The knocking on my front door pulls me from my current read. The soft thump of base coming from the kids’ rooms tells me that they won’t be answering the door anytime soon, which is fine since I know who it is.
Striding over to the door, I swing it open to find Heath. “Hey,” I say as I step back, allowing him to enter. He looks a little flushed, which is strange since it’s still winter and cold outside. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he says as he passes me. “Is Trevor in his room?”
I close the door. “Yes, they’re both in their rooms, and I think Harper is in with Jenna. How was the trip? I thought you said you wouldn’t be back for at least four more days. That was two days ago.”
“I finished up sooner than I thought,” he says as he continues his way into the living room, stopping in the middle. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t here to deal with what Trevor got himself into. I hate taking on these out of town jobs, but it’s work, and it keeps the door open, especially when things tend to slow down in this area.”
“I know that. It’s not the first out of town job you’ve taken, and I know it’s not going to be the last. Things happen and when they do we handle them.”
“Yeah, we do. I wanted to tell you that after talking to Trevor this morning, you did a great job handling the situation.”
“Well, actually, Liam took him down to the police station to get him set up with his community service. He didn’t want me to go.”
Heath twists his head in my direction. “Why in the hell would you allow a stranger to be a part of something like that, Whitney?”
“He’s not a stranger. I wish you’d stop saying that.”
He grabs his shoulder and squeezes. This isn’t the first time I’ve seen him do this. “You told me that you would handle everything while I was away. You reassured me that you would.” He starts to pace back and forth in my living room. “That’s the only reason why I didn’t come home straight home–”
“Everything is handled.”
He ignores me. “You told me that I needed to learn that I’m not always going to be around and that you’re going to need to handle the big stuff from time to time–”
“I’ve always handled the big stuff. Where is this coming from?”
“But you didn’t handle it, did you? You let your neighbor or whatever the hell he is, handle a situation with my kid. He had no right. You had no right!”
“Heath, you need–”
“I don’t need to do shit!” he roars. “You lost that privilege when you decided that what I was giving you wasn’t good enough.”
My body jerks back. I feel as though he’s just punched me in the gut. I have no idea who to respond to his outburst. He’s so angry.
“Dad?” Trevor comes out of his room with a concerned look on his face. “What’s–”
“Get your stuff. You’re coming home with me.”
Jenna walks out of her room, looking just as upset as Trevor does. I take a step, putting my hand up signaling Trevor to stay where he is. “Now stop it, Heath. I’m not sure what’s got you all riled up, but neither of the kids is going home with you tonight. Neither is the dog for that matter.”
“This is bullshit, Whitney. I can’t trust you to do any of the actual parenting. You’re letting a man I don’t know guide my kids when I’m not around.”
“And you’re jumping to conclusions again.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jenna texting on her phone. She gives Trevor a nod signaling him to walk towards the front door. When he opens it, I see Liam standing there. “Just fucking perfect,” Heath growls. “This is the last thing I need right now.”
“Heath,” Liam approaches him. “I know you’re upset about everything having to do with Trevor. I get it, man.”
“You don’t get shit,” Heath spits back.
“Who are you right now?” I groan. “What happened to the man who kissed me two weeks ago before leaving to work out of town? Where is the man who was freaked out because I didn’t talk to him for three days? I can’t see that man at all right now. You’re a stranger, and I have no idea why.”
“Dad,” Trevor says, “look, I get that you’re upset at me, and I know you don’t like that you had to hear about it over the phone and that there wasn’t really anything you could do about it. I get that I messed up, I didn’t make the best decisions, and I understand that now. I know that I have a lot to make up for and that I have to earn your and Mom’s trust back.”
“He has no business here.” He points his finger at Liam. “This is a family matter.”
“Well, he’s a friend, Dad.” Jenna defends Liam.
“And he happened to see the cops here the other night.” Trevor adds. “That’s all it was. He helped us out with the police. So we talked.”
“I’d rather Trevor talk to Liam than one of his teenaged brained friends, Heath.”
“It doesn’t matter who you have in your corner, son. It doesn’t change that you made poor decisions on more than one account.”
Trevor nods. “I agree with you one hundred percent.” When Trevor looks at me, I give him a small smile, telling him to go back to his room. Once Jenna sees her brother retreating to his room, she does the same.
When Liam hears the double clicking for the doors, he gives his complete attention to Heath. “Listen, Trevor is your son. I have two boys of my own. I know how difficult raising kids can be, and I know that sometimes it takes more than just the parents to help. That’s all I was doing.”
“He’s an open mind, Heath. That’s all he is.”
Heath runs his hand through his hair before dropping it and taking a deep breath. “Fuck, Whit,” he sounds exasperated, “I’m so sorry.” He shakes his head, “You’re right, that wasn’t me. That’s not even me on my worst day. It was uncalled for. It’s just–” he stops himself. “Working out of town, then finding out about Trev, it all just built up. I exploded, and I’m sorry.” His eyes flick to Liam then back to me. “I hate that I wasn’t here. I want to be the one to guide my son.”
“I understand the frustrations.”
“The seven-hour drive didn’t help.”
“I get that too.”
He turns to Liam and sticks out his hand. “Thank you, Liam,” he chokes.
With a swift shake, they both drop hands. “No problem.”
“I’ll be by in the morning to grab Trevor and take him down to the station. Once we’re done, I’ll swing by and grab Harper. Unless you want to keep her.”
“No, you can take her. She has more room with you than with me. But I’d like to visit her more if that’s all right.”
“It’s always all right,” he says with a faint smile on his lips.