Page 24 of Wreckage of Us
“And what am I supposed to call him, Ma?” he asks. “Daddy? It sounds dirty somehow.” He turns his head to stare at me. “Am I wrong?”
“You’re not wrong,” I agree. “It’s fucked up, brother,” I point at him.
“Boys,” Ma snorts through her tears. “I love you both so much…” She puts her arms out and blindly walks forward with her arms open for a hug. I don’t move, but Wyatt is at the ready.
“I love you, Ma,” he mumbles in her hair. “And I missed you for all the years I couldn’t come see you.”
“Aww,” I let out a fake sigh. “This is all very sweet and heart warming…”
“Mr…” Devereaux starts in a warning tone but then hesitates. “Dylan.”
“Jon,” I nod at him in my most official voice. “You should probably get in on that,” I signal toward Ma and Wyatt, “and hug your son, yeah?”
“Jon,” Wyatt pushes Ma away and opens his arms wide for his new father. “Welcome to the family. I’m sort of new to it, too,” he cracks up, “since I was gone for so long.”
Devereaux is not the hugging type. He puts his hand out to shake his son’s.
“I’m looking forward to getting to know you, Wyatt.” He hesitates for a second. “My daughter is also looking forward to meeting you…”
That would be Emily Stewart, Becca’s best friend, who, in a strange turn of events, I am now related to. I think.
And speaking of Becca…
“We need to talk,” I burst everyone’s ball of happiness.
“Not now, Dylan,” Devereaux stares at me in warning, but all I can focus on is the fact that he didn’t call meMr. Knight. Wyatt also catches on to the fact that something’s afoot.
“What’s going on?”
“We need to talk,” I repeat. “It’s important.” I look at Ma to make sure she’s paying attention. “For all of us.”
Devereaux sighs in aggravation.
“Dylan, I have the situation under control. There is no need for us to discuss anything right now.”
“No,” Ma gets in between us. “I want to know. What’s going on?”
I feel Devereaux’s eyes fixed on me as I am looking at my mother and brother. What I’m about to tell them may or may not rock their world.
“Pops is alive,” I finally spit out.
Neither one of them seems as shocked as I thought they’d be.
“That fucker,” Wyatt sighs. “It really all was too easy when you guys tried to take him out.”
“Jon told me,” Ma confesses in a soft voice.
“I have a guy looking into it,” Devereaux announces.
“He’s got eyes on Becca.” My voice sounds angrier the more I talk about this. I was angry about my father watching Becca to begin with. But now, knowing she’s pregnant with my baby, it just won’t do.
“Well,” Wyatt drags the word out, eyeing me with a smirk. “That should give you the perfect opening to barge back into her life, loser.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Wyatt,” Ma claps her hands together and starts jumping up and down with excitement. “That’s a wonderful idea!”
“What is a wonderful idea?” I stand up, ready to run if needed.
