Page 142 of All This Time

“It’s the least you can do given everything I’ve done for you.” I laugh humorlessly as his eyes narrow. “And she may not seem like your mom now, but once she gets a taste of that life, she’ll hang around just long enough to get what she feels she’s owed.” He scoffs. “Your mom had nothing to do with my success. I did that all on my own.”

“You developed your drinking problem all on your own too, huh?”

He doesn’t even acknowledge what I just said, continuing his rant instead. “They say they can handle the demands of the game, but they will never understand what it’s like to dedicate your life, your body,every waking and breathing moment, to football. No one will ever fucking understand unless they’ve lived it.”

“You lost the game twenty-two years ago. When are you just going to accept it?”

He takes a step closer to me as alcohol wafts from his breath. Yep, whiskey. That’s his truth serum. “You can stand here and judge me all you want, but one day, you’ll realize that I was right.”

“One day when you’ve drank yourself to death, I won’t have to hear this shit from you anymore.” I see the flash of anger in his eyes, the one that used to appear seconds before he’d swing on me. “You want to hit me now, don’t you?” He doesn’t respond. “Too bad we’re out in broad daylight and not behind closed doors.”

“So ungrateful,” he mutters before clenching his fists at his sides.

I scoff and turn my back to him. “Have a good fucking day…Dad.” Walking away, I can hear my pulse pounding. My shoulders are up by my ears, and my chest is wound so fucking tight that it takes me a good ten minutes to cool down and relax as I sit in my truck.

My only concern now is that my Dad suspects something is going on between me and Laney, and if he says something to someone else in one of his drunken rants, it could get back to Rhonan before I get a chance to tell him myself.

“Fuck.” I slam my palm into the steering wheel of my truck, leaning my head back against the seat as adrenaline races through me.

It’s only when I open my eyes and see the time on the dash that I snap out of the sour fucking mood my father always puts me in and crank the engine, headed to an appointment that will help seal my future—because that’s what I need to focus on, no matter how much my past keeps trying to drag me back under.

Chapter 27

Laney

Here Comes the…

Tori is pacing across the bridal suite, casting glances at herself in the mirror, and I’m watching her from the corner, wondering what the hell is going on.

It’s the afternoon of the wedding and we are less than an hour from the ceremony. Tori was glued to her phone all morning, but as soon as she put on her dress, her face lit up. The mermaid-style gown with a sweetheart neckline fits her like a glove, and she decided on a cathedral veil, which makes her entire ensemble look regal.

Even though the woman pacing before me isn’t my favorite person in the world, I still love the magic of weddings—the dress, the flowers, the promises of forever.

But is it possible I might get a second chance at my own forever? With Fletcher?

Her phone rings again, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I take a step closer to her, placing my hand on her shoulder. “Are you sure I can’t get you anything, Tori? It’s my job as your maid of honor, you know…”

“No, I’m okay. It’s just nerves, and when I’m feeling anxious, it’s better that I keep moving.” Her smile looks forced.

“Okay, if you’re sure…”

Her phone rings in her hand for the fifth time since we’ve been in this room.

“It is your parents?” She said they were running late earlier, so I’m wondering if she’s just nervous about that, but doesn’t want to admit it.

“No.” Her eyes widen as she looks at the screen in the palm of her hand. “Oh my God.”

I take a step closer to her. “What?”

She suddenly pulls her phone to her chest. “It’s… I uh… I’m going to go outside and get some fresh air.”

Without a backwards glance, she leaves the bridal suite.

Dilynne pokes her head in a few seconds later. “Where is the Wicked Bride of the West going?” Sliding through the crack in the door entirely now, she walks toward me in her black satin dress that highlights her amazing body that she usually covers up.

“I don’t know, but she’s acting really strange. She’s been glued to her phone all morning, but something popped up on her screen and then suddenly, she said she needed to go outside.”