“Let him finish, babe.” Trey held her hand, like that would calm her.
Wes glanced at him, then back at her. “I’m not sure.”
“Honey.” She sighed. “You’re seventeen. Nobody knows for sure what they want to do at that age. But you have to start with some kind of plan. You can always make adjustments later. But I know you. I’m sure you’ll find business is your thing once—”
“I’m not going to school.”
His words smacked her. She felt a ringing in her ears. It took her a moment to regroup. “What are you saying?”
“I’m not going to school in the fall. I’m taking a year off.”
She looked over at Trey. Was he hearing this? Why wasn’t he saying anything . . . trying to set Wes straight? He just gazed at her with those loving eyes, as if he didn’t realize the sky was falling around them. The whole damn world had gone crazy. “So, what? You going to get a job in fast food, then spend the rest of your time partying? Is that what you want out of life?”
“It’s not like that!” Wes yelled. “If you’d just listen to—”
“Where is all this bullshit coming from?”
“Sit down and let him explain.” Trey’s voice was calm, but firm. Hopefully, he had a plan to shut this down.
She sat, but her back and neck were so tight she might as well have been standing like a soldier. Locking her fingers together in a death grip, she said, “Fine. Let’s hear this great plan of yours.”
Hurt and pleading filled Wes’s eyes, but she had no sympathy to offer. Then, he stood up with determination. “I’ve talked to Jurek. He’s taking the year off as well. We’re going to travel through Europe and Asia.”
What the fuck?
He must have noticed Sue’s brows shooting to the roof, because he immediately added, “We’re only going to those countries the US considers safe. We’re not stupid.”
A sick laugh escaped. “I beg to differ.” She ignored the anger and rebellion on her son’s face. “So this extended holiday is going to show you what you want to be when you grow up? For God’s sake, Wes, do you think you’re going to have some great epiphany as you drink your way across two continents?”
Wes dropped his head, but when he looked up, there was no sign of defeat. In fact, he seemed that much more determined. “Trey said he’s learned a lot living in different countries.”
“I’m sure he has. But Trey was working when he was in all of those places . . . as a surgeon, with his degrees. He wasn’t just hanging out with his buddy for the hell of it.” Realizing the delusional child who’d infiltrated Wes’s body wasn’t listening, she turned to Trey. “You tell him. Knock some sense into this kid.”
But Trey didn’t set him straight. Instead, he grabbed her hand. “I think once you calm down and think this through, you’ll see this isn’t such a terrible idea. We’re talking one year.”
His words knocked the breath out of her. He was supposed to be her partner, but instead, he’d just stabbed her in the back. Her heart sank. Like everything else, she’d have to fight this one alone. She rose from her chair, slowly this time, her fury barely contained.
“This fantasy of yours is done,” she said, pointing a finger at Wes. “You’re not going, and that’s final. If you have to have some year of self-discovery, fine. Pick whatever college you want. Take a damn art class. End up with a half-ass degree and work for nothing like the rest of us. But you are not, absolutely not going to take some year-long spring break.”
“You can’t tell me what to do, Mom. I’ll be eighteen next month. I can make my own choices.”
Oh, no you didn’t. “Oh yeah? Well, tell me this, big man, if you’re so independent, how are you going to pay for this extended holiday? And when you finally come to your senses—and God, I pray it’s sooner than later—how are you going to pay for your school when the scholarships have been pulled? There’s only so much in your college account, and I’ll be damned if you get a penny of it to slack off.”
“I don’t need your money or the college account. Trey offered to cover my expenses for the year.” He looked at Trey. “But I’m paying him back when I get a job.”
“What?!” She turned to Trey in disbelief, but he was facing Wes.
“I told you, Wes, it’s not a loan. That money is yours.”
She grabbed the bar for support as realization swept through her. “How long have you two been plotting this?” Wes didn’t say anything. “Is that what tonight is all about? The wine, the lasagna. You were trying to get my guard down, seduce me into accepting this stupid-ass plan?”
“Sue.” Trey reached for her, but she jerked away, knocking over her wine glass. It shattered on the floor, stains of red splashing across the tile and walls. “Are you okay?” He leaned down and gently checked her legs where they were stinging. “Get me a towel, Wes.”
“Leave it alone! That’s the least of my problems.” She backed away, crunching the glass under her heels.
Wes rushed over. “Mom, you’re bleeding. You need—”
The high-pitched shriek of the smoke detector shot through the room. Trey cursed and rushed over to the oven. When he opened the door, acrid smoke poured out. He grabbed potholders and pulled out the pan of lasagna that had bubbled over, a black crust clinging to the outside of the pan.
“Great. Just great.” She had nothing left. And it wasn’t because of her cuts or the shattered glass or the burnt lasagna. She couldn’t face her foolish son or the man who’d betrayed her. She stormed off to her bedroom. Just before she slammed the door, she screamed, “Clean up the mess you’ve made!”
* * *
Trey checked his watch. Sue had been incommunicado for over an hour. He and Wes had cleaned up the kitchen, and then he’d suggested Wes head out for a while. He was grateful when his son called and told him he was staying at Mimi’s for the night. Sue needed to cool down before this discussion could go any further.
Wes had laid out his plan, and hopefully, he’d heard the worst of his mother’s protests. Trey was proud of his boy. Just the short amount of time he’d been in Austin, he could see how set Sue’s plans were for her son. It had taken a great amount of courage for Wes to broach the subject, let alone, make his case. He’d known it would be messy, but Wes had not backed down.
After several attempts at cleaning the lasagna pan, he put it out of its misery and threw it in the trash. Easier to get a new one. The oven was a different matter, but he needed Sue to show him how to run the self-cleaning cycle. He smiled. On second thought, he needed her to find the instruction manual.
He’d lost his appetite, so he grabbed a beer and moved out to the couch. After he finished, he’d check on her. Surely, she’d be in a better mindset.
Speak of the sexy, she-devil. She emerged from the bedroom, surprisingly quiet. But once she moved closer, he realized there was no calm, just a silent rage.
Chapter 47
“Where’s Wes?” Her tone was as icy as her eyes.
“He’s at Mimi’s.”
“Good,” she huffed. “He should be scared.”
He patted the couch beside him. “We need to talk.” She settled on the chair across from him and glared. Reminded him of the night they’d reunited three months earlier.
“There’s nothing to talk about. Wes is not going on some damn fantasy journey of self-discovery. You’re going to stop supporting this crazy idea, and he’ll come around.”
He rubbed the back of his tight neck. This was going to be a tough sale. “It’s one year, babe. It’s not going to make or break his life.”
She bent over, rubbing her temples, and he readied himself for a colorful diatribe. But instead, when she looked up, he caught a shade of vulnerability in her eyes. “You purposely undermined me. How could you do that?”
Is that what she thought? He reached over to hold her hand, but she pulled back. He watched as her shields fell into place. Damn. He thought they’d destroyed that fort weeks ago.
“This idiotic pla
n is going to ruin everything.”
“Wes is years ahead of kids his age. He can take a year off, and he’ll still come out on top. We’ve talked about this for some time. He’s thought it through.”
She shot up, anger blooming in her eyes. “You’ve been plotting this, behind my back?”
“It’s not—”
“Bet you earned some hefty daddy points on this one, huh? An all-expense-paid trip abroad.” She shook her head in disgust. “God, Trey. I never thought you’d sink this low.”
What the fuck? Where was the woman that had teared up with love not two hours earlier? “Stop it, Sue. You’re mad, and you’re talking nonsense. This has nothing to do with buying off Wes, and you know it. This is about doing the right thing for our son.”
“You’ve known him for three months!” She rushed up to him, pointing that wicked finger. “You don’t know shit. You come in here, offering all the freedom in the world, and literally, hand him a blank check. How’s he supposed to make a sound decision? He’s seventeen, Trey. He doesn’t know what’s best for him. And neither do you!”
She stormed into the kitchen, and he followed, finding her filling a glass of water. She took a long sip, then leaned against the counter, looking ready for another round. He wanted to grab her and pull her in, ending the breach between them, but he knew they weren’t done with this battle. Far from it.
He had to set her straight. “From day one, it’s been obvious Wes isn’t excited about college. But it wasn’t until this week that I discovered just how miserable he is.”
She cocked her head, an incredulous look on her face. “He’s not miserable. I’d know if my son were miserable.”
“No, you wouldn’t. That boy is so dedicated to you, Sue. He’d never let you know. He’s been marching down this path for you.”
Staring into her glass, she looked as if she might be taking in his words. But when she faced him, he could see her determination. “Fine. He may be doing it for me, but I can live with that. In the long run, it’s the best thing for him.”
“That’s bullshit. You can’t have your life forced down your throat. I know. I was just like Wes.”
“Exactly,” she said, slamming her glass down. “And now look at you. You’re a doctor, and from what you’ve told me, you love it.”
He ran both hands through his hair, trying to find patience, trying to find the words to make her listen. “Yes, I’m glad I’m a doctor. But for eight years of school, I resented the hell out of having no choice in the matter. It wasn’t until after I decided what I wanted that everything shifted. Hell, Wes may go on to become the next Bill Gates. I have no doubt in his talent. But taking one year off to consider his options will only help him in the long run.”
“I don’t even know why I’m talking to you about this.” She headed back to the living room, but he stayed on her heels.
“We’re talking because we both want what’s best for Wes.”
She spun around, coming within an inch of his face. “There is no ‘we.’ You have no say in this. You gave that up seventeen years ago. You don’t get to make decisions about my son!”
And there it was. The truth they’d been dancing around, trying to bury with love and sex and the pretense of a family. The pain of the revelation knocked him down onto the couch. He searched her eyes, hoping for something that would prove him wrong, but he couldn’t find it. They sat in silence for some time, both reeling from the exchange.
Finally, he forced out the truth. “You can’t do it, can you?”
“What are you talking about?” She crossed her arms, as if this was simply a battle of wills.
“You can’t forgive me.”
She threw up her hands. “What do you expect? You and Wes just sprang this shit on me.”
“I’m not talking about that.” His voice was low and rough, realization taking him down.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“You’ve never forgiven me.”
She didn’t say anything, but the twitch in her eye let him know she understood. She started to speak but hesitated. Her silence was her confirmation. Agony washed over him, and he dropped his head, resting his arms on his thighs, pain burning his chest. When he could muster some words, his voice was hoarse. “All this time, the two of us . . . the three of us. Nothing’s changed. You can’t forgive me.”
He’d finally forgiven himself for his choice. Wes had forgiven him. But she hadn’t, and she probably never could. Hell, he didn’t deserve it, but what they’d built had given him hope. False hope.
“I’m pissed as hell right now. What do you want from me?” She didn’t see the problem. Or refused to.
“I want all of you, Sue. Not just the piece you want to share. I want us to be a family. The three of us. I want to be a father to Wes, not a stepdad that gets to participate when you say so. It can’t work that way.”
She moved next to him, grabbing his hands. “I love you, Trey. You know that. But you have to stop this nonsense about Europe. That’s our only problem. Just tell Wes to forget it.”
He stared at her, studying her face, seeing the pleading in her eyes. God, if only that were the problem. But she was so focused on this issue with Wes she didn’t realize the truth about them. It couldn’t work if she couldn’t forgive him.
And even with that horrible knowledge burning in his gut, he knew he couldn’t back down when it came to Wes. He might have only been a dad for a few months, but he knew from his own experience that Wes needed his help. “I can’t do that, not when I know how miserable our son is.”
She straightened, took a deep breath, then slowly rose. “I can’t talk to you when you’re acting like this. You should go home.”
He scrubbed his hand over his face, then stood up. “I’ll call you tomorrow.” He headed toward the door, but she stopped him.
“As long as you support this fantasy of Wes’s, there’s nothing to discuss.”
“I’ll call you tomorrow.” He walked out, weighed down with misery. They had a ton of shit to resolve, the least of it being about a kid taking a trip.
Chapter 48
Sue heard the front door open. “Sue? It’s Mimi.”
“In here!” She continued scrubbing the oven, attacking the baked-on lasagna.
“Honey, why are you doing that? It’s self-cleaning.”
She glared at her aunt. “I know that, Mimi, but the book says I have to clean up the big chunks before I can run the cycle.” She went back to her work, rubbing frantic circles over the burnt spills, but they didn’t come off. “Dammit! He should be the one cleaning this up. He had no right to come in here and mess up my oven.”
“I don’t think that was his intention, honey.” She heard Mimi pouring a cup of coffee. “I’m sure he was trying to do something nice.”
“That’s bullshit!” She jerked up and banged her head on the top of the oven. “Mother Fuufreakin’ Damn!”
Mimi moved over to help her, but she held out her hand. “Don’t.” She stayed on the floor, resting her arms and then her head on the oven door. When she finally stood up, she stared at Mimi, feeling betrayed yet again. “I appreciate you coming over. I assume you know what’s going on, but I can’t talk about it right now. I love you, and I know you mean well, but I need to be alone.”
Despite her respectful request, Mimi stayed. “I just poured a cup of coffee. You can let me finish that.”
“Fine.” She headed past the woman she loved but couldn’t handle at the moment. “I’ve got to switch out the laundry.”
Mimi grabbed her by the elbow. “That can wait. Sit down and talk to me.”
“Trust me, Mimi, you don’t want to have this conversation right now. If I start, words are going to come out that will send you to a stroke.”
Laughing, Mimi parked on a barstool and patted the one beside her. “Do you really think you could say something I haven’t heard before? Your Uncle Wes was in the Navy, remember?”
Sue didn’t answer
her, refused to look at the woman, but she did sit down. If Mimi’s ears were scalded, she’d been warned. “So, what do you think of Wes’s dumb-ass plan? Can you believe our boy would even consider something so ridiculous?”
Mimi took a sip of coffee. “Not what you had planned, huh?”
Sue jerked her head around. “Not what Wes had planned.”
“Hmm.” Mimi took another drink.
“What? What do you mean ‘hmm’? I hate when you do that.”
“Oh, don’t get your dander up.” She got up and poured another cup of coffee, added three sweeteners, then brought it to her. “Honey, I’m going to tell you something, and I know it’s going to make you blow a gasket, but you need to hear it. So shut your mouth and listen.”
Sue’s hackles shot up, but she didn’t move when Mimi sat down and held her hand. “I want you to think back over the last two months. Do you ever recall Wes bringing up college on his own?”
“We talk about it almost—”
Mimi held up her hand. “Stop. It’s my turn.” Sue bit her tongue, making no attempt to hide her irritation, but the woman continued. “I didn’t ask how many times you all discussed it. I asked how many times he brought it up.” The woman looked far too sure of herself.
Sue pulled her hand away, not feeling the love. “Mimi, he’s a senior. This is his last semester, he’s just having fun. And look at all the time he’s spent with Trey. He’s got too many things going on to think about next year.”
Mimi shook her head, a knowing smile on her face that Sue didn’t like one damn bit. “Do you hear yourself? Honey, I know you didn’t get the typical high school experience, but let me tell you, your normal senior is going to have college on the brain all the time. When your cousin Luke was eighteen, all he could talk about was getting away, living in the dorm, all the girls he’d meet.”
Tired and exasperated, she rubbed her hands over her face. “Mimi, just say what you’re going to say.”
“Wes doesn’t want to go to that school. He doesn’t want to go to any school. Not yet.”
Then He Came Back (Love From Austin Book 2) Page 26
