Page 97 of Timber's Line
But he’s not Dayton. I might have made a big mistake.
“Maybe, but we can remedy that.” He winks. I giggle.
“I have a bad habit of talking to myself.”
“It’s cute.” We get in the van that will take us to the little diner in town. I like simple. I wish my life was.
We head inside, and I freeze, sending a glare at Silas.
“This was a setup,” I hiss at him.
“Timber, we just want to talk,” Shane says.
“All my life, you all have coddled me. Keeping secrets, bailing me out, warning kids to treat me better.”
“We only wanted to protect you,” Ever starts, and I hold up a hand to silence her.
“I think I know the whole story now. Let’s see if I get it right.” I know I’m seething with anger, but I can’t help it. “The cameras are on because you need ratings, isn’t that right, Uncle Sal?” I had clocked the cameras in the back the minute I walked in, and now, I watch him tell the cameraman to pack it up.
“Timber.” My dad starts to stand up.
“No, I’m talking. You aren’t my dad, even if you were the stand-in. You didn’t know how bad it was for me at home. My mother acted all nice and sweet when you were around, but as soon as your back was turned, I was a disappointment, unwanted. It makes sense now—I was pawned off on you, and she made sure I knew it. Do you know what that does to a girl? It makes her a cutter, makes her feel weak. Since all of you tried to protect me instead of trying to let me fight my own battles, that is what I became. I cut myself to feel something other than the pain in my chest, dear old Dad. Ever has seen my scars. The one person who made me not want to cut myself was Dayton, but let me get back on track.
“You sent me to boarding school because I was acting up. I was, but you never asked why. You just assumed I was a bad kid, I guess. I acted that way because my mother treated me like shit. When I graduated and went to college, I didn’t want to owe you or her anything, so I turned tricks for money. Never sex, but I was a slut still the same. I’m not proud of that. My life always felt like it wasn’t my own because you all kept things from me or jumped in when I needed to figure things out on my own. As I got older, you still kept that secret from me, which makes me think you never cared. None of you. I’m guessing Shane is my real dad, which makes Ever my sister. And while you call yourself a friend, you still kept it from me. How am I doing so far?”
“We were only trying to protect you,” Memphis says. There it is again—protecting me.
“Sure you were, Memphis. Just like you tried to protect Dayton. Did any of you actually step in and ask him if he was okay?” I see a few of the guys cringe. “No, you let him keep drinking and turned the other cheek, even though he was hurting. Not only himself, but others. You only stepped in when it served a purpose for you. Here’s the thing—I’m done letting you tell me how I’m supposed to live my life. This is me taking it back. If you want to be in my life, then this is where you make your penance. If you want to be in Dayton’s life, then this is where you do that as well. Because maybe I don’t need you to fight my battles for me. I think I’m pretty capable of it. But I need people who love me in my life and who love me for me. Dayton needs you as well.”
Everyone stares at me like I’d grown two heads. Maybe I did. This is me turning over a new leaf. Since no one has anything to say, I continue.
“I’m going to tell you how the rest of this season is going to go, Uncle.” My voice is dripping with the anger I feel. “We’re going to do the finale, and I don’t care who is standing there waiting. The guys can figure that out. I’m going to pick one of them, just for shits and giggles. Once ‘cut’ is yelled, I’m going to go find my man and figure our shit out.” I see Skye grin because I hardly ever cuss.
My uncle just nods, speechless. I’ve never been the one in charge, but I’m not letting anyone tell me how my life is supposed to turn out.
“Holy shit, I’m so proud right now.” Skye smiles at me.
I take a seat, waiting to see how they will react.
“I want you in my life,” Shane whispers, “as my daughter.”
“It was my fault he wasn’t,” Anne says as she steps forward. “He cheated on me, and just like Ever’s mom, you were dumped on us. I was a selfish bitch back then. Austin took you in because Shane wanted you close.”
“Okay.” I shrug.
“Stop being a bitch and hug your dad,” Memphis barks.
“Here’s the thing, Memphis, you don’t get to order me around,” I sneer at him as Shane and Ever approach me.
Now, I’m nervous. I have a family, one with Austin and one with Shane.
“Austin is your uncle as well,” Shane says softly, and Ever gasps.
“What the fuck?”
“We’re sorry we never told you.” Shane hangs his head down. He’s always been good to me. At one time, I wished he was my dad, and he always was, even if I didn’t know it. It’s hard to stay mad when I should work on this.
I jump into his arms, hugging him. “I want to try and get through this as a family.”
