“Come on, Matthew. Turn it off. He’s been calling you all fucking morning.” Sawyer stood with the mop in his hand.

Everyone was glaring at me, particularly little Austin. “Matthew, don’t make daddy angry,” he said.

God. If he only knew the double meaning behind that one…

“Okay, I’m turning the phone off.” I locked the dimly lit screen and pretended to clean below the bar. Theo’s footsteps stopped directly behind me.

“Kid, we all need to have a little talk,” he said.

Standing up, I agreed. There was still a lot that needed to be said. A few days had passed since I broke up with Hunter, but this was the first day since I left my room without tears stained against my face. I actually felt hopeful too.

I stared at my family’s tired eyes. “It’s not all bad,” I said. “We can fight this.”

Marcus picked up Austin and walked toward the front door. “This is B.S.!” he shouted.

“B.S.!” Austin mimicked.

Sawyer watched his husband walk out. “Look, I held my tongue earlier today because I know you’re going through some shit right now.”

“I’m not going through anything,” I said.

The way I saw it, this was an opportunity to focus on what mattered the most. This bar was the glue that held our family together. Without it, we wouldn’t have been able to create so many beautiful memories.

“Stop trying to act like a tough guy. It does you no good in the long run,” Sawyer said.

I nodded, respectfully, but I felt the venom of my emotions start to build. “You’re always right, aren’t you?”

“I was right about daddy,” he said. “Go ahead. Tell everyone. I was right.”

I kicked his barstool from underneath his feet, but he jumped away in time. “Don’t call him that,” I said.

Theo opened the fridge and brought out a case of beer. “Shut the hell up. Both of you,” he said, popping the caps open. “Here. Drink.”

Sawyer and I looked down at the cans. “I said, drink!” Theo shouted, turning angry for maybe the first time in his life.

Both of us jumped forward and downed the liquid in a few quick seconds. Humored by the foamy liquid running down my chin, Sawyer lost his shit and started laughing uncontrollably. Soon enough, I was laughing with him, even if I didn’t want to be.

Theo smiled. “You see what happens when brothers come together?”

“Sorry, Theo,” I said, wiping my chin clean. “I’ll try not to get so moody.”

Theo placed two more cans on the bar. “Trying ain’t good enough, kid. Come, now. Drink.”

After the second drink, I felt an excellent little buzz start to run its course. “Can we talk now?” I asked.

“Are you going to play friendly?” Theo asked.

I rolled my eyes and burped loudly. “I’ll be nice.”

Theo finally came up beside me and sat down. Once he was settled, he grabbed a can of his own. “Matthew, you’re not going to like what I have to say.”

Billionaire breaks my heart. Family abandons me. Makes sense.

“No, I’m not going to like what you have to say,” I muttered. “Why can’t you let me do this?”

Theo frowned. “I don’t need a busted nose and ribcage,” Theo argued. “I’ve been living in this city long enough to know not to engage with people harboring greed inside their hearts.”

“Sometimes those people change,” I said.

“Sure. Sometimes, they do,” Theo said. “But most of the time, us humans stay the same.”

“All of the protestors have gone home. It’s time to call it a day,” Sawyer said, tracing his hand across my back. I knew he was just trying to help, but it annoyed the hell out of me.

“He meant a lot to you,” Theo said.

“I can’t let him win like this,” I muttered, eyes falling to the floor.

On this block, the workers had been taught a lesson of silence. But I didn’t want to grow up knowing my stupidity allowed this to happen.

“I have to go,” I said.

I just couldn’t do it. As much as I knew I should have stood down, I wanted everyone in the world to know the truth about Hunter. I was going to call every news outlet that I knew. They’d listen to my pathetic story. And once the word got out about Hunter’s dirty game, the world would let him have it.

“Matthew, wait!” Sawyer stood up, but Theo stopped him. I grabbed my signs and ran out of the bar.

Clutching the protest signs in front of me, I walked into the middle of the intersection and sat down. “This is for you, Hunter,” I whispered. “Who’s your daddy now?”