Page 48

“What the hell was that for!?” Rocking my jaw back and forth, I rubbed the sore muscle.

“I want you gone. Not tomorrow, not three days from now, I want you gone now. Get the fuck out and don't ever show your face here again.”

A devious chuckle escaped my mouth as I clenched my jaw. “I'm not going anywhere, Franco. Not now, not like this.”

Lunging forward, he threw his finger in my face. “You are going to get us all killed. I won't let you drag us down with you! Not again! Take your fucking whore and get the hell out!”

Gritting my teeth, all I could see was red. Digging my nails into my palm, I had my arm back, ready to strike. “I warned you, I fucking warned you not to talk about her like that.” Through clenched teeth, I felt my stomach tighten and my muscles convulse, eager to launch all their strength into his face.

“What's going on?” My mother came flying into the room, her eyes wide and concerned. “What happened?” Stepping between us, she pushed me back. Her eyes fell on my mouth as I wiped away the light trickle of blood. “Did you hit him?” she asked, glaring over her shoulder at her husband.

“He deserves it! Your damn son, Jo, that's what happened. What else is new?” Franco opened and closed his hands at his sides repeatedly, his muscles shaking as he tried to maintain some sort of control. “He was upstairs fucking that girl, after everything that happened, after everything we've done for him, he doesn't care. All he cares about is himself, same as always.”

“Porter, is that true?”

“Does that really matter? I don't understand how it's any of your business what I do with her. I'm not a damn kid, I don't need your permission to be with someone.”

Curling her arms around her chest, my mother started rocking side to side. “You're right, you don't need our permission. But this isn't going to help you, Porter. Get your head out of the clouds, you're only going to hurt that girl.”

“I'm not going to hurt her.”

“I know you, and you will. That's what you do, you destroy things that are good. I'm sorry, Honey, I'm not trying to be cruel. I don't understand why, but you sabotage anything good that comes into your life.” My mother's brows crept knowingly to the hairline, her chin falling into her chest as she eyed me. “You've done it since you were a kid, this will be no different. It's not fair to her, not one bit.”

“You don't know me, I'm not that man anymore.” Holding up my hands, deflated and at a loss, I said, “Fine, you want me out, you want me gone, I'll go then.” Throwing my arms in the air, I took a long step towards the stairs. “Let me go get Emery and we'll be out of your hair.”

Reaching out for me, my mother's face softened. “That's not what I meant, I don't want you to leave. I just meant don't lead her on, especially when you know you'll never stick around.”

“You don't know that!” I yelled, dragging my hands down my face. “I've changed, things are different now. Stop expecting me to be him, stop acting like people can't change, because they do.”

“Honey, I want to believe you, I really do. But the past is the best indicator of the future. You've only proven your father right—”

“He's not my father! No matter how much you say it, it doesn't make it true!”

“Okay, alright,” she sighed, pinching her bottom lip as her eyes searched my face. “Franco has been there for you though, he's been here since you were a little boy. We don't want you to go, Porter. We want to help, but you have to work with us here.”

“What?! No! He can't stay here, Jo. Do you really want those people coming back? Do you really want to worry about who's going to knock at the door one day?”

“Franco, he's my son. I won't just abandon him, I did that once already and it was the worst mistake of my life.” Twisting to look at me, my mother held out her hand. “Come on, don't go. Besides, she's not ready for that. Emery needs to rest, she needs to get better, she can do that here.”

“Jo!”

“Shut it, Franco!” Snapping her shoulders square, my mother glared at her husband. “I won't just turn my back on the only son I have left. We did it your way and it didn't work. I'm not pushing him away again.”

“Jo—”

Slicing her hand through the air, my mother's voice was the firmest I had ever heard it. “Enough! If you don't like it, if you don't want to be around him, then you can pack your shit and leave. But my son needs me, that's the only thing that matters to me right now.”

Turning away from him, she jerked her head for me to go up stairs, quickly following on my heels.

“Mom, you don't need to do this,” I said over my shoulder as my feet hit the landing. “It's alright, I won't make you choose between us.”

“Porter, it's not even a choice. Zander stood by your side since the very beginning, and I should have too.” Walking past me, she kept her head straight. “Come on, I want to go check on Emery and see how she's doing.” Her hand struck the door as she opened it simultaneously. “How are we doing?” she chirped, her voice upbeat and casual.

I knew she had just switched from mom mode into nurse mode. I could see the shift, I could watch the visible transformation as her entire demeanor changed.

Emery sat up quickly, grabbing the blankets and holding them tight. “Is everything alright? I heard yelling, what's going on?”

“Everything is fine, Sweetheart, I don't want you to worry.” Sitting on the edge of the bed, she began to touch her neck and around her head. “Are you alright? How's your chest feel?”