Page 42 of Claiming What's Mine

“You know dad, there were times he flaked out, but not all of them.” Curling her arms around her waist, she twisted back to look at the house. “He used to ask me about you, you know that?”

“Don't, Beth.”

“Don't what?”

“Don't be that person who builds him up to be something he wasn't. He wasn't a hero, he wasn't a selfless person, he wasn't even a father for Christ sake's.”

“Jayden, come on, there has to be at least one good memory you can think of.”

“Nope, can't think of any.”

“Stop it—” shoving my shoulder, she laughed awkwardly. “There has to be at least one. I know who he was, but even the worst of people have some good in them.”

Rolling my eyes, I started walking towards the door. “I told you I'd come back for this, but don't try and make me act as if we lost someone I cared about. I'm here for you and that's it, I could give two shits about that man.”

Pulling open the door, I let it crash closed behind me.

I was doing my brotherly duty for my little sister. I was following through with my word, because God damn it, someone in her life had to. But I wasn't going to stand there and try to create good memories about our father from a pile of garbage.

If she wanted me to pretend, I wouldn't.

If she expected me to create a fictional happy thought just to make her happy, I wouldn't.

No amount of time could make me forget how he treated us, even in death, my father was a bastard.

Chapter Twelve

Blue

––––––––

There he was, juststanding there in front of the coffee shop. I couldn't believe my eyes, I had to rub them a few times just to make sure it wasn't some trick my mind was playing on me.

Is it really him? It can't be. . . can it?

Oh my God, it's actually him.

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