Wrong For You (Before You Series Book 3) (15 page)

Chapter Nineteen

“So, I’ve made a decision,” Violet said after she took a sip of wine.

Violet looked at Alec over the rim of her wine glass. Belatedly, she realized she still didn’t have the desire to drink alcohol after her night of overindulgence last week. She set it back down on the table, twisting the stem nervously.

They were at a small Italian restaurant near the University. Violet had met her mom for coffee after work to tell her the news and Alec asked if she wanted to meet him for dinner instead of eating at home. So here they were at a crowded restaurant in a back booth.

“A decision about what?” Alec asked, pouring his beer from the bottle into a mug.

“I’m going to apply to law school this fall.”

“What about the Foundation?”

“Now that it’s adequately funded, I feel okay walking away for a couple of years to get my law degree. I’ll still help in the summers and during any breaks.”

Alec nodded, but she couldn’t see his eyes.

“Why are you wearing your sunglasses and that hat inside?”

Grinning, he shrugged. “I like them. Don’t you?”

“They’re okay, but they make you look like you’re hiding from someone.”

For the briefest moment, his smile faltered and then he slipped off his sunglasses, but not before he lowered the brim of his hat. “Better?”

“Yes.”

He lifted his mug of beer and tipped it toward her. “Well, I guess congratulations are in order.”

She laughed and lifted her wine glass to tap his mug. “I think that’s a little premature. I still have to take the LSAT and get in somewhere.”

“I’m sure it won’t be a problem. Are you going to stay here and go to the University of Montana?”

Violet blinked and then tapped her fingers on the table. “I wish, but my parents are pushing for me to go to their alma mater, and as amazing as that would be, I’m a little nervous about the whole idea.” She took a deep breath and exhaled, nervous about the thought of living anywhere but Montana.

“Where’d they go?”

“UCLA.”

“Wow. That would be a change,” Alec said.

“I know. I’ve lived here my whole life and I think I’d feel totally out of place there.” She leaned back against the booth, contemplating leaving. “I just don’t think I’ll fit in, not that I know from first hand experience or anything. But—”

“But?”

“Going there would really kick start my career. I’d have a lot of contacts…more than I’d make here, and I’d have a better launching pad to make a difference with troubled kids.” She paused. “But it’d be weird to leave Montana, my brother, and Annette. They’ve been the constants in my life since I was a kid…no, since I was born. I can’t remember life without them.”

She chewed her lower lip and then he reached across the table, squeezing her hand briefly. “You’ll be fine. It’s not as bad as you’re imagining. There are lots of different kinds of people in LA, not just the kind you’re thinking.”

She nodded absently. “I hope so.”

“I’m there. Am I that bad?” He smiled softly.

“No.”

“You’ll find friends.”

“I might just stay here. Montana has a respectable law school.” Her eyes flickered away quickly. As dumb as it sounded, she wanted him to offer to hang out when she moved there and at least remain friends, but he didn’t and that said a lot about the path of their relationship. She blew out a forceful breath, trying to redirect her thoughts. Alec didn’t promise a relationship or even a friendship after he left. “Speaking of LA, did you decide when you’re leaving?”

“Friday.”

A pang of something resembling disappointment ripped through her chest, which was completely stupid because they both knew this relationship was temporary. He had to go home eventually. Trying to regroup one more time, she forced her lips to smile, but it felt suspiciously like a grimace. “Right. Of course. The month ends on Sunday.”

“I wanted to stay through the weekend, but I can’t. I need to go back. Pressing work…and all.”

“I can’t imagine how you got your boss to agree to let you leave for this long.”

“True. I shouldn’t push my luck. He’s a slave driver and he wants to meet Saturday morning to catch up on some things.”

“That’s only a couple days away.”

Falling silent again, they stared at each other across the booth.

“Yeah,” he finally answered. “I probably won’t go back to the Foundation again. I have a few things I need to take care of before I leave.”

“Your mom and dad,” she blurted out before she could stop herself.

“Something like that.”

“What are you going to say?”

He leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. “We’ll talk about family stuff.”

“Family stuff,” she mocked, but she smiled so he realized she didn’t have any hard feelings about his evasive answer. “You know what?”

He raised his eyebrows.

She pointed at him, waving her finger back and forth. “You owe me a question.”

“Huh? I need to ask you a question?”

“Oh,” she said, drawing out the word, leaning forward, her elbows resting on the edge of the rectangular table. “You’re going to play dumb.”

His lips twitched. “I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.”

“Music room. The Foundation. One question. Does that ring any bells?”

“Yeah, you against the wall, your mouth parted, your legs wrapped around me—”

“Oh my God.” Her arm shot out across the table and she slapped her hand over his mouth. “I was talking about the part where you promised an answer to one of my questions and you tried to divert me from asking anything by…” she lowered her voice as her eyes darted around the restaurant. “Seducing me.”

“Oh that,” he said, chuckling when she pulled her hand away. “What do you want to know?”

“What you’re going to do about your mom and dad.”

He exhaled. “I’m talking to my dad tomorrow. We’re going to meet for breakfast, and my mom…” He shook his head. “I’m done with her. I don’t want to see her. She always manages to pile more shit on me and I’m done with it. I can’t let her in my life again.”

“Yeah, I can understand that. Are you nervous about seeing your dad?”

“Not nervous, but I’m not looking forward to it.”

“Do you want me to come? I could be a buffer.”

“You have to work.”

“It’s breakfast. I can take the morning off.”

“No. As much as I don’t want to, I need to do this alone.”

Violet leaned back and pushed her spaghetti around on her plate with her fork. “Okay. You’re probably right, but I could wait at a nearby coffee shop if things get crazy.”

“You’d do that?”

“Of course. I don’t want you to feel alone. If you need me, you can text me and I’ll be there in a minute.” He hadn’t talked to his dad in a long time, and from Alec’s behavior, she could tell that the meeting might not be amicable.

Alec rubbed his fingers together, his rings clanking against each other. “You know what, why don’t you come in with me and I’ll introduce you and you can tell me you’ll pick me up in an hour.”

“Sure, but why?”

“It’ll give me an out. I’ll have a definitive ending to the meet and greet with him.”

“Okay, but don’t you think you’ll need longer than an hour? You said you hadn’t seen him for a really long time.”

“Is this still part of the one question?”

“Sure, if that means you’ll answer it.”

He rubbed his face with the palm of his hand and she didn’t think he’d answer.

“The first ten years of my life were pretty normal. I had a mom, a dad, and a younger sister that I loved from the moment my parents brought her home.”

“What happened?” she asked, keeping her voice soft.

Alec chugged the rest of his beer. “I came home after school and my mom was fighting with some man about me. He said he knew I was his.”

“His biological child.”

Alec nodded. “I hid so my mom wouldn’t realize I was home, and when he left I didn’t question her about it. I wanted to ask my dad—or the man I thought was my dad. When I did, he confronted my mom, and while their relationship wasn’t all rosy and easy going, their fight that night was volcanic. My dad finally stormed out of the house. He died less than an hour later in a car accident.” Alec shook his head. “After that, everything fell apart. My mom drank so much she couldn’t hold down a job. I don’t even know how my mom managed to keep a roof over our head. Sometimes she didn’t come home for days at a time and I was left with a little sister to take care of.”

“Alec…” She reached across the table, grabbing his hand and refusing to let go. “I’m so sorry. Did your real dad help you?”

His shook his head, his eyes empty, dark, and swirling with a sinister sadness. “I asked for his help once and his wife told me to never come back.”

“Are you sure you want to see him now?”

“No.” He laughed bitterly. “But my mom claims that she had a restraining order against him so he couldn’t contact me, but that’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

“What do you know about him?”

“Other than the fact that they were brothers…not a lot.”

“Who?”

“My biological dad and the man I thought was my dad.”

For a second she couldn’t say anything—she just chewed her lip as she watched his stoic face. He had carefully wiped his face clean of any emotion as he stared at her. It was shocking, but she’d heard a lot of shocking stories since she’d started working for the Foundation. “Wow. That’s fucked up. Your mom’s a real piece of work.”

He chuckled and his dark eyes lightened a bit. “I know.” He pulled his hand away from her and dropped it in his lap. “So anyway…will you help me tomorrow?”

She looked into his deep blue eyes and saw a person worth helping. She never walked away from someone in need if it was in her power to help and she wouldn’t start now. “I’ll help any way I can.”

Chapter Twenty

It’d taken Alec nearly a full week to set up a mutually agreeable meeting place and time with Brad. Granted, he canceled the first meeting because he wasn’t ready to talk to him, but now that Jax demanded a band meeting this weekend, he didn’t have a choice. Since Brad hadn’t made any effort to contact him in the last sixteen years of his life, he figured he didn’t have to be too accommodating of Brad’s schedule and he didn’t go out of his way to push the meeting or make it happen.

The only reason why he hadn’t blown off Brad was because he didn’t want this family shit hanging over his head and shifting his focus away from the recording sessions next week. Chasing Ruin needed to pull out all the stops if they wanted their new album to be as successful as their first.

Thus, on Wednesday morning, two days before he planned to drive back to LA, he found himself walking into a small diner, his hand intertwined with Violet’s while having serious second thoughts about meeting Brad or letting Violet leave him alone with Brad for an hour.

Last night, he didn’t go back to his temporary basement and stare at the ceiling waiting for nine in the morning to roll around. Instead, he opted to stay at Violet’s house, in her bed, with his arms holding her next to him. She didn’t press him for answers about his uncharacteristic behavior, but she probably didn’t have to. She knew.

“Brad,” he said, pausing by a table near the back corner. Alec visibly relaxed. At least they’d have some privacy for the conversation, instead of being front and center where someone could recognize him or overhear the impending incredibly awkward conversation. He hadn’t set his eyes on Brad since the day he confronted his mom over sixteen years ago. Unlike his mom, the years had been kind to him. He looked nearly the same with the exception of the deep lines that bracketed his eyes and mouth.

“Alec,” Brad responded, his voice thick with emotion and his eyes pained.

Alec didn’t say another word and he squeezed Violet’s hand even harder, but she didn’t complain.

“Do we need another chair?” Brad nodded in Violet’s direction.

Alec looked toward Violet, taking in her pale eyes that looked almost silver in the morning light. Her cute cupid lips pulled into a smile that brought out the identical dimples. Even now, she took his breath away. He turned back to Brad. “No. Violet isn’t staying.”

She squeezed his hand before slipping it out of his hold. “I’m Violet Emerson,” she said, holding her hand out to Brad.

“Brad Reed,” he responded, shaking her hand.

“Nice to meet you. Alec, I’ll be back in an hour.” She kissed him on his cheek and patted him on his back before exiting the restaurant.

“Is she your girlfriend?” Brad asked when they sat down.

“Why?”

“She seems like a nice girl.”

“Too nice for me, you mean,” Alec snapped.

Brad held up his hands. “I didn’t mean that. I meant it as an icebreaker.”

“Well, Violet isn’t any of your business.” Alec scanned the menu in front of him ignoring Brad altogether while they sat in awkward silence until the waitress appeared.

“Are you ready to order?” she asked, pulling a pen from behind her ear. She was older, if her gray hair was any indication, which meant he wouldn’t have to deal with her recognizing him. She definitely wasn’t part of the Chasing Ruin demographic.

“You go first,” Alec said.

“I’ll have the country omelet and a cup of coffee.”

The waitress looked pointedly at him. “And you?”

“What are the pancakes of the day?”

The waitress chewed on the end of her pen for a moment. “Huckleberry.”

Alec chuckled. “Seriously?

The waitress rolled her eyes. “Yes. This is Montana in the summer.”

“No. I wasn’t criticizing. I’ll have the huckleberry pancakes and coffee.” Pancakes weren’t normally his first choice, but they were Violet’s favorite, so he had to taste them.

When the waitress walked away, Alec leaned back in his chair, stretched out his legs to the side, and crossed his ankles. “So my mom said you wanted to talk.”

Brad sighed, weariness seeping out of every pore. “You’re probably curious why I wanted to meet after all this time.”

“We could start there.”

“My sons were going through some papers and found your birth certificate and the restraining order against me. Did your mom tell you about that?”

Alec swallowed, his throat suddenly thick with too much emotion. He didn’t realize he had half-brothers. “She mentioned it. I didn’t know if it was true. She’s not exactly a beacon of honesty.”

He nodded and pulled some papers from his briefcase resting on an empty chair next to him. He slid the papers in front Alec. “Here. You can see it for yourself. You don’t have to take my words at face value.”

Alec didn’t move for a few moments, as he tried to convince himself he didn’t care, but in the end, his curiosity won out. He scanned through the documents, noting the accusations of threats of physical harm against him and his mom. Shrugging, he slid them back to Brad when he’d seen enough. “What do you want me to do? Give you an award for staying out of our lives and not challenging the lies in there?”

“No. I want you to understand why I stayed away. I had gotten married and my wife was scared and pregnant with twins, your brothers, and I didn’t want to put her through a bitter legal battle. It was a high risk pregnancy.”

Alec folded his arms across his chest and lifted one eyebrow. “Do you want me to say you made the right choice so you can be absolved of the shit my mom put me through?” He tried not to get so pissed that he couldn’t finish the conversation, but he didn’t need another person asking for forgiveness. First his mom and now the father who couldn’t be bothered with the fact that his bastard son didn’t have food to eat for days on end as a kid.

“No.” He dropped his head and a flush slid up his neck. “I just want you to know why I didn’t do anything when Jim died.”

“Great, and what about the years after Jim died when my mom didn’t come home for days at a time because she was too drunk or stoned to remember she had kids?” Alec slammed his hands on the table. “Or better yet, what about when I stopped by your house asking for money because my sister and I hadn’t eaten for days and your precious wife slammed the door in my face?”

Brad’s face paled. “I didn’t know about that,” Brad said, his voice low and shaky.

Alec scoffed. “Well then, you’re dumber than I thought. I shouldn’t have expected anything else, though. I mean who fucks their brother’s wife and then lets that same woman outmaneuver him with some bullshit restraining order? She was a fucking alcoholic, drug addict…give me a break.” He pulled out his phone and texted Violet to pick him up. This conversation was a dead end. He couldn’t stand the thought of spending another thirty minutes listening to Brad’s excuses.

“Cecilia wasn’t Jim’s wife when I was with her. She was always my girlfriend, not Jim’s, and even when I left for college, we stayed together, but then I came home one Christmas break and my parents told me that Cecilia and Jim had married.” He looked away, looking weary. “I get why she did it, but it hurt.”

“What?” He never heard any of that information before, but it made sense.

Brad took a deep breath, apparently fortifying himself. “I understand why your mom picked Jim over me and why she tricked him into believing you were his.”

Alec locked eyes with Brad, cocking one eyebrow, refusing to ask the obvious question hanging between them.

“I was in college, but I was a total fuck up then. I drank. I cheated on Cecilia. I smoked pot all day long. I barely passed my classes and I didn’t give a shit about anyone except me and my band.”

“You played in a band?” Alec asked, feeling a mixture of emotions rushing through him at the discovery that Brad played in a band once, too.

He nodded, but didn’t say anything further about his band. “I thought I loved Cecilia, but I didn’t…not really, anyway. We’d been together since the ninth grade. I took her for granted and assumed she’d be waiting when I was ready to clean up my act. Unfortunately, it took her marrying Jim for that to happen. Jim was my polar opposite. He stayed close to home for college. He was responsible and got good grades and he’d been in love with Cecilia for a long as I could remember. For her, marrying him was a no-brainer.”

“So why did you interfere?” Alec spoke in a low tone, feigning indifference.

“I didn’t realize you were mine until Cecilia drunkenly confessed it to me at my wedding. Two weeks later, I forced her to get a paternity test and I confronted her about custody the day after I received the results—the day Jim…died.” His voice dropped on the last word and sadness flashed across his face.

Alec’s stomach rolled at the reference to that day. In his mind, he still couldn’t process that he didn’t cause Jim’s death. It didn’t matter what the Foundation’s counselors said to him as a kid and it didn’t matter what the five hundred dollar an hour therapists told him in LA. Jim would still be alive and Taylor would still have her dad if it weren’t for him and his big mouth. “You should’ve left us alone.”

“Maybe, but from the minute I found out you were mine for sure, I wanted you to be a part of my life. I couldn’t stand the idea of Jim raising my son.” His eyes met Alec’s and Alec studied his face, the same nose, the same chin and so many little things that resembled his except the eyes. Those were identical to his mom’s.

Alec looked toward the entrance of the restaurant. “That’s total bullshit. If you cared, you would have fought for me after Jim died.”

“I thought I’d already caused enough harm, so I didn’t fight…I gave up too easily.”

“You know, I don’t think I’m hungry after all. I think I’ll take my breakfast to go.” Alec pulled out his wallet and slapped a fifty on the table. “This should cover it.”

“Wait,” Brad said, grabbing his wrist. “Your brothers want to meet you. They love music just like you, and I think it’d be good for all of you to get to know each other.”

“Wait. Let me think about this. You want to apologize to me for being too big of a coward to be a father to me, but now you want me to be a part of your sons’ lives. The same sons who probably had regular meals on their table, who didn’t have a mother who told them she should have aborted him, who didn’t have a mother who dragged drunken assholes back to the house to physically abuse him and his sister.” He took a deep breath, trying to calm the fire rushing through his veins.

“I didn’t know any of that. When I gave Cecilia her check every month, she told me you were both fine.”

Alec stood up. At least he knew how his mom managed to keep the house and maintain her addiction despite her joblessness. “You gave her money?”

“Of course I did.” Brad sighed. “If I had any idea she wasn’t the mother she pretended to be, I would have fought for you and your sister with everything I had.”

“Maybe you didn’t want to know. I’m sure it made your life and your marriage a lot less complicated without Taylor and me in it. I was an inconvenient fact that you wanted to sweep under the rug with a couple dollars every month.”

Just then the waitress placed their food on the table. “Can I get that to go?” Alec asked, his eyes never leaving Brad’s.

“Sure thing.” She picked up his plate and left.

Brad grabbed an envelope from inside his briefcase. “This is from Jayden, one of your brothers.”

Alec looked at the crisp white envelope with his name on it. For a second, he wanted to throw it back in Brad’s face, but he didn’t have the energy. “What does it say?”

Brad shrugged. “He didn’t tell me.”

“Thanks.” He slipped it into his back pocket.

“You ready?” Violet said in her soft, almost angelic voice as she laced her fingers between his. The tension that had been building over the last forty minutes melted away and he felt a million times better, but Violet always made him feel that way. Within a matter of weeks, she had wormed her way into his heart so deep, he didn’t think he’d ever get her out and maybe that wasn’t so bad. He could get used to having her there.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

“Alec, I’m proud of you and everything you’ve accomplished, even more so now that I know what you faced,” Brad said.

Alec nodded, pulling Violet by her hand away from the table.

“I’m really sorry about not being there for you and your sister when you needed me, but if you need me in the future, I’ll be there for you this time. I have no right to request this of you, but I’d love a second chance, and your brothers would love to have you in their life.” Alec started shaking his head, ready to deny Brad, but then Violet squeezed his hand and he smiled down at her.

“Well, at least think about it. I’ll understand if you can’t.” The hope shining from Brad’s face reminded Alec of the hope he felt looking at Violet at that instant.

“Okay,” Alec said. “But I can’t promise anything.” His throat felt constricted and dry.

When he made it to the parking lot, Violet circled her arms around his waist. “Are you okay?”