The Wright Boss(72)

"I miss him," I finally admitted. "I miss him so much."

Landon wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "I know."

"I miss the man he used to be. When he used to be a good father. When he didn't do drugs, then sell drugs, then fucking bankroll the bar with his drug money to try to keep it afloat. I wished he hadn't been the kind of dad who brought strange women over all the time. Married women. The kind who I never really knew their names, and they switched too often for me to care. I wished I hadn't had to clean up his fucking messes all the time. Help him in his drunken stupor and cry myself to sleep when he was in a drunken rage so bad that only passing out would get him to stop.

"But he loved me. You know … despite all of that … he loved me. He tried to provide for me and let me do anything I wanted. But it … wasn't parenting. After Mom left, he was surviving. And letting me do anything I wanted wasn't charity. I'm lucky I had Emery and that her mom helped me out as much as she did." 

"Maybe he's changed. Why don't you reach out and talk to him? You don't know; he might surprise you."

"No, I can't." I swiped at my eyes.

"But why?"

I shook my head. "Because."

"Heidi-"

"Because he spent all of my college funds on drugs!" I shouted, standing up and throwing my arms out. I let out the last ounce of depressing news. The part I'd held back from everyone. "He spent all the money that my mom had left me for college. He pawned off all her jewelry and every last thing that had ever belonged to her. And he left me with nothing. Now, even though I'm working my ass off, I'm broke as hell, Landon. I need this job more than life itself. And it's all his fault."

"Fuck," Landon whispered.

"Yeah. So, he gets one day. I give myself one day to miss him. That's all he deserves."





Twenty-Eight



Landon


Spending that day with Heidi, when she was at her most vulnerable, had changed everything. I had fallen for her. Completely, utterly, unequivocally.

And I was a fucking asshole.

I knew why she needed this job. I now knew without question why this was so important to her. Yet I was gambling with it. I was gambling with her. I could feel the delicate tightrope we were walking on, and I feared our feet would slip if I wasn't careful.

I didn't know how to be more careful.

Sunday morning, Heidi was wrapped in my arms when I got a text from Jensen.

You still coming to church?

"Fuck," I spat.

"Hmm?" Heidi asked, peering up at me with sleep-deprived eyes.

"I forgot it's Sunday. I'm supposed to meet Jensen for church. Want to go with me?"

"Won't that look bad?" she mumbled.

I gritted my teeth and nodded. "Yeah, probably. Fuck, I'm sorry. You can stay here and keep sleeping. I'll be back in about an hour, okay?"

"All right," she said with a big yawn. "Come back to me soon, okay?"

"God, I wish you could go with me."

"One day," she said, leaning into me for a kiss.

"One day soon," I promised.

I hastily changed into a suit and darted over to the church we'd been going to since I was little. My mom had been an avid churchgoer, even before she found out about the cancer. Of course, we hadn't known how bad it was until she was on her deathbed. But it made sense now why she had been so religious about the church service. She must have been scared with five children and a life-threatening illness.

I arrived just in time to make the service. Jensen, Emery, Austin, Morgan, Sutton, Maverick, and little baby Jason were all seated in the front row, like a defending army. Even though my family was super fucked up and carried more baggage than an airplane in a year, we were always here.

Lubbock was one of those towns where church service was mandatory, but we Wrights took it to an extreme. It was new for me though. I'd been gone for a long time. I'd only gone to church when I was home for the holidays. I definitely hadn't gone when I was in Tampa. So, remembering that this was a thing we always did tripped me up on Sundays.

"Sorry," I muttered as I sank into the seat Jensen had left for me at the end of the aisle.

"Where were you?" he asked.

"My alarm didn't go off."

Jensen shot me a look that said he didn't believe me. And he was right. Not that I'd let him know that.

Emery leaned forward and waved. "Hey, Landon."

"Em."



       
         
       
        

Her eyes said enough to me without words. She asked, How's Heidi?

Doing okay.

Good. I worry.

I know. I'm watching out for her.