Page 91 of Replay

“I'm so sorry, Will. I'm sorry I wasn’t there for you. I'm speechless as it is right now. I can’t imagine hearing those words from that woman’s mouth,” Nate says, his tone full of anguish.

“You wouldn’t have been able to prevent it… I feel like she was holding on to that ammunition, just waiting for the right moment to unload it,” she sniffles, then dabs her eyes with a tissue I hand her.

“That fucking bitch. How dare she unleash that on you. Of course, she would use that knowledge as a weapon and not sit you down and have a civilized talk like a parent should. I’ve known for quite some time I no longer wanted that woman in my life. But after today, after what she did to you… I couldn’t care less if I ever see her again,” Nate roars his frustration.

“I can’t believe this… I mean, I can, knowing their history, but still, I was only three years old. What a piece of shit,” I say the last bit more to myself than to them. All this time…I’ve had a sister. My father had to have known…and he never said a word. How could he do this to my mom? To me? To Willow? Not to mention, poor Mr. Outlaw. He loves his children more than any man I’ve ever met. His heart must be breaking…or did he already know the truth?

“I'm sorry to unload this on you both like this, but I didn’t know what else to do. I couldn’t show up to your game after hearing that; I knew that if you saw my face, you’d immediately know something was off. I’m sorry I lied, I may not have been physically sick but I felt like I was after I left her house. My head hasn’t been right since,” Willow confesses with another sniffle.

Nate pulls her into his chest again. “Shhh, don’t apologize, I get it. I was so fucking worried about you when I didn’t see you in the stands, and Dad sent some elusive texts today that had me on edge. Speaking of, have you talked to him? What’s he saying about all this? Do we even know it’s true?”

Her head bows slightly. “Yeah, I called him as soon as I left Mom's. I was so distraught, I didn't know who I should talk to. I didn't want to unleash on him, but deep down, I had a feeling he already knew. Still, when I told him, he got really quiet. I drove straight home to talk to him, and he was waiting on the porch for me when I got there. He was quiet for several minutes before he started crying as he hugged me. He let me know how much he loves me and that it doesn't matter who my biological father is; he will always be my dad, and he will always be there for me, no matter what. He wants us all to talk about it, but he didn’t want to ruin your game weekend. I didn’t tell him I was coming here. I just needed to see you both.”

I have a half-sister, and she’s Nate’s half-sister as well.

Leaning across the gap between the two beds, I wrap my arms around Willow. Her body shakes as all the revelations from the day seep in. “We’ll figure this all out. I promise, okay? I love you,” I whisper into her hair as she hugs me back.

My mind reels with so many emotions; I’m unsure what to do with myself. But I know one thing that must be done, and it’s something I’ve been putting off for way too long.

I stand abruptly, and Nate’s attention flies to me. “I-I'm going to leave you two to talk for a bit. I need to go do something…”

He eyes me for a moment, and then his attention is back on Willow, where it should be. I'm thankful for the distraction,since I know he would want to be by my side for where I'm going. But I need to face this on my own.

The crunching of the gravel driveway announces my arrival. I’ve been trying my best to string cohesive thoughts together during the forty-five-minute drive over here. I'm halfway up the front steps when the screen door opens, and my father steps outside.

Now, I’m not a violent person by any means, but seeing his face right now makes me want to throw my best right hook at him. He eyes me for a moment, and I wonder if he can see the anger radiating from every pore in my body. “Baby, you’ve finally come to visit me,” he says, stepping outside and letting the porch door swing close behind him.

“Don’t you darebabyme. Not right now.”

“What’s wrong? What happened?” he asks, concern etching his face, but I can also see he’s bracing for whatever wrath I'm about to unleash. How could he not? I haven’t spoken a word to him in months, and I just show up out of the blue.

“When were you going to tell me? Huh? Or did you want to try to bury that secret, along with your long list of fuckery you’ve done to our family over the years?” I poke my finger into his chest, pressing harder with every word. Tears prick my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall.

“You watch your tone with me, young lady,” he demands, taking a step back from me. “And keep your voice down.” Making sure Angela isn’t within range to hear me, he peeks inside the house.

I stare at him for a few moments, leaving the window open for him to air out any of his grievances, but he stays silent.Fuck this.

“How long? How long did you know Willow was my sister?” I explode, my arms crossing over my chest. The position gives me the shield I need to have this conversation.

He startles at my revelation; guess he didn’t think that secret would get out. “Baby, I?—”

I hold up my hand, stopping the excuses I know he was trying to come up with. “Was it weird watching Nate and I fall in love, knowing you were fucking his mom all along?”

“Berkley Jay Black, you do not speak to me like that. I will not stand for such disrespect.”

I scoff at his attempt to scold me. “You lost my respect the moment I realized what kind of man you truly are.”

He stiffens, turns, and looks inside the house once again. It's funny how he’d rather have this conversation outside than in the privacy of his own home. I guess he’d like Angela to remain in the dark about his past. But how could she? Their current relationship was built on their indiscretions.

“So, Angela doesn’t know?”

He shakes his head.

“About what, exactly? That you cheated on your wife for God knows how long? That you have another child who no one was made aware of? Or that you’re still probably fucking around with Nate’s mom to this day?”

His hands go up to placate me. “Please, let me explain. But not here…not right now.” He looks so defeated that if I weren’t sopissed, I would possibly feel bad about the way I'm speaking to him.

But the rage inside of me doesn’t give a fuck who hears me. Why should I protect him? All my pain over the last few years is a direct result of his behavior… I don’t owe him anything.

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