“I’m calling Dad,” Frank said before anyone could argue, and pulled out his cell phone.
My jaw dropped open slightly before I closed it, clenching my teeth as I waited for the hell this would bring.
“Hey, Dad,” Frank said, then pressed the speaker button.
The sound of our father’s voice filled the empty bar. “Hello, Frank. How’s the bar?”
I was shocked at how chipper Dad sounded. He never talked to me like that. When he spoke with me, his tone was always disappointed or demanding.
“The bar’s great. You’d know that if you ever came down here and saw it for yourself.” Frank tried to hide his own disappointment, but failed. I hadn’t realized that he was upset at our dad for that.
“You know how busy I am. I can’t take time off to come hang out at some bar, Frank. Jesus, I’d think as a successful business owner, you’d understand that,” my dad fired back.
I had to bite back a grin. There was the asshole I knew and hated to let down.
“Nick told us what’s going on. You’re basically pushing him to marry some girl?”
Dad growled, “Butt out, Frank. You don’t know anything.”
“So, tell me then. Why would you possibly do this to him?”
Frank wasn’t intimidated by our dad the way I was. He didn’t care if he pushed him too far, cornered him, or asked the hard questions. I never seemed to be able to do any of that shit.
“I’m doing what’s best for him. Nick wouldn’t know the right thing to do if it hit him in the face.”
Both Ryan and Frank’s eyes met mine in that instant, and I swallowed hard around the lump in my throat. Maybe now they’d understand how little our dad thought of me, how he treated me, and why I was a complete pussy when it came to defending myself.
A disgusted laugh escaped from deep within Frank’s throat. “You clearly don’t know your son at all. He’s one of the smartest and most talented people I’ve ever met. I’m pretty sure he could make a decision or two on his own, especially when it comes to who he should or shouldn’t marry.”
“Frank,” Dad said, his voice firm, “I’m warning you. Butt out of this and mind your own damn business.”
“Warning me? What are you gonna do, make me marry Carla’s sister?” Frank said, and Ryan laughed before quickly covering his mouth with his hand.
“She doesn’t have a sister, smartass. Stay out of this and leave Nick alone. He’s marrying that girl, and that’s final. I don’t have to explain myself or my reasons to you or your brother.”
“So that’s it then? No discussion, no conversation like two rational adults.” Frank pushed a little harder, willing my dad to break, but I knew it was no use. My dad refused to crack.
“We aren’t two adults, Frank. You are my child and I am your father. Now, get back to running your bar before Ryan burns it down being an idiot.”
When the call disconnected with a click, Ryan stood there with a shocked look on his face.
“He thinks I’m an idiot?” he asked, looking genuinely hurt.
Frank put his phone back in his pocket and stared at me. “I’m really sorry you had to grow up with that man. That isn’t the father we grew up with. I don’t know who that is.”
I shrugged, unable to find the words because we’d been through all this before. “I know it sucked, but I’m thankful you got to see that side of him. It’s the only side I’ve ever known.”
“An idiot?” Ryan was still fixated on the name our dad had called him before snapping out of it. “Who was that man?”
“Apparently that’s Nick’s dad,” Frank bit out.
I had to laugh. They didn’t want to claim the asshole any more than I did.
“Do you guys understand now that I don’t have a choice?” I asked, hoping for at least their understanding if the situation couldn’t be fixed.
“There has to be something we can do,” Frank said, refusing to be defeated. “Marrying the wrong person isn’t something I’d wish on my worst enemy.”
“I don’t know how to fix this. I just don’t see any other way.”
I laid my arm on the bar and dropped my head onto it, praying for one of my brothers to disagree with me, to say anything. When I was only met with silence, I accepted my future and my fate.
Day from Hell
Jess
All the progress I’d made with being over Nick came crashing to a halt when he called and told me about him and Carla. Since then I’d been sick over the news, even going so far as to look up his dad’s office number. More times than I could count, I pressed every digit of it but the last one on my phone, then chickened out every time. I was devastated and wanted answers, and needed more than anything to ask him why he was doing this. Nick marrying this awful person didn’t just affect Nick, it affected me too, and I wanted his father to know that.
When Rachel e-mailed me the online announcement about their engagement, with the wedding planned for only three months away, all the oxygen left my lungs in a single whoosh.
Three months. I had no idea why everything was so damned urgent, but I’d given up trying to make sense of it. The only silver lining was Rachel informing me that she’d be spending the “wedding weekend from Hades” with me so I wouldn’t have to go through it alone. I had no choice in the matter, and to be honest, I was grateful. There was no way I’d be able to get through that day on my own.