the door. “Go put the money back. I saw you take it. Go put it back.”

“It’s just a few dollars, Seth. She won’t even miss it.”

“Go put it back!” I say, and I shove him toward the door. Instead of doing the right thing, he gets mad and takes a swing at me instead. It surprises me so much that I don’t even try to block him. He’s never been aggressive with me. He’s just never done anything with me, so a punch in the eye is the last thing I expect.

Before I can move, Matt grabs him, shoves him roughly up against the building, and holds him there by the back of his neck. Sky reaches into his pocket and gets the cash. “I’ll take it inside. Don’t hurt him, Matt,” she warns.

“I’ll sue you and take everything you have,” Dad snarls.

“I’ll take that risk,” Matt replies, and he knocks Dad’s head into the window a little harder. The waitress inside calls 9-1-1.

“You’re going to want to ice that,” Matt says, eyeing my face.

“I’ve gotten worse in practice,” I remind him.

I’ve never seen him so angry before. But despite that, he says calmly, “It’s a different kind of hurt when the punch comes from someone who is supposed to love and protect you, Seth.” He says it quietly, but he may as well have shouted it.

Dad grumbles, and then we hear sirens. The police officers are already here. The waitress shows them the security footage, and they put my dad in handcuffs.

While we wait, I tell Matt and Sky about what happened with my dad and what he told me in the restaurant.

“I’ll get Paul’s private investigator to look into your sister, Seth,” Matt says. “We can at least be sure she’s okay.”

I nod. “Okay.”

“I’m sorry, Seth. I’m sorry it turned out like this,” Sky says slowly and carefully. “When he showed up, I had a feeling. A father who can do that…” She lets her voice trail off.

I sort. “He’s not a father. He’s never been a father. I wouldn’t even know what it feels like to have one if not for Matt.”

Matt freezes. His eyes go wide. “What?”

“I know you never signed up to be my dad, but you’re the closest thing I’ve ever had. And whether you want me or not, I consider you to be the closest thing to a father I’ll ever get. I hope you’re okay with getting the job because I’m not ever going to be willing to let you go.” I point a finger toward the retreating car that’s taking my real father away. “That person is not and never has been my father. But you, Matt… You are.”

Matt blinks, and then a tear rolls down his cheek. I sniffle because I feel like a sob is brewing, and I refuse to let it loose.

“I never knew you felt like that,” Matt admits. “But it’s good because I’ve felt like a father to you for years, and I’d be honored to be yours. I didn’t want to overstep, Seth. We should have discussed this a long time ago.”

“I”ve known for a long time, Matt,” I admit with a smile. He wipes his cheek and lets out a watery chuckle. “When I get to marry Gabby, I hope you’ll agree to not only stand up as my best man but as my father, too. I hope you’ll stand next to me and support me for the rest of my life.”

“You got it, kid,” Matt says, his voice rough. “You’ll never be able to get rid of me.” He opens his arms, and he pulls me against him, squeezing tightly. “I love you, Seth,” he says.

“I love you, too.”

Sky wraps her arms around both of us. “I love you both,” she says, her voice wet and nasally from tears.

“And you,” I say, pointing my finger at her. “You have no idea what you mean to me.”

“Ditto,” she says. She looks up. “This ended better than I thought it would. Even if it was painful.” She reaches to touch my face, but I jerk back.

“It’s not that painful,” I tell her. I’m referring to the eye because what happened tonight hurts like a motherfucker. “Nothing I can’t get over.”

“Are you going to be okay?” Matt asks. “Do you want to come home with us? You always have a place there, you know.”

I nod. I do know. “I’m going to go and find Gabby,” I say with a nod.

Sky rubs my shoulder and smiles. “That’s a wonderful idea.”

“I’m sorry he came to see you and caused all this trouble.”

“Seth,” Matt warns. “Stop it.”

“Okay,” I say with a watery chuckle.

I hug them both and leave them smiling on the sidewalk, watching as I run for the next bus to go back to campus. Gabby is the only one I want to see right now. I just hope she wants to see me half as bad.