Chapter 39 Heath
HEATH
Dad is back home after being gone for a week.
It’s late in the evening and Hope, Mom and I are sitting in the kitchen eating casserole.
As much as I dislike her, I can’t lie — her cooking is the best. Her food tastes delicious, and I’m always going back for seconds.
Now that Kelly is on leave, Mom prepares every meal, and I’m always wandering into the kitchen to see what she’s making — despite my reluctance to keep distance between us.
“You’re back!” Mom brightens up like a sunflower at the sight of him. Abandoning her seat, she rushes over to him and embraces him in a tight hug. And then… they’re kissing.
Hope turns her head as fast as she can and pretends to not hear them, but the flush covering her cheeks says otherwise.
As for me, I just fucking pretend that my parents aren’t obnoxiously in love with each other.
“I missed you so much,” Mom speaks in a hushed tone.
“I missed you too, Mia Cara. More than anything,” Dad replies in a soft tone.
It’s so quiet in the house that it’s impossible to not hear them.
“Come sit with us. I made your favourite.” Taking him by the hand, she drags him into the kitchen and makes him sit in the seat next to me.
He pauses by the stool and our eye connect. Like always, he’s wearing an expensive, pristine suit, this time a dark charcoal one that fits him like it was tailored just for him, complemented by a shiny watch on his wrist. “Heath,” he says in the same tone that he just used with Mom.
I nod in greeting and go back to eating my food.
“Hope.”
The second he says her name my body stiffens. Tension wraps around my tendons and my spine straightens as I set down my fork to see what he’ll do.
“Good evening, Mr. Travon,” Hope’s voice quivers as she addresses him.
I glare at Dad, warning him to not be rude with her or else I’d cross the line and say something worse to him.
Much to my surprise, he stares at her with a twinge of softness. “You can call me Xavier.”
Hope nods and goes back to playing around with food on her plate.
Dad sits next to me and watches my Mom as she prepares him a plate. He thanks her and kisses the back of her hand when she gives it to him. She grins big and sits down next to him.
The four of us eat on the kitchen island that is smaller than the dining table in the other room.
I’ve always resented that table because of how ridiculously long it is and how it is perfect for a meeting rather than a family table.
Having spend a lot of time with Sebastian and Marie, I like to eat at a small coffee table.
There is less room for distance and more conversations.
“So, I heard you came in third at the bake sale,” Dad says nonchalantly.
I freeze, completely taken aback by his statement. I wasn’t expecting him to know about it.
“I made him my blueberry muffins. They sold out.”
“Of course they did. They’re perfect,” he praises her ease as if he’s done it a million times before.
His compliment brings colors to her face and she looks so lively now that he’s here. The one week he was gone my mother didn’t smile or talk the way she’s doing right now.
“It was a group effort. We didn’t win because of me alone. I had my girlfriend and friends who helped me,” I tell him.
Dad looks at me with deep understanding. “I’m surprised to see that you realize it wasn’t you alone. That’s the quality of a good leader.”
I narrow my eyes. “What are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying, I’m impressed with what you did at the bake sale.” He pauses and gulps slowly. “I’m proud of you.”
The room suddenly resembles an ice chamber, the cold so sharp and intense it freezes every cell in my body.
My heart stops beating for a second, not believing what I just heard coming out of his mouth.
I’m proud of you.
I’ve never heard those words in my life before. Especially from him.
Since I became a teenager and figured out how he’s abandoned me, I’ve only ever hated him.
And when Emery got sick, I found another reason to hate him more.
I didn’t want anything to do with him — I still don’t.
But for some stupid reason, him saying those words to me, knocks the air out of me and I feel like I can hardly breathe.
“And you made good profit. Well done,” he speaks in an even quieter voice, as if saying those words is new to him.
I cast a glance at Mom and she’s smiling hard.
“Thanks,” I mutter, my voice all rough and gravel.
“You’re taking business as an elective, why?” Dad asks.
“Because I like it,” I reply as if it isn’t obvious to him.
“I thought you’d be pursuing boxing. Derek mentioned how passionate you are about it. Enough to sneak out and fight matches at illegal, underground places.”
A flicker of anger flares up beneath my skin, making me look at him in fury.
“I know what I’m going to do in life,” I reply in a tight tone.
Dad spares me a glance, and frowns. “I didn’t mean it as a jab. I was just saying that I know what you’ve been up to. Still, I think it’s dangerous, and you shouldn’t get involved, but you fight anyway because you genuinely love the sport.”
“I love boxing but I won’t be pursuing it. I want to pursue a degree in business,” I say.
Dad seems content with my answer. “As you should. You have the spark.”
Mom puts her hand on his and looks at me. “Do what you love. It’s important that you’re following your heart.”
Dad sighs but doesn’t say a word to disagree with her.
She looks over at Hope. “What about you, dear? What do you plan on doing?”
I take a bite and then look at her.
Hope has almost finished half of her plate, but now that all the attention is on her, she puts down her fork and focuses on my mother. “I don’t know, really. My mother wants me to become a doctor but I don’t think it’s for me.”
Mom shoots her a reassuring smile. “Just as I told Heath, do what you love.”
My girlfriend nods just to agree with her.
“Heath said you love books. Maybe follow that career path. There’s so much you can do.”
A real smile graces her face. “That’d be a dream come true.”
Mom laughs seeing her enthusiasm. “You should definitely make that dream a reality. I can tell just from the light in your eyes that you love books more than anything in the world.”
“I do. But I also love your son,” she says without thinking.
A second later, the smile wipes away from her face and her entire face turns bright red.
My parents stare at my girlfriend in utter shock, while I can’t help but grin at her honesty.
She fidgets with her hands and refuses to meet their curious gazes.
“I love her, too,” I say, ending her embarrassment, and not caring that my parents hear me. “More than anything.”
Hope lifts her head and holds my gaze. Sincerity and vulnerability swim in those pretty brown eyes and tugs my heartstrings.
“I’ve known it for a while,” Mom says confidently, making us both look over at her. “It was the look in your eyes when you talked about her. I could tell this girl was special to you.”
Then Dad speaks, “And I suspected this was serious because you spent a night in cell because of her and you had no regrets.”
At the time, I didn’t realize it, but I was already in love with her.
I had fallen hard for her, so hard that I had lost my fucking mind.
I knew she was trouble the moment I met her. One look and I was captivated.
“I would do anything to protect her,” I say out loud.
“You might have to, considering her parents are going to knock on our door at any minute,” Dad says in a grim tone.
The air grows thick, making it hard to breathe. Tension hangs over us like a heavy curtain.
“I’ll deal with them,” I warn him.
“The right thing to do is to send her home — ”
The stool scrapes against the floor as I abruptly stand up. “She is not going home. How many times am I going to say this?”
Dad opens his mouth to argue with me, but Mom grabs his arm and stops him.
His gaze moves to Hope. “I’m just looking out for my son.”
I rake a hand through my hair as I gather patience from every corner of my body to deal with this conversation.
“I know,” Rose says softly. “I’m truly sorry for bringing my trouble to your doorstep. I don’t mean to. It’s just… I don’t have anywhere else to go. With Heath…” She looks at me. “It’s easy to stay here because I trust him a lot.”
Taking a deep, slow breath, she adds. “I’ve decided to go back because I worry about Heath too. I don’t want him to get into any more trouble because of me. I’m sorry.”
Mom looks about ready to cry and Dad’s sharp features show concern.
“Heath has done a lot for me. More than I deserve. I would never do anything to hurt him.” Her voice sounds so broken.
It aches me.
“Stop! You don’t need to convince them,” I tell her. “You’re staying here because I want you to and you’ll continue to stay here because I say so.”
“Heath — ”
I grab her hand and give it a squeeze. “It’s either this or I sleep in my car in front of your house because knowing you’re in there with him waiting to hurt you haunts me.”
“This is a serious matter, son,” Xavier says in a placid tone.
I meet his gaze. “I know.”
“You should let me — ”
“No. I’ll handle it.”
“You need guidance to wisely handle this situation, not — ”
“What I fucking need is your support and nothing else!” My chest heaves as I talk to him. “I need to know that you have my back, not that you’re trying to sabotage my relationship with the person who brings me peace and happiness.”
His lips thin. A flicker of hurt crosses through his gray eyes.
“That’s not what he’s doing,” Mom states.
“But that’s how I feel,” I tell her. “I’ve already lost someone I loved, I don’t want to lose this person.”
Mom closes her eyes and Dad says nothing.
Without saying another word, I guide Hope out and take us to my room.
The sound of the door click is so loud as it cuts through the tension buzzing between us.
“I’m sorry abour my dad.”
“No. You don’t have to be. He’s right.”
I scoff. “He’s not. He’s just trying to ruin this.”
She steps closer, forcing me to look at her. “It’s been more than a week now. I should go home now.”
My fingers curl into fists at the thought of letting her go inside that house. “They don’t want you.”
My words slash her a sword. Pain contorts her face, twisting her features in a way that I want to take back my words.
I reach for her but she steps back. “Rose. I didn’t mean it like that — ”
“No. You’re right,” she whispers.
“No! I’m not,” I grumble.
“That is the truth, isn't it?” She wraps her arms around herself. “They don’t want me. That’s why they kicked me out, and no one’s checked up on me.”
The secret buried inside me stabs like a knife. I know I need to tell her about the conversation I had with her mother. I just hope she doesn’t hate me for keeping it from her.
“I met your mother the day I went to get your stuff. Somehow, she knew I’d be coming,” I start.
Her eyes widen and her mouth hangs open.
I keep going. “She said the reason why she kicked you out was to protect you from that man. Not because she doesn’t love you. If anything, I feel like in her own twisted way, she loves you.”
She stares at me like a statue.
I move towards her and wrap my arms around her. A shiver runs through her body, and a gasp escapes her lips.
“She really said that?” she asks, sounding stronger than I expected her to be.
“She did.” I run my hand down her back and gently tuck her into my chest.
There are other things she told me, but if I share them, she might break and I can’t do that. What her mother said shook my core and made me upset. Rose would take it hard.
“I thought she hates me,” she says.
“She doesn’t.”
“What am I supposed to do now?”
I set my chin on the top of her head. “I don’t know, baby. But whatever you decide, I’ll support you.”