Page 42 of The Best Kind of Forever
What thehellis he talking about? How does he know that? How does he even know who Hayes is? My father isn’t interested in sports, and I highly doubt he’d pick up a sudden liking for hockey just to deliver this fun little tidbit to me.
My vision is so blurred by the fumes of rage that I don’t even know if my father is telling the truth. This is probably a ruse to make it seem like he cares about me, to lure me back into a false sense of security so I’m dependent on him like I was when I was a child.
How is it that he still continues to torture me, even hundreds of miles away? I expected him to have this power over me when I was little, not when I’m a full-grown woman. I’m tired. I’m tired of all of it.
“Where’s your proof?”
“My proof?”
Shock follows the heel of his words. It’s like my tongue is on a warpath, designed specifically to hurt him. “Yes. A picture? Do you have anything for me? ‘Cause I sure as shit am not taking your words at face value.”
My father’s a serial liar, and Hayes promised me there would be no more secrets between us.
“I don’t need proof. If you were smart, you would take my word for it,” he sneers.
Fury shoehorns its way into my heart. “You haven’t given me a reason to believe a word you’ve said in the past. Why would I believe you now?”
“It would be a mistake if you didn’t. Though you’re pretty familiar with mistakes, aren’t you, Aeris?”
This is not a conversation I’m going to have. I’m not going to give my dad the satisfaction of knowing his words cut me bone deep.
“Goodbye, Michael.”
I’m a second from hanging up, but his last words leave me with an overwhelming fear that refuses to be extinguished.
“He’s not who you think he is.”
19
ALL DOUBT, NO BENEFIT
AERIS
He’s not who you think he is.
I haven’t been able to get those words out of my head. They’ve been circling my thoughts like a vulture waiting for its next meal to drop. I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, I can’t focus on my work.
I’m outside of Hayes’ house right now, but I don’t even know what I’m supposed to say to him. I can’t just walk up and ask, “Hey, you’re not hiding anything from me, are you? Maybe a life-changing secret that’ll show me your true colors?”
I trust Hayes; I do. I mean, yeah, he lied to me about his occupation, but with good reason and explained why. My dad’s just trying to scare me. He’s probably trying to ruin the only good thing I have in my life right now.
I come to my senses and start inching away from the door, but not before I hear it swing open. I freeze in my tracks, slowly turn to look over my shoulder, and try to plaster on the most convincing smile I can.
“Aeris? Did you need something?”
It’s Bristol. Thank God.
“Oh, uh, I…I was just leaving,” I stammer, awkwardly jerking my thumb toward my car. I’m not ready for an interrogation. I’m barely holding it together just standing here.
“You were hanging out on our porch for five minutes…because you were ‘just leaving’?” he asks, leaning his shoulder against the door frame. Does hockey require some kind of height requirement? Why are all hockey players so tall and buff?
Anxiety lights a fuse in my veins, threatening to scorch me to a crisp. “How did you know how long I was out here?”
He gestures to the device next to the door that I somehow didn’t notice.
“Ring Doorbell,” he says, tousling his hair back with a swoop of his hand. “Was pretty helpful when we had that crazed fan turned stalker a few months back.”
Stupid Ring Doorbell.
