Page 51 of Mr. Aster
I’d never been on the receiving end of their silence because I was the star child—or, as most therapists referred to it in toxic and dysfunctional families, theGolden Child.I’d worked hard to dismiss everythingIwanted in life so I wouldn’t be a burden to my parents, excelling in every way and making them proud of their eldest son.
So, the phone call I was about to make was sure to be one of the most harrowing. It probably would’ve been wise to call Mark or John first, since my brothers had found ways of navigatingthese conversations of letting our parents down easily, but I didn’t want to deal with them, too. And since both of my brothers were alive and well, it wasn’t going to kill me to get this conversation with my father out of the way.
“Hello, Sebastian,” my father said coldly, his tone filled with the disgust I knew he felt for me.
“Yes, hello,” I said, not knowing how to start this conversation. “Well, getting right to it. I’m told you’ve been made aware of my relationship.”
“There is no other reason your mother and I would take time out of our busy schedules to visit in three days.”
“That’s why I’m calling. There’s no reason for either of you to visit. It’s a simple relationship, and?—”
“I’m going to stop you right there,” he said in a tone that silenced me immediately. “The very fact that you do not wish for us to visit is alarming in and of itself. If this were asimplerelationship, then the simple-minded woman you’ve chosen to enter a relationship with would not have called us, and you wouldn’t be trying to interfere with our attempt to find out what the hell is going on in Napa Valley.”
For some bizarre reason I could not explain, it irritated the shit out of me to listen to my dad insult Darcy. He didn’t know her, and it was fucking rude—and typical of my family—of him to say such a demeaning thing about someone he’d never met. Granted, I didn’t really know Darcy all that well, either, but I wouldn’t refer to her as simple-minded.
“All I’m saying is that it’s not worth a visit,” I snapped. “There is nothing serious about the relationship that would warrant you and Mother coming here and attempting to scare her off of any hopes and dreams of being part of our family.”
“I want to know what is going on with you, Sebastian. First, and understandably, you completely checked out on us after Melissa passed. I sent you out there hoping it might put somewind in your sails again, giving you an opportunity to readjust and live again. The first chance you get, you wind up in a relationship instead of doing the job that Mr. Mitchell and I expect for that failing business.”
“I’m doing just that. Being with Darcy has helped encourage thewind to fill my sailsagain. I imagined that you and Mother would be happy for me to walk amongst the living these days, not buried with my wife at Green-Wood cemetery.”
“That you are revitalized is something your mother and I are pleased about, so do not twist my words to mock me.”
“Stop pretending this situation is black and white,” I said. “The simple fact that you want my girlfriend to fix the family name by writing an article says more about our family than it does about me dating her.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You know what it means.”
“Very well, then,” he snarled. “We wouldn’thaveto stoop to the levels of tabloids to clean up our name within our circle of friends if you and your brothers could manage your dicks around women you know better than to associate with. It is bad enough that you boys entertain these women as friends, but that’s not enough for you ungrateful children. You won’t be happy until you’ve fucked them and brought the trash into our home.”
I immediately hung up the phone after that line of bullshit. My fatherneverspoke to me in that manner. He was disgusted and repulsed by me, Darcy, and anyone else associated with this winery. I was shocked he hadn’t backed out of the business deal with Mitchell at this point.
I wondered if going through this fake relationship bullshit was worth it. I wasn’t going to sit around and be verbally assaulted by my father, and I sure as fuck wasn’t planning on being around while he was at the winery, sniffing around and insulting this place and family even more than I’d already done.
I needed to leave, and I planned to take the woman who’d put a smile on my face last night—something that’d given me the most peaceful sleep in far too long.
I had to think of something quick. I could hire a private helicopter to take us out of the area for the week my parents would be here, but I couldn’t leave Billy and Tina without first telling them not to take anything my parents said personally. I would press them to be themselves because the more uncomfortable my parents were while they were here, the quicker they would leave.
The winery would be okay while I was gone, too. I hadn’t felt this light in years, and I wasn’t going to have that ruined because my parents overreacted when it came to things their sons did outside of their wishes or control.
I owed them no excuses, but I would let them know that Darcy and I were going away for the week, so they might as well not waste their time visiting. Hopefully, it would end their trip before it started, but I highly doubted that would be the case.
Instead of calling my father back, I chose to send a simple and direct text:
Sebastian: Darcy and I won’t be here the week you and Mom plan to arrive. If we don’t see you before the charity event, I hope your stay is to your liking.
As expected, my dad didn’t respond, so I jumped in the shower, cleared my head, and made plans for Darcy and me to be gone for the next week. I had a feeling she and I would do better on a more casual level with me throwing business to the side for a while and doing what my father had hoped I would do when he sent me to live out here.
I wouldn’t leave if I thought this place needed my supervision, but I knew it would be fine. I needed to clear my head, and when Darcy was half-agreeable, I enjoyed how I felt in her presence. Maybe I was just ready to get out of this dark place in my life; regardless, something told me she was the answer.
Unlike what my parents thought, I knew this wasn’t a real relationship. We would just have fun like last night—nothing weird.
Maybe she could even learn enough about me for her article so I wouldn’t have to waste my time sitting down with her and Juniper to answer mundane questions about myself.
It was another win-win situation.
After my shower, I waltzed into the kitchen in full role-play mode, ready to pop this surprise on my fake girlfriend. Just as I’d hoped, she was having breakfast with her mom.
