The build up to this moment had been happening for years. It stemmed back into the days of the high school bullshit that everyone went through. Only now, that became the foundation for something much bigger. Which was what Keith did to Jordyn and Sam. And now he was at her house, obviously drunk, high, maybe both, and he was saying things he didn’t quite understand.

Jordyn moved her attention to Keith after his comment.

“What did you say?” she asked.

“Get the fuck out of here,” I ordered as I walked toward him.

“Oh, come on, man,” Keith said with a laugh. “You really didn’t think she’d find out? How many people already know the truth?”

“What is he talking about?” Jordyn asked.

“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” I said. “He’s trying to stir up trouble.”

“I don’t need to stir up trouble,” he said. “You do that on your own, Ramsey. You fucking liar. You think you can bring your fucked-up life to my family?”

“You don’t have a family,” I said.

“Don’t ever go near my son again,” Keith said.

“Sam’s not your son,” I said, going for a low blow. “Sam is Jordyn’s son.”

Keith lunged at me and I moved out of the way. He tripped over his own two feet and fell to the ground. He planted his hands flat and wrestled back to his feet, turning, his face a mix of anger and laughter.

“Darling, are you okay?” I asked Jordyn as I approached.

She stepped back. “Why are you here early?”

“I got done with work,” I said. “I was going to come back and get ready. To go to my aunt’s. I thought you would be there.”

“Norah called me because of Keith,” she said.

I looked up and saw Norah on the porch.

She gave a weak wave.

“Where’s Sam?” I asked.

“Hey, don’t talk about him,” Keith said.

I felt him grab my shoulder and pull.

I curled my lip and turned to push him away.

“Tell her what you did,” he said. “Go ahead, Ramsey. You fucking take over my family and think you can hide your secrets from the mother of my son.”

“That has nothing to do with you,” I said. “And I’m not hiding anything. Get the fuck out of here Keith or else I’ll move you myself.”

Keith slapped his chest and opened his arms. “Let’s go.”

I couldn’t help it as I laughed. He looked like the same Keith from back in high school. Trying to be so tough, but looking stupid. And the only way he kept up his toughness was to beat up kids in lower grades or kids that were smaller than him.

“Rams, walk away,” Jordyn said. “Please.”

I looked at her and saw the worry. I showed my hands in peace and walked away.

“Ask him about it,” Keith said. “Make him tell you, Jordyn. Then you’ll have the truth.”

“Keith, I’m sorry for what I did with Marcy,” Jordyn said. “That wasn’t fair to you. If you’re happy with someone you should be with that person. This is between us, Keith. Please don’t do it like this. Sam can probably hear you.”

“Good,” he said. “He can hear about his mother being a whore.”

I stopped in my tracks and looked at Norah. Her eyes were wide. She knew what Keith just said and what I was going to do next.

There was a voice in my head that screamed not to go near him. But to call Jordyn what he just did? A woman who had to leave him because he couldn’t keep himself clean? As I walked toward Keith, all I saw was my father. The night I was working, trying to make money to keep the lights on. And he was home, drinking himself into a blackout drunk state, where he started to gag on his own vomit, leaving Brian to try and find me. That life… that could have been Sam if Jordyn hadn’t been strong enough to leave.

“Oh, here he comes again,” Keith said. “You going to confess now? Tell Jordyn how you proposed to Sarah and led her all the way to the morning of your wedding before you decided to leave her?”

Jordyn grabbed my left arm, but I kept walking. I took a handful of his shirt with my left hand and pulled my right hand back. Keith realized I was going to finally hit him and that’s when his face changed. The tough guy was scared, and he should have been.

“Rams, don’t,” Jordyn growled.

I turned my head, and that was the opening Keith needed to get away from me. He punched my arm to release my hold on his shirt. He ran toward the porch, screaming for Sam.

Jordyn shoved at my chest. “Just don’t.”

Norah blocked the front door as Keith climbed the porch steps. Jordyn was right behind him.

“I’m taking my fucking son and leaving,” he said. “He’s not living in this house with this kind of life.”

“Keith, stop yelling,” Jordyn said. “I’m going to call the police.”

“Move out of my way,” Keith barked at Norah.

The way he moved, he had no regard that it was women he was dealing with.

I respected and loved Jordyn, but I had to make sure Keith didn’t do anything stupid to either her or Norah.

As I walked down the sidewalk, Jordyn caught up to Keith and touched his arm. He threw an elbow back and I saw Jordyn stumble back, her heels going over the top step. All I saw was her falling down the steps backwards and smashing her head and hurting herself.

She caught herself at the last second, but that was all I could handle.

I ran up the steps and pushed Keith, throwing him against the house. He hit it with a thud and turned to face me, probably figuring it was Jordyn so he could try and hurt her. That’s what guys like Keith did. They could never stand up to someone their own size, or bigger.

“Ramsey,” Norah’s voice said.

“You’re the asshole, not me,” Keith said.

“You ever touch her again like that and I swear…”

Idle threats meant nothing in that moment.

I finally had my chance to hit him.

And I took that chance.

My fist connecting with his jaw, sending him back against the house for a second time. He toppled down to his ass, holding his face. It almost resembled the night I met Jordyn and I hit that guy who had been grabbing at her.

I stepped back, keeping the promise I made to myself to just hit him once. Just to show force. Just to get him to realize what he was up against. And to shut him up because I needed to talk to Jordyn about what he had said.

There was a moment that washed over me as I stood there, feeling as though I was Jordyn’s protector. I almost had the desire to smile.

I looked over at her. “Are you okay?”

“No,” she said.

Her eyes weren’t looking at me.

I turned my head and realized something terrible.

Someone else was at the door. Someone else had seen what had happened. What I had done.

Sam stood there… crying.

* * *

I didn’t make a single step before Jordyn was there, blocking my way. Which I completely understood. I wasn’t going to be like Keith and make a scene and yell.

“Jordyn,” I said. “I didn’t know he was there.”

“I said not to,” she said, her bottom lip quivering.

“I’m trying to protect you.”

“Protect me? I didn’t ask you to do that. I can deal with him.”

“I’m calling the police now,” Keith said from next to us. “You’re going to rot in jail for this, Ramsey. Oh, hey, buddy, there you are. Sam…”

“Shit,” I whispered.

Jordyn looked back. “Norah, take him inside and lock the fucking door. Now.”

“Don’t take my kid away!” Keith yelled.

I rubbed my jaw, realizing just how horrible everything was.

“He can’t do this to you and Sam,” I said. “He’s drunk. He’s high.”

“And I have to help him,” Jordyn said. “It’s not your business, Rams.”

“I didn’t say it was. I came home from work. We’re supposed to be going out. We’re supposed to be a family.”

“Well, he is my family now,” Jordyn said. She let out a shaky breath.

I touched her arms. “Let me help you.”

“Oh, shit, I’m going to be sick,” Keith said. “I think my jaw is broken too.”

“It’s not broken,” I said through gritted teeth, looking at him.

He turned and walked toward the end of the porch and hung over the railing.

Jordyn quickly broke away from me. “I don’t even want to ask this, but I have to. What he said… was it true?”

“Darling… please…”

“Aunt Millie said something too,” Jordyn said. “I guess she thought you were honest with me.”

“Fuck,” I whispered. “I wanted to tell you everything about her. I tried… I…”

“Oh, fuck, I’m going to die,” Keith cried out.

He collapsed to the porched and hugged himself.

“Shit,” Jordyn said.

“Let me take care of him,” I said. “I’ll drive him to the hospital.”

Jordyn pushed at my shoulders. “You’ve done enough today, Rams. You should go. Right now. Get out of here.”

“I’m not leaving you, darling,” I said. “Not like this. Not with him here.”

“You’re making it worse,” she said. “I can handle this. I’ve done it before.”

“Jordyn, please… let me help. We can get him help. And then talk to Sam.”

“No,” she yelled. “You don’t get to go near him again. Stay away, Rams. I’m serious.”

“I didn’t know he was at the door,” I said. “All I saw was Keith hit you…”

“He didn’t hit me.”

“Yes, he did. He elbowed you. You almost fell off the steps, Jordyn. Don’t cover for him.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” she said. She looked ready to cry. “I said to leave, Rams. This is my house. My son is inside, scared and confused. And that’s his father over there, sick and hurt. Because of me.”

“You? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I fell in love with you,” she said. “And I don’t even know the truth about you. Do I?”

“I can tell you everything and why,” I said. “Just let me help you here.”

“I said to leave,” she said. “Just go, Rams. This is my life. This is what it’ll forever be. We were supposed to be together every other weekend and that was it. Now look what happened.”

Jordyn walked away from me toward Keith.

I watched her crouch next to him and he grabbed her arms.

I wanted nothing more than to go over there and finish what I started with him. Beat the hell out of him for what he had done to Jordyn’s heart. And Sam’s heart.

But who was I to do that? I had done the same thing.

I hurt them both.

“Keith, come on, sit up,” Jordyn said. “I’ll get you some water and then you can call Marcy to come get you. Does she know you’re like this?”

“She fucking left me because of it,” Keith said. Then he looked at me. “What the fuck are you doing here still?”

Jordyn turned her head.

Her honey eyes were big and sad.

I knew this was going to happen.

I glanced at the front door, knowing Sam was right inside. I wanted to hug the kid and tell him I was sorry. And explain why.

But I’d probably never get the chance to do so.

* * *

“He shot himself in the foot,” Doc bellowed as he slapped his hand on the table.

The glasses shook and clanked together.

“Christ, Doc, take it easy,” Uncle Tom said.

Doc laughed, and Matt and Ed joined in, out of sympathy for a terrible story that had no purpose and wasn’t funny at all.

I stared at a beer bottle, wishing my phone could vibrate in my pocket. I was suddenly back in time, sitting on the steps at my old house, wishing as hard as I could to bring Brian back to life. Negotiating with myself that there had to be a way to go back in time and stop him from getting hit by that car.

“Eh, you all don’t get it,” Doc said.

“Go have a smoke or something,” Ed said.

“How about dessert?” Matt asked. “I’ve got a little room left.”

“Eat more turkey then,” Aunt Millie said. “Dessert is in an hour.”

“So, how do we look going into winter?” Lance asked. “Are we getting some time off or what?”

“Ask the boss,” Uncle Tom said and nodded at me.

“Me?” I asked. “Screw you guys. You’re working all winter. We can finally organize Uncle Tom’s office. That’ll take up the winter.”

“Oh, that would be a Christmas miracle,” Aunt Millie said.

“Don’t you touch a thing,” Uncle Tom said. “I know where everything is in that office.”

“Except the stuff you really need,” Chris added with a wink.

“I’ll fire you all,” Uncle Tom said.

“I’ll hire them all right back,” I said. “Except Doc. He’s too old.”

“Son of a bitch,” Doc said. “How about I take you outside and you’ll see how old I really am.”

“No fighting until after dinner,” Aunt Millie said.

“Or until after the whiskey,” Uncle Tom said.

“Or just no fighting tonight,” Aunt Millie said. “I’m not dealing with black eyes and throwing up out back. Take that nonsense somewhere else.”

“This is a peaceful dinner table tonight,” Uncle Tom said.

“We’re all too full and too old to fight anymore,” Matt said.

“I’m not too old for anything,” Doc said.

“Hey, Doc,” Uncle Tom said. “Remember that guy, Smitty? The one who wore those thick glasses? And he insisted on listening to classical music when he worked? Tell them about that…”

Uncle Tom nodded at me, motioning for the front of the house.

I looked at Aunt Millie and she matched his stare and motion.

The only time I ever went to the front porch was when I was in serious trouble. That hadn’t happened in a long time.

I knew it was coming though. I showed up without Jordyn and Sam. They were the purpose of this dinner and they were missing. All I said was that there had been a family emergency. Just to appease the guys at the table.

I took my beer bottle with me as I wandered through the front of the house. The old house and the random rooms that were never used. It always smelled clean, with a touch of lemon. There wasn’t a day that went by without Aunt Millie cleaning, keeping the house in perfect shape.

“Family emergency?” Aunt Millie asked as Uncle Tom shut the door.

“Yeah. That’s what I said.”

“What happened?” Uncle Tom asked.

“Jordyn called and said Sam’s father was there,” Aunt Millie said. “Drunk.”

“Oh, Jesus,” Uncle Tom said. “They okay now?”

“I’m not sure,” I said. “Things got out of control.”

“What does that mean?” he asked.

“Keith was running his mouth. Trying to put a wedge between me and Jordyn.”

“What did you do?” Aunt Millie asked.

“I punched him. Right in the damn jaw.”

“Good for you,” Uncle Tom said.

“Tom!” Aunt Millie yelled and slapped his arm. “Ramsey, you can’t do that.”

“If you saw what I saw…” I cleared my throat. “Doesn’t matter. I fucked up. Like I always do.”

“How?” Aunt Millie asked.

“Sam saw me hit his father,” I said. “I didn’t know he was at the door. Keith said some stuff and he almost knocked Jordyn down the porch steps. I just wanted to… to hurt him. To just knock his ass down and let him feel like the way he treats Jordyn. And Sam saw it. I didn’t know he was there.”

“Ah, son,” Uncle Tom said. He rubbed his jaw. “That probably pissed Jordyn off.”

“That wasn’t it,” I said.

“Ramsey,” Aunt Millie said.

“I never told her the entire story about Sarah,” I said.

“What?” she asked. “I was talking to her today…”

“It’s not your fault,” I said. “It’s my fault. I never thought I would fall for her, okay? She was just a beautiful woman who thought her life was over. And we hung out on the weekends when Sam was gone. It was the perfect arrangement for both of us. Then she started telling me about her situation. I told her about Brian. I fucking fell in love with her. And all she wants is to protect Sam, so how could I tell her what happened?”

“So, you lied to her?” Uncle Tom asked.

“I didn’t lie. I just didn’t tell her the entire story. I wanted to. I tried…”

“That poor woman’s heart is twisted and aching already,” Aunt Millie said. “And you went and punched that boy’s father? Do you feel good about yourself now?”

“No,” I said. “I feel like shit. I miss her. I miss him. Fuck, I miss Brian too, okay? I miss everything that should have been for his life. If one of the sons were going to get hit by a car, it should have been me. You would have loved Brian more than me. He would have had a better life with you two.”

“Ramsey,” Uncle Tom said.

“I have to go,” I said.

“To do what?” Aunt Millie asked.

“Whatever I feel like doing,” I said.

I walked down the front porch steps, foolishly knowing I’d have to walk around the entire house to get to my truck. And when I got there, of course Matt was sitting on the bed of the truck, drinking a beer, waiting.

“They sent you out,” I said. “Go back inside, man.”

“No. I know how you feel right now.”

“No, you don’t.”

Matt jumped off my truck and walked toward me. “I don’t? My wife is with another man. My marriage is over. I’ll be homeless by Christmas. She pushed her lawyers to push at me to sell the house as fast as possible. She wants out. And I’m left stranded.”

“I’m sorry, Matt. I really am. But what you’re going through and what I am are two different things.”

“You’re an asshole, Rams. You really are.”

I froze with my hand at the door to the truck.

“You walked alongside Sarah all that time, knowing it was never really real. And she thought it was. And I know why. I don’t blame you for what happened. You did all you could to explain how you felt. I’m sorry, as your best friend and best man, that I didn’t do more at the time. I was never really sure if you were happy or not. And I stood there and let that happen. You didn’t even come to me, man. You just took off.”

“I’ve fucked up so much, Matt. But this hurts the worst. I never wanted to crash into Jordyn’s life. Or her son’s. And I did. And I made a mess. So now I have to finish this.”

I pulled the truck door open and climbed inside.

“What are you going to do, Rams?”

I didn’t look back at Matt.

I started the truck.

And I answered the question a few minutes later.

“I’m going to tell her the truth.”