Page 65 of Hat Trick
I fucking forgot my dad.
I missed it. The entire day. One I usually spend with Mom.
Oh my god.Mom.
I left her alone. Today of all days.
“Dominic,” Emerson says, his tone harsher now. Ifaintly hear Lil walk across the room behind me just as Emerson grabs the phone from my hand. It takes him a moment to read the texts and make sense of their meaning. But when he does he hisses, “Oh shit.”
“What? What’s wrong?” Lil asks.
Emerson doesn’t answer her, his focus remains solely on me. Lil doesn’t know the significance of today. How could she? I’ve never even told her. But Emerson does. He knows, and he let me forget too.
The rational part of my brain knows that’s not fair. It’smydad and I forgot, so how could I expect him to remember. But the other part of my brain, the one that wants to blame this on them, the part of me thatknewthis wasn’t a good idea, the part that fought against my feelings for so long only to give into them forone day,and this be the consequence… well that part wants to blame the two people standing next to me.
Emerson locks my phone and sets it on the counter in front of me. “Dominic, look at me.”
I don’t. I can’t.
“Will someone tell me what’s going on?” Lil’s tone now sounds just as panicked as Emerson’s.
“Not right now, Liliana!” he snaps. I don’t have to look directly at her to know she’s taken aback by his tone. But he doesn’t console her. Instead, he reaches out to hold my face between his hands. “Dominic.Lookat me.”
He strokes his thumb along my cheekbone, and I finally manage to lock eyes with him. There’s sadness there. Guilt. Like he’s taking just as much responsibility for forgetting this day as I am. “It’s okay,” he soothes.
But his words don’t strike their intended cord. Because it’snotfucking okay.
With a shaky breath, I grip his wrist tightly with both of my hands. Emerson’s eyes widen at the forcefulness of my hold. “I told you I couldn’t do this. I fuckingtold you.And now look. Look what happened, Emerson!” My volume rises with every word I say. Out of my periphery I watch as Lil takes a step back.
“Dom. Baby. It’s?—”
“No!” I shout before throwing his arms down to his sides. “It’s not okay! Don’t you get it?It’s not okay.” My voice cracks as those last three words leave my mouth. I let Mom down. I let Dad down. This can’t fucking happen again. Shaking my head, I take two steps backward toward the door as tears sting my eyes. Emerson’s face morphs from concern to panic. I don’t dare look over at Lil. I know when I do I’ll want to drop to my knees to let her comfort me. But I can’t. I can’t stay here. “I have to go. I can’t do this. It’s–it’s too much,” I say, my words barely audible. Yet, regardless of how quiet I speak, the next two words that leave my lips feel as if someone sets off a bomb in the otherwise quiet apartment. “I’m done.”
Without another word, I spin on my heels, rip open the door, and sprint down the stairwell of Lil’s apartment building, not wanting to risk them catching me as I wait for an elevator. I faintly hear Emerson shouting after me, but I don’t stop.
I can’t stop.
1 Glass House - Sad Version - mgk, Naomi Wild
CHAPTER 40
ONE’S OUT, EVERYONE’S OUT
LILIANA
“Fill me in now, or I’ll call his fucking mother. What the fuck was all of that?!” I practically scream at Emerson once he gets back into my apartment.
Emerson’s pacing back and forth in my little entryway, and I swear to all things holy, I want to shake the answers out of him. What in the hell could have been texted to Dominic to cause a reaction like that? And forbothof them to be this upset. Nope. I don’t like the feeling of this one bit. My stomach rolls at the thought of someone hurting them.
Finally, Emerson heaves a heavy sigh and looks in my direction. “How much do you know about Dom’s dad?”
I think back to the one time Dom opened up about his dad passing. “I know he passed away when Dom was twelve, and his mom raised him as a single mom,but that’s all he’s told me.” My brows pull together as I try to read Emerson’s face. I feel a moment of regret at the fact that I didn’t push Dom for more information about his dad, but I could tell how bad it was hurting Dom to even tell me that much. So I dropped it. More than willing to let him discuss it at his own pace
I watch as Emerson wages an internal war with himself. Silently deciding if he wants to tell me whatever he’s about to tell me. If it’s his place. Eventually, he explains, “He died in his sleep. A heart attack. His Mom woke up to his dead body the next morning. Dom heard her scream. He says the sound of her crying out for help is what he remembers most from that day.” Emerson’s eyes gloss over. “His dad waseverythingto him. He’s never really gotten over it. It’s why, with the exception of me, and well, now you, he’s always kept everyone at arm’s length. It’s why he’s been so adamant on keeping everythingcasual. He’s afraid, Lil.”
“Em…” The tears are already welling in my eyes, as I choke out, “Why wouldn’t either of you tell me this?”
“We figuredMiss No Commitmentherself would’ve never fallen for either of us. Let alone both. And not many people know, and he prefers it that way. It’s never been my story to tell.” The hurt that rips through me at Dom not trusting me with this information when I easily could’ve comforted him if he ever needed it is like a dagger to the chest. But I also know that’s not necessarily logical.
