When Forever Stays (The Forever Duet)

Twenty One

TWENTY ONE

RHETT

Crew, West, and I arrived at the pool hall a few minutes ago. West is looking for an open pool table while Crew and I order wings and three root beers.

We find a booth and West sits with us after reserving a pool table. Crew and West talk back and forth with no lull in their conversation. It’s nothing I have any input in, so I stay quiet. Once the waitress brings us our order and West prays over our meal, their attention turns to me.

“So what are your intentions with Dana?” West asks just as I take my first sip of root beer. I cough and clear my airway, but it burns going down.

Both men are staring at me expectantly. “I want to marry her.”

Crew raises a brow, and West grabs his root beer and takes a swig. He sets it down a little too hard, and the carbonation bubbles up and almost over the bottle.

“Is that how you felt before you ghosted her?” Crew asks.

I scratch the back of my neck and study my untouched plate. To give myself a moment to find a way to answer, I grab a wing from the bucket and dig in. After a few bites, I realize I need to finally answer.

“What I had with her even back then was amazing. But can I confidently say yes, I was in love with her? No. I can’t.” I take another bite.

“But you can say that now? That you’re in love with her? That you choose her?” West asks, accusation lacing his tone.

“Yeah, absolutely,” I answer around a bite of wing, not wanting to wait a second longer. I don’t want to plant a single doubt in either of these men’s minds.

West and Crew look at each other as if they’re trying to gauge the honesty of my response.

My phone rings. I wipe my hands on the napkin and dig it out of my pocket. Ashley’s number flashes on the screen. Something in my gut tells me to answer.

A feeling of foreboding comes over me. “Hello?”

“Hey, is this a bad time?” she asks.

I motion with my head to West and Crew, indicating that I’m going to step outside, and both men nod in acknowledgement.

“Yeah, give me a second. Is everything okay?” I walk toward the exit. “Is Oscar okay?”

“I don’t mean to worry you; I just needed to talk.”

“Okay?” It’s more of a question than encouragement to continue.

“He’s as okay as can be expected, but he’s furious with me,” she says, and I can feel her pain through the phone. “It feels like no matter what I do, it’s the wrong thing.”

I make it outside and walk a few feet away from the door for privacy.

This doesn’t sound like her. “Did something happen?”

She scoffs. “Not really. He’s just become even moodier over the last couple of weeks. Has he reached out to you?”

“No. Did you expect him to?”

She sighs before answering. “Not really, it was just hopeful thinking.” She pauses, and I start to respond when she continues. “Look, I know you have your own life on the island now. But I really wish things could be different. I regret?—”

I know the line of thinking she’s heading down, so I cut her off. “No, you did the right thing. It would have forced him into the spotlight against his will and potentially ruined both of your lives. I was far from father material back then.”

“Things could be so different if you would have known. You’d have a relationship with your son. He’d have a dad to talk to when he gets mad at me.” I can hear the strain in her voice.

“That part is on me. It was wrong of me to ignore your calls. I don’t blame you for giving up.”

She sighs.

“Besides, there’s no guarantee the relationship I’d have with him would be a good one. But I hope we can eventually build a good one.” I run my free hand down my scruff. I’m a different person now; surely, he will realize that at some point. “He hasn’t said anything about wanting to see me again, has he?”

“Not exactly. He did say you left something for him.” She laughs. “He had no idea what a jump drive was, so once I explained how it worked, I grabbed him my old computer and he told me he would listen to it.”

My chest tightens. “Did he?” I glance across the parking lot, looking at the sunset in an attempt to ground myself and calm my racing pulse.

“I don’t know. But what was it?”

Pushing off the wall, I pace back and forth, trying to decide if I should tell her or not. It was something I wrote and recorded just for him. Will it take anything away from it if she knows? Probably not.

“If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to,” she says after a long pause.

“I’d just like for it to be something between him and me for right now.”

“I understand,” she says. There’s another long pause before she adds, “I’m worried about him.”

“Me too, but it will be okay. I can come back for a while if you think it would help?” The mere thought makes my chest squeeze.

She’s quick to answer. “No. I mean, no offense, but he’s struggling to accept you as his dad. I think distance will help.”

That heavy feeling spreads to my gut. The time I spent with them feels pointless when at the end of it, it was clear he wanted nothing to do with me. And apparently still doesn’t.

“Oh,” is all I say.

She releases an exasperated sigh. “I’m sorry. This is all messed up. I shouldn’t have bothered you.”

“Stop,” I say. “I want to know these things. I want to help in any way I can. I missed the first fifteen years of his life. If I can help with the next fifteen, I want to. He doesn’t want anything to do with me, but I still want to know what’s going on with my kid. So if there’s problems, please tell me. I’ll be there as soon as I can if you need me.”

“Thanks, Rhett, we’re fine right now. I just needed someone to talk to. Thanks for being there.”

“Of course.”

I hang up, and when I turn around, I find Crew right behind me, his arms crossed over his chest. I’m sure Dana has told him by now that I have a son. But I don’t know how much of this conversation he heard or how he’ll interpret it.

“That was my kid’s mom.”

“I figured. How old is he?”

“Sixteen.”

“Fun age,” he says dryly.

“Attitude for days. Hates his dad.”

“He’s probably just hurting. You’re good at that, aren’t you? Hurting people.”

Tucking my phone in my pocket, I say, “Unfortunately, I am. I’m a messed up man with a screwed up past that will haunt me for the rest of my life. I’ve made countless mistakes over the years, and I’ve been trying to make up for those mistakes. Especially with my kid.”

“You leaving again? Without saying goodbye?”

“Look, I don’t know what all you heard from that conversation, but my son wants nothing to do with me. So I’m not going to just show up at his door. I know Dana is your cousin and a close friend of yours so you’re protective of her, but I am not going to make the same mistake I made with her last time. If something happens and I need to go back to Oscar and Ashley, I’ll let Dana know.” The look on his face has me bristling, so I take a step forward. “And I’ll make sure she knows I’ll be coming back.”

A smile tilts up one side of his lips. For the first time since meeting him, he gives me a genuine smile. “Good. Now get back in there so I can kick your butt at pool.”

Which is exactly what happens. I spend the next few hours getting completely destroyed at pool by a firefighter and a billionaire. As we play, we chat and I talk about my time with Dr. and Mrs. Woodhouse.

“So you need a new place to stay?” West asks as he sinks the eight ball for the third time in a row, sealing his own win.

“I mean, I’d like to have my own place again,” I answer honestly without trying to show my desperation. The Woodhouses have been amazing, and I’m grateful for all they’ve done for me. But as an adult man, I’d like to have my privacy. Unfortunately for me, unoccupied houses and apartments are hard to come by on Amber Island.

“I can set you up in a bungalow,” West says, then takes a swig of his root beer.

Shaking my head, I say, “You really don’t have to do that. I have the funds to get another place?—”

“It will be for the interim. Not permanent. That way, you don’t need to keep staying with the Woodhouses while you’re looking for a new place.”

It’s strange to feel sad about leaving a man and woman I’ve only been living with for a few weeks. Nancy has become like a second mom to me, so leaving there will be bittersweet. But I am ready to have my own place again.

“You really don’t have to do that. It’d be way more than I deserve,” I say.

“Oh, I’m aware,” West responds. His expression is unreadable.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry I left you high and dry.” I scratch the back of my neck.

West is quiet for a beat, studying me. “You abandoned us so you could take care of your kid.” West extends his hand, and I shake it. He pulls it back and chalks his cue. “I wish you would have told me that at the time, but I can’t hold that against you. What you did was selfless.”

I swallow the lump in my throat. “Thanks, man.” I pick up my bottle and lift it for a cheers. Crew and West both clink their bottles against mine.

“Water under the bridge,” West says. “So how about that bungalow?”

“If you really don’t mind, I’d appreciate that,” I find myself agreeing as I re-rack the balls.

West shrugs. “It’s been sitting around empty for a while. It’d be free maintenance for me.” He quirks a smile before breaking the balls and sinking two stripes.