are bad.”
“I’m still in school and my grades aren’t bad. My GPA is three-point-eight. Not that you’d know, as little as you’ve been paying attention. All you care about is getting your way, and if we don’t give it to you, you start hitting.”
Flashing rage swarmed Curtis’s eyes and puckered his lips. “Don’t you talk back to me. I’m your father!”
“You’re not my father. Not anymore. I won’t call any man who beats my mother a father.”
Curtis tried to punch Dillon again. Dillon easily avoided the swing and then shoved his dad hard. He stumbled back again.
Stalking forward, Dillon put his face very close to his dad’s. “Leave my mother alone. If she doesn’t want to go to those seminars, she doesn’t have to.”
“Dillon…”
At the sound of his mother’s pleading voice, he saw that she’d put her glass of wine down on the buffet next to the dining-room table.
“It’s all right. I’ll go with him.”
“Mother, you don’t have to. This has gone on long enough. It’s time it stopped. I can protect you from him.” He gestured toward his pathetic excuse for a dad.
“I don’t want you two to fight over it.” She turned to Curtis. “I’ll go brush my teeth and we’ll go to tonight’s seminar.
“Mother, no.” He approached her. As he drew near, he saw pain in her eyes. Pain she tried to drown in wine.
“I don’t want you to fight. He’s your father, Dillon.”
Whether he liked it or not. He turned to glare at his dad, who met the look with triumph.
“I’ll wait for you right here, honey,” Curtis said.
“Mother,” Dillon tried once more. “At least think about it. You don’t have to keep doing this. You don’t have to stay with him. We can go somewhere else and start over. I can take care of you. I only have one more year of high school left. I can get a part-time job—”
“Dillon—” she stopped him “—don’t.”
“Mom.” How could he reach her? He didn’t know how much wine she’d had, but he was pretty sure that was what had her backing down.
She touched his cheek and smiled at him. “I married your father for a reason. He isn’t trying to go against you, Dillon.”
Yeah, right. “He beats you. It’s okay if you leave him.”
“She doesn’t want to leave me.”
Dillon turned and faced his dad, making sure he stood between him and his mom.
“I should make you come with us tonight,” his father said, calmer now that he had his wife under control again. “You’d learn what it takes to be worthy of this town. If I didn’t know you’d make a fool of us all, I would.”
More likely his father was afraid Dillon would make him look like a fool. And he was right. “Does that tattoo on your hip make you worthy?”
His father’s mouth hung open with shock.
“Yeah, I know all about that. Does Mom have one?” He looked at her.
When she lowered her head, he knew she did. Anger billowed up and consumed him. He faced his dad, ready to start a fight.
“You made her do it?” he demanded.
“Stay out of that, Dillon. You don’t know what you’re meddling in.”
“Doesn’t it matter that she didn’t want to?”
“It’s just a harmless tattoo, Dillon,” his mom said. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
With that, Curtis shot his wife an incensed look.
Dillon got his dad’s attention back by jabbing his finger against his chest. “If you hurt her at all, in any way—” lowering his hand, he moved closer, so he looked right into his dad’s eyes “—I’ll come after you.”
“Dillon,” his mother breathed, upset again.
Getting the response he desired from his father, Dillon backed off. No longer was he a boy who Curtis could push around. His son had grown into a man who could fight back.
* * *
“It was like someone turned a switch on me.” Gemma walked beside Lacy in the parking lot of the community center, cringing over the memory. “One minute he’s telling me someone is framing me, and the next I’m
“I’m still in school and my grades aren’t bad. My GPA is three-point-eight. Not that you’d know, as little as you’ve been paying attention. All you care about is getting your way, and if we don’t give it to you, you start hitting.”
Flashing rage swarmed Curtis’s eyes and puckered his lips. “Don’t you talk back to me. I’m your father!”
“You’re not my father. Not anymore. I won’t call any man who beats my mother a father.”
Curtis tried to punch Dillon again. Dillon easily avoided the swing and then shoved his dad hard. He stumbled back again.
Stalking forward, Dillon put his face very close to his dad’s. “Leave my mother alone. If she doesn’t want to go to those seminars, she doesn’t have to.”
“Dillon…”
At the sound of his mother’s pleading voice, he saw that she’d put her glass of wine down on the buffet next to the dining-room table.
“It’s all right. I’ll go with him.”
“Mother, you don’t have to. This has gone on long enough. It’s time it stopped. I can protect you from him.” He gestured toward his pathetic excuse for a dad.
“I don’t want you two to fight over it.” She turned to Curtis. “I’ll go brush my teeth and we’ll go to tonight’s seminar.
“Mother, no.” He approached her. As he drew near, he saw pain in her eyes. Pain she tried to drown in wine.
“I don’t want you to fight. He’s your father, Dillon.”
Whether he liked it or not. He turned to glare at his dad, who met the look with triumph.
“I’ll wait for you right here, honey,” Curtis said.
“Mother,” Dillon tried once more. “At least think about it. You don’t have to keep doing this. You don’t have to stay with him. We can go somewhere else and start over. I can take care of you. I only have one more year of high school left. I can get a part-time job—”
“Dillon—” she stopped him “—don’t.”
“Mom.” How could he reach her? He didn’t know how much wine she’d had, but he was pretty sure that was what had her backing down.
She touched his cheek and smiled at him. “I married your father for a reason. He isn’t trying to go against you, Dillon.”
Yeah, right. “He beats you. It’s okay if you leave him.”
“She doesn’t want to leave me.”
Dillon turned and faced his dad, making sure he stood between him and his mom.
“I should make you come with us tonight,” his father said, calmer now that he had his wife under control again. “You’d learn what it takes to be worthy of this town. If I didn’t know you’d make a fool of us all, I would.”
More likely his father was afraid Dillon would make him look like a fool. And he was right. “Does that tattoo on your hip make you worthy?”
His father’s mouth hung open with shock.
“Yeah, I know all about that. Does Mom have one?” He looked at her.
When she lowered her head, he knew she did. Anger billowed up and consumed him. He faced his dad, ready to start a fight.
“You made her do it?” he demanded.
“Stay out of that, Dillon. You don’t know what you’re meddling in.”
“Doesn’t it matter that she didn’t want to?”
“It’s just a harmless tattoo, Dillon,” his mom said. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
With that, Curtis shot his wife an incensed look.
Dillon got his dad’s attention back by jabbing his finger against his chest. “If you hurt her at all, in any way—” lowering his hand, he moved closer, so he looked right into his dad’s eyes “—I’ll come after you.”
“Dillon,” his mother breathed, upset again.
Getting the response he desired from his father, Dillon backed off. No longer was he a boy who Curtis could push around. His son had grown into a man who could fight back.
* * *
“It was like someone turned a switch on me.” Gemma walked beside Lacy in the parking lot of the community center, cringing over the memory. “One minute he’s telling me someone is framing me, and the next I’m
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