Baylor
MY DAY HAS been going perfectly. Actually, it’s probably the best day ever. My clients are happy and smiling. My coworkers are beaming, singing, and dancing around the shop. I picked up Kace from school and we headed over to his hockey practice. I figured Alden would show up but he didn’t come. He must be busy. I had texted him a couple of times but he’s not responded. Kace even said he texted him with no reply.
“He’s busy. The playoffs are growing tougher.” I make an excuse for him and hope I didn’t just lie to my son. “Come on, you have to get ready for practice.” I shoo him toward the locker room.
As he goes off to change and get ready, I find a spot on the benches and pull out my phone.
Me: Is Alden okay? I’m not trying to put you in the middle but I’ve not heard from him all day.
Amara: I’m not sure. He received some bad news today.
I gasp. Is it something to do with hockey? Is he hurt? Is it worse?
Me: May I ask what it was?
Amara: I’m not sure what he told you about our father, but the short version is our father wants us to meet his new son. Alden didn’t take it well. He’s home, in his room, pouting like a kid.
He hasn’t told me a lot about his father. All I know is he’s gone and that’s about it.
Me: Is there anything I can do?
Amara: Let him come to you first. Alden is hardheaded.
I can’t argue with her because I know this part of him firsthand. I thanked her and went back to focusing on Kace’s practice. I’ll give him space until he’s ready.
KACE FINISHES HIS homework as I do the dinner dishes when the knock on the door brings a surprise to us both.
“I’ll get it.” I walk past Kace and I look out the peephole. I doubt Rocco is around but I do it just in case.
“Who is it, Mom?”
I unlock the door. “Hey.” I see Alden’s tired face looking back at me. “Come in.”
“Alden.” My son jumps up and runs toward him but stops suddenly. “Are you sick?”
“Something like that.”
I could smell the vodka. He’s drunk. “Kace, go get ready for bed,” I say and he quickly listens to me. “Alden, are you okay?”
“Do I look it?” He snaps at me, heading into the kitchen.
I follow him and watch him grab a bottle of water. I thought he was going for a beer. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I’m not one to talk about feelings.” He sneers at the word.
“Then what are you doing here?” I step up closer to him.
“I fucking hate him.”
He must be talking about his father. “What happened?”
He leans against the counter and stares at the floor. I know Alden isn’t one to express himself, which I know very well. His face was full of sadness and anger. I can’t stand to see him in such pain. I love him, even though I never said the words out loud.
“Alden.” I touch his shoulder in hope to bring him some comfort – to let him know I’m there for him.
Before I can blink, his lips are on mine. It’s not a passionate kiss. It hurts as he spins me around, pushing my lower back into the counter. His touch isn’t the same sweet but firm touch as before. There’s anger in it and bringing pain to me. He yanks at my top and I begin to fight.
This isn’t my Alden.
This isn’t the man I love.
I bite down as hard as I can onto his lip. When he groans in pain, he releases me, and I clock him in the jaw. I’m certain my fist hurts more than his jaw, but I have his attention.
“What the fuck?” I yell at him, adjusting my top. “Have you lost your fucking mind?”
“Are we going to have sex or not?”
The blood drains from my entire body. His question cut right into my soul. Is this all I am to him? A fuck toy? Have I been blinded by his charms to see his words to me were nothing more than lies to get me in bed?
“Get out, Alden.”
“You’re throwing me out?” He moves closer to me, but I stand my ground.
“I will not be treated as some fucking whore. I fell in love with you, but I won’t let you use me like some type of dog’s chew toy.” Saying the words I love you is something I don’t take lightly. And I just said them out loud.
“What?” For a moment, my Alden is back with a shocked expression. He knows what I said and there’s no reason for me to repeat it.
“I told you to get out.”
He stares at me for a brief second before the anger returns. “I don’t need you anyway. I can find anyone to fuck me.”
“Then go do that.” The stabbing pain of his words are making my soul bleed more, but I know I’m stronger, and I can get over the heartache that’ll be coming from him leaving.
“I won’t be back.” He threatens.
“And I won’t care because I sure as hell deserve better.” There’s no wavering in my voice, even though my insides are shaking. “Get out and don’t come back.”
He glares down at me but says nothing as he walks out of the kitchen and out the front door. The roar of his engine brings my tears.
NATHAN SMILES AT me as he comes into Ink Palace. Amara isn’t here, but I’m certain if she was, she’d be drooling.
“Hey, Baylor.” He greets me.
“Hey, Nathan. Have a seat and let’s go over a few things.”
I grab my stool and try to focus on my task. The problem I’m having – exhaustion. I barely slept last night because I kept replaying what happened between Alden and me in my head. This isn’t difficult for me to figure out. He doesn’t want me. The end. It’s time for me to move on. I have other priorities and responsibilities. I have Kace and he’s my world. I have my shop and that’s my passion. I don’t need a man.
“Are you okay?” he asks taking a seat in the chair.
“Fine. Why?” I pull out my sketchbook.
“You look tired. If you want to reschedule, I’m cool with it.”
“No need.” I give him a fake smile and open to the page where I have his creation. “Are you sure you want to start a tattoo when you play soon?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I had my back piece done right before the win of the minor league cup.”
“Great. Let’s go over this design.”
There’s one thing I now know about him as we texted about his tattoo...he’s a huge comic book nerd. His favorite character is Thor. He sent me pictures of certain scenes and items. I tried to create something with all the elements he wanted.
“Are we still doing black and gray with just a few pops of color?” I ask.
“Please.” He nods.
“Let me see your back piece.”
I move my book over and he stands, removing his shirt. I thought goalies were smaller than other hockey players, but he’s ripped. Not as deep as Alden but still cut. He turns around, and it’s a stunning piece of art. It’s Thor and several other guys, whom I don’t know, in a large battle scene. I need to learn these characters since Kace seems to watch the movies a lot.
Maybe I should buy him the comics?
“Is something wrong?” Nathan breaks me out of my reverie.
“No, just admiring the work.” It’s really stunning. “I think this piece will work great.”
He puts his shirt back on and we go over my design again. There are a few small changes we made, but overall, he loves it.
I get the station ready to do his outline when Amara comes in to work her shift. She had texted me earlier letting me know she’d be in this afternoon. She didn’t say why. Once she and Nathan lay eyes on each other, I can see the connection between the two of them. They are going to be together for a long time. People just don’t have a connection like them.
“Hey,” Amara says. I’m certain she doesn’t even know I’m in the same room.
“Hey.” He breathes out.
I hold back my smile. It’s sweet to see them together. They’re staring at each other not saying anything as the phone begins to ring.
“Amara,” I simply say her name and she jumps.
“I’ll get it.” She practically shouts and rushes away to the front desk.
I giggle and begin to work on Nathan. “How come you two just don’t date?”
“Simple. Alden.”
I stiffen at his name.
“Something’s going on between you two, isn’t there?”
“What do you mean?” I avoid answering him directly.
“Because he’s ready to kill everything in sight. I’ve never seen him like this. Normally, he’s the most laid-back guy but today at practice it...it wasn’t him.”
I try to keep my focus on the outline on his arm. However, I’m not sure what to say or do. I’m hurting for him, but I won’t let it overtake me.
“It’s because of our father.” Amara came back over. “He wants us to meet his new family.”
“The same father who had divorce papers served to your mother at the hospital while you were getting chemo?”
I stop and gasp. “Are you kidding me?”
Amara sits down on the spare stool I have. “Yes. It’s true. Alden was there helping me with my homework when she was served. We all knew he had another girlfriend or whatever, but we didn’t think that would happen. It wasn’t soon after that Alden stopped speaking to him.”
My heart is breaking for another reason. I can see a young, impressionable teenager seeing his sick sister and overworked mother’s deep sadness and he put up his walls. It explains a lot of how he is shut off. I tune everything out but my line work. I know Nathan and Amara are talking. I get lost in my work until I finished.
“All done.” I begin to wipe down. “We can finish it up tomorrow.”
“Thanks.”
I wrap him up as he is still gazing at Amara, and it makes me hope someone will look at me the same way. Yes, I’m pining over my broken heart and should be hating everyone in love. But I’m happy for them. I really am.
As Nathan is about to leave I watch him lean close to Amara and whisper something in her ear. The girl is about to explode with excitement, but she keeps it reigned in until he’s gone and then she bounces up and down clapping.
“He wants to take me out.”
“I’m happy for you.”
She rushes over to me, hugging my neck. She steps back and suddenly turns serious. “What did he do?”
“Who?”
“My idiot brother.” She takes my hand and guides me into the office. “Talk.” She shuts the door.
“How do you know something’s wrong?” I try to play it off.
“Please.” She rolls her eyes. “He’d look better if he was rolled over with a steam roller. And you don’t seem that far off either.”
I sigh and tell her everything that happened at my house last night.
“He’s a huge dumbass.” She sighs. “Listen, I know Alden better than anyone else, and I know he’s not really a jackass. It’s not an excuse for what he did last night and when I get a hold of him, I’m cutting off his balls, but you have to know how much he hates our father. Jack leaving ruined Alden and he’s not been close to any female – until you. He loves you, I know it.”
“He doesn’t love me. I was just a girl who told him no.”
KACE HAS BEEN quiet since hockey practice. I know when he’s like this he wants to say something. When we walk into the house I ask him if he is okay.
“Did you break up with Alden?”
And there it is…
I have dreaded this question because I can see the pain in his eyes. He adores Alden, and I know he loves him as a father figure.
I bend down to him and try to find the words. No matter what I say or how I say it, it’ll hurt him. This is the hard part of parenting. Trying not to break your kid’s heart. As I open my mouth to try to sooth this over, there’s a pounding on the door. I’m certain it’s Alden, who is probably drunk again. I open the door without asking who it was and fall back. There’s a pain in my jaw, and it takes me a second to realize I’ve been hit.
“You think you can hide from me.”
I realize it’s Rocco. He’s in my house.
“Mom!” Kace yells and runs toward me, but Rocco grabs him. Kace is kicking and screaming.
I shake my head and rush over to them. I jump on Rocco’s back and claw at his eyes until he releases my son. “Kace, run. Run as fast as you can.” I order him and he does.
Rocco is becoming more pissed off and he slams me back into the entertainment stand and I cry out in pain. I lose my grip on his face and fall on my ass. He heads for the door. I grab his ankle, tripping him up. He doesn’t completely fall and easily finds his footing again before he turns around and kicks me in the ribs. All the breath leaves me and I gasp to try to find it.
“You took my son away from me. You think you can get your rich fucking boyfriend and take away my son.” He screams at me.
I found air and say, “You hardly ever saw Kace. No one took him from you. You’re an asshole who I don’t want around my son.”
He grabs my hair and pulls me to my feet. I’m fighting back as hard as I can. The last thing I remember is Rocco telling me, “You’ll never have a happy life until I kill you.”