Page 10 of Reclaiming his Honor
Callie followed his stare until it reached her brother. “He’s angry.”
“I get it.”
She turned back to him. “Not just about you. All the time. He’s angry about everything. He’s just one unhappy guy.”
Mac frowned. Lewis wasn’t like that before he left, and he wondered how big a part his parents’ separation had played in the boy’s personality shift. He watched as Lewis drained his glass, looked pointedly at Mac, then headed for the bar.
The song ended, and he rolled Callie away from him before twirling her back in and thanking her for the dance. She lifted up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Thanks for the dance, Daddy.”
“Superfreak” began playing, a cheer rising up from the crowd as new blood headed for the dance floor.
“Anytime, sweetheart.” Mac smiled at her, then turned toward the bar and his middle child, memories of the boy drifting through his mind. Of all the kids, Lewis was the one who was most like Mac. That meant they shared a special bond, and could fight like nobody’s business. Lewis had been thirteen when Mac left, a rough age on top of a rough situation.
“I asked for a double,” Lewis said to the bartender with a shake of his head. The woman behind the bar wore a tuxedo-like outfit with a dark vest. She didn’t look at Lewis, but poured more liquor into his glass. “Thanks,” he grumbled, stepping back from the bar and noticing Mac in one motion. “Well, look what the cat dragged in.” He turned back to the bartender, addressing Mac over his shoulder. “What’s it gonna be, Pops? Whiskey or scotch?”
The heavy scent of liquor on his breath had Mac instantly concerned. “Tonic and lime.”
“A gin and tonic for the old man over there,” Lewis said to the bartender. She looked to Mac for confirmation.
“Tonic and lime,” he repeated.
Lewis laughed. “You don’t have to pretend in front of me, Mac. We all know how much you like your booze.”
“I stopped.” The bartender passed Mac his drink, and he left her a tip as he picked it up, more than enough to cover his gratuity and his son’s.
“Right. And a leopard changes his fucking spots.”
Lewis pushed off the bar and headed in the opposite direction, toward the now empty buffet and the elaborate, tiered wedding cake.
Mac followed. “I’d like to talk to you.”
Lewis called over his shoulder. “I ain’t got nothing to say to you, old man.”
He bumped into a woman bending over to talk to a group seated at a table and held up his hands. “My bad, ladies. My bad.”
Mac scooted around them carefully. “Sorry,” he told the women. Lewis was getting closer to the cake, and Mac had a sinking feeling in his stomach this wasn’t going to go well. “Hold up, son.”
Lewis spun around quickly, his voice overly loud. “Don’t you fucking call me that.” He stumbled backward.
“I’m sorry, but I would like to talk to you.”
“There ain’t nothing to say.” The boy was even more blitzed than Mac had realized, his eyes bloodshot and his articulation slurred.
“I have things I need to say to you. All you have to do is listen.”
By this point, he knew talking to Lewis would be futile this evening, but he most definitely wanted to get his drunken son away from that cake. He was almost within arm’s reach of it, and Mac was already visualizing it hitting the floor.
Lewis scrunched up his face. “You think you can just walk in here, give Shonda a hug, dance with Callie, and everything will be alright?”
He took a step backward and seemed to lose his balance, heading directly for the cake.
Mac swooped in, grabbing Lewis around the torso and nearly throwing him in the opposite direction. “Careful there, buddy,” he said. “You don’t want to knock over your sister’s wedding cake.”
“Let go of me!” Lewis yelled, though Mac’s hands were already off him. “I ain’t gonna knock over her damn cake. Jesus.”
He took a sip from his glass, nearly draining it in one gulp. “LikeI’m the onewho doesn’t know how to fucking hold my liquor.” He blew out air, spitting scotch over a group of older couples, who yelped in surprise and disgust.
“Come on,” said Mac, moving to put his arm around Lewis. “Let’s talk about this outside.”
