Page 49 of Hothead

He didn’t have time to dwell on that now though. One shitshow at a time. Today’s trauma took precedent.

Using his spare key, he decided not to buzz up and went straight inside the building. Climbing the stairs two at a time until he reached the second floor.

After ringing the bell, he chuckled to himself as he heard feminine curses getting louder and louder through the wood. Before long, he was treated to the sight of a dishevelled-looking Rachel.

“Luke! What are you doing here?”

“Bad time?” His lips quirked.

Not phased in the slightest, Rachel tucked a strand of long red hair behind her ear as a warm smile spread across her face. “Nah, not for you, sugar. Come on in.”

The door widened and he stepped through, following Rachel into the living room. His eyes scanned the surroundings as he took a seat on the L-shaped gray couch. Hunter’s previously muted décor had been replaced with diamanté-covered frames, a huge pink statement wall behind the flatscreen, and his once-empty shelves were teaming with new useless knickknacks.

“Jesus Christ, woman, what the hell have you done to this place?”

Rachel beamed his way as she bounced down next to him. “Did you come here just to critique my decorating skills, or was there an actual reason?”

That’s one of the things he liked about Rachel. He could tease her like one of the guys and she couldn’t care less. It made it easier to be himself around her. Maybe that’s why they’d gotten so close over the past few months. That and Hunter getting shot, of course.

“Actually, I came here for some advice.”

“If it’s about Bella, I love her, and yes, you should ask her to marry you and have lots of babies.”

Not even throwing her his dirtiest look was enough to do that ridiculous statement justice. He threw it anyway.

“Fucking hell, woman.” His hand went through his mop of hair as he continued to shake his head. “No. Just no. It’s not about Bella, it’s about my dad, okay.”

Not hiding her surprise, Rachel twisted on the sofa, giving him her full attention. “Okay?”

“Your dad didn’t want you, right?”

“Gee, Luke, you seriously need to work on your people skills.” When he didn’t reply, she carried on, “Actually, it was my mom who didn’t want me. My dad was just shit.”

He nodded, his gaze dropping to his lap momentarily before he met Rachel’s curious blue eyes again as she studied him.

“My dad didn’t want me,” he croaked. “All my life, I just assumed it was ’cause I was a mistake. That he was never really with my mom, and he didn’t wanna step up after he got her pregnant.” He went silent as Rachel shifted closer, understanding clear on her face. Pushing through the brand-new crack in his voice, he continued, “But then Bella turns up with this letter from Marco. A man I thought was my half brother. Another kid my dad didn’t wanna take responsibility for. And now I don’t know what to think.”

“What did it say? The letter, I mean.”

“A whole hell of a lot. The most fucked up thing being that Marco wasn’t my half brother after all ... his mom was actually my mom, which makes him myfullbrother, I guess.”

“What?” Rachel gasped. “How? Why didn’t anyone tell you? What does that mean?”

“Exactly.” Luke slumped back into the cushions. “How the fuck did I not know that? And what am I supposed to do with that information now? It’s too late. He’s gone. It’s not like we’re gonna be able to bond. And it brings up a whole host of other shit and guilt and unanswered questions.”

“Like?”

He could feel Rachel’s eyes on him, but his gaze was ahead. Not wavering from the flatscreen.

“Like ... I feel guilty for not trying earlier. He came to see me when I was a kid, and I brushed him off. Thinking he was just one of many half-siblings my dad had abandoned. And then there’s the fact that my mom was with my dad. Like in an actual relationship. That’s pretty damn hard to swallow. It means not only did he leave me, but he left her too.”

“Wait ... if Marco was older than you, why didn’t you grow up together until your mom ...?”

“Died?” He finished the sentence for her. “He said in the letter social services removed him. Took away their custody.” His mom was an addict, so Luke assumed that was why Marco had been taken away. Which made sense. What didn’t make sense was why they hadn’t taken him too. Before she’d overdosed.

Rachel let out a few choice curse words next to him before slumping back into the cushions, mirroring his position and staring ahead at the blank screen. They were both quiet after that. It was a good few minutes before his friend finally broke the silence.

“When Marco came to see you, when you were a kid, what happened?”

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