Chapter 25 Miles #2
I’m about to tell her what we talked about, when Frankie and Willa come over and pull Aria away. Then someone slaps me on the back. I already hate this party, and I want to grab Macy and Aria and go home.
“Well done, old chap,” Dylan says. “I was very impressed by your stage presence and English accent. Reminded me of when I worked with Jeremy Irons.”
“Oh, did you work with Jeremy Irons? I forgot because it’s been about four days since you mentioned it.”
“Although,” he starts speaking in an English accent, because he’s a tool. “I have no idea why you never came to me for assistance. I would gladly have coached you. What are thespian brothers for, if not to enlighten you about the performing arts?”
“Thespian brothers are for making fun of. That is all you’ve ever been good for.”
“Yeesh. Remember that time when you were in a good mood for two minutes? What’s wrong?” He lowers his voice. “Did Aria finally come to her senses and dump you?”
“No. Shhh. We aren’t talking about that here.”
“Fine by me. Let’s not talk about anything. I’m gonna go over there and talk to my beautiful fiancée and her charming son. We’ll probably talk about something a lot more pleasant. Like monkey farts.”
“Be my guest.”
“Grab a drink.”
“I will.”
I see Shane across the room and give him some kind of look. It was supposed to express my gratitude for hosting this lovely party, but he responds with a look that says, oh, you’re in one of your moods. Got it. Then he goes back to talking to Nico and Nico’s stepson.
I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and pull it out, hoping to find a bunch of sext emojis from Aria. Instead, I find this:
MAMA brODIE: The jisr im. Do nit talj abut mikes amd atua to anuome.
OWEN: Um. Okay.
POPS brODIE: Why should we not talk to anyone about Miles and Aria? And will you just turn auto-correct back on, woman?
MAMA brODIE: O dinr remenver hiw!!!!
POPS brODIE: Just stop texting. I’ll do it. Where are you?
Mama calls out, “I’m over here! By the bar!”
“She said, surprising no one,” I hear Pops say.
I watch him approach her with the sense of humor and patience that is essential for a lasting marriage.
But there’s something else there. Something more than patience and a sense of humor.
The undefinable thing that makes a parents’ loving relationship the anchor of your childhood and ambition of your adult life.
I remember thinking, at some point last year, that Dylan and Owen and I were doomed because we’d never be able to live up to the standard set by our parents.
But as I look around the room now, I see my brothers with the women who have somehow pledged to live the rest of their lives with them.
And I can’t help but wonder how those mentally inferior idiots managed to overcome their significant emotional shortcomings to form those bonds, when I can’t seem to keep the happiest woman I’ve ever known happy for longer than a month or so.
I clock Aria in the room across the hall and start gravitating toward her, as I always have.
How can I look at that woman and not move in her direction?
But then I see that little turd, Logan, cornering Macy in the hallway.
Just like that time at the audition. Except this time, whatever he’s saying to her causes her to go from pouting to crying.
I am by Macy’s side in two seconds. As soon as Logan sees me, he starts backing away, but I point at him and say, “Do not go anywhere.” I bend down to my daughter’s level and ask, “What? What did he say?”
She won’t even look at me. Her eyes are filled with tears. She walks down the hall, chin down, shoulders hunched, and I follow her. She pauses between doorways, just so sad, and asks with a shaky voice, “Is it true?”
“Is what true?”
“Did you pay her to cast me?”
In the split second that it takes me to consider my answer, she already knows it’s true. A cascade of tears falls. “And paid for her house? And she wouldn’t let me be Alice unless you played Cheshire Cat?”
I will destroy you, Logan Saint.
“Logan told you that?”
“You lied to me.”
“Honey, I wanted you to get the part.”
She shakes her head. “Now everyone’s going to know.”
“Honey, I didn’t pay her to cast you. I made a donation.”
“I thought she believed in me.”
“Trust me, honey, Aria would not have cast you if she didn’t think you could do that part.”
“Hey!” Scarlett Shepard walks out of the kitchen and pauses when she sees that Macy’s crying. “Oh. Are we okay?”
Macy just covers her face and shakes her head.
“Can you stay with her for a minute?”
“Of course.”
I stomp down the hall to where Logan is still standing. He’s a little turd, but he does take direction. He has his arms crossed and stares up at me defiantly.
I don’t know if this kid’s parents are around, and it’s not like I’m going to give him anything besides a talkin’-to, but I lower my face to his and growl, “I guess you forgot our agreement, Logan.”
“I wasn’t being mean to her. I just told her the truth.”
“What—do you think I’m stupid? Do I look stupid to you, Logan? You told her the truth because you knew she wouldn’t like it.”
“I didn’t know she was gonna cry about it.”
“What else would she do? Thank you and make you a friendship bracelet? How did you hear about all that?”
“Noah told me.”
“Noah? Dylan’s Noah?”
“I don’t know who Dylan is. Oh wait, Dylan Brodie the actor? Yeah, he was with him.”
“Miles? May I have a word with you…?” I realize Aria is standing behind me. “Specifically, the word seriously?”
I lower my voice. “Hey, babe.”
She almost bursts out laughing at that for some reason. “You can’t create tension between the cast members like this. We have seven performances left. What is going on?”
“Hang on. I have to talk to Noah.”
“Who is Noah?”
“Be right back.”
I walk off to find Noah. He’s talking to Dylan. I walk right over to him and ask him how he found out about how Macy got cast. It takes him a minute to understand what I’m talking about.
“Wait, what? What’s going on?” Dylan asks me.
“Macy’s crying. This kid, Logan, told her something that he found out from Noah. I just need to know who Noah heard it from.” I don’t even know why I need to know this, but if I can get some answers and get everyone to apologize to Macy, maybe I’ll feel like less of an asshole. Maybe.
“Tell him, Noah.”
“Ummm, it was Sam. When we were at Owen and Frankie’s house.
But he told me not to tell anyone, and I didn’t tell anyone, but then Logan was talking about how Macy was going around acting all snobby because she was the star, and it just came out.
Like an outer space fart. I held it in, and it came out and caught on fire. ”
I look at my brother. “Does that make any sense to you?”
“Totally.”
“Whatever. Where’s Sam?”
I find Sam eating cheese and crackers with Summer, pull him aside, and ask him how he knew about everything.
He tells me he overheard me telling Mama in the kitchen at his dad’s house.
It turns out nothing is going to make me feel better about any of this, but when I explain what’s going on to Owen, he says, “Okay. Sam. You’re going to apologize to Macy. ”
This is why he has always been my favorite brother.
“Why?! I didn’t tell her anything!”
“Because you were gossiping, and that led to hurting her feelings.”
“But Uncle Miles and Gramma were gossiping too.”
“Very good point, Sam. What do you have to say about that, Miles?”
I glare at him. “Everyone is going to apologize to Macy. All of us. Including you.”
“For having Sam?”
“Exactly.”
I gather everyone—Sam, Owen, Noah, Dylan, the little turd Logan, Mama—we all apologize to my daughter. We all tell her she was amazing in the show tonight and it doesn’t matter how she got the part. She is the star of the show, and she earned the role.
I see the hint of a flicker of a smile on my little girl’s face, and it feels like she might be okay.
This night hasn’t been ruined.
Her life hasn’t been ruined.
The show will go on.
I’m not the worst dad in the world.
Everyone thinks I’m an idiot, but they’ll get over it.
We’re all mad here.
I look around for Aria. I can finally turn my attention to her and introduce her to my family, if she hasn’t already met them. When I do one full round around the living room, kitchen, and family room, I pull out my phone to try calling her.
There’s a text notification from her.
From ten minutes ago.
ARIA: Hey. I said ‘hi’ to everyone in your family. They’re great. But you seem distracted, and it doesn’t seem like something you want to include me in. So, I’m going to head home. I hope Macy’s okay. Good night.
Okay, well, I might be the worst boyfriend in the world.
I might not know how to be the best dad and the best boyfriend at the same time—does anyone?
I may have ruined Aria’s night.
And if she doesn’t get over what an idiot I’ve been, I may never get over it.