He sat back. “Okay. Tell me about the day my mother died.”
Fuck, anything but that. Now I wished he was asking me about Mia again. “I told you—”
“Not her injuries. What she said to you.”
Jesus, maybe I should get another drink. “She asked if she was going to die. I told her we were going to do everything we could, but she knew, Eli. She knew she was going to die.”
His breath hitched.
“I wasn’t her doctor, but I encouraged her to have the surgery. In fact, her doctor agreed to keep her comfortable until you and Jim arrived, but I was the one that told her to have the surgery. So, you’re right, it’s my fault.”
His eyes narrowed, but more in curiosity than in anger. “What do you mean?”
“Had she not had the surgery, you and Jim would have been able to say goodbye.”
His jaw trembled. “You took that from us?”
I nodded. “Yes.” What else could I say?
“Why?”
“Because I couldn’t handle losing her. She was going to die for sure without the surgery, but maybe, by some miracle, surgery would save her. My intentions were good, but little good that does you.”
He finished his drink, and I thought he might throw his glass or kick my ass. “What did she say?”
“She asked me to watch out for Jim—”
“So that’s why you spend time with him. Out of some duty to my mom.”
I knew what he was asking, and I thought he wanted it to be as callous as all that. “I like your father, Eli. I enjoy my time with him, so no, it’s not out of duty. She asked that I make up with you, which I tried to do. She also asked that I get back with Mia, but I’m sure that was just to encourage her to move home to be with you and Jim.”
“Because she didn’t think she’d move home just for us?” He sneered.
I hated how he turned everything into a negative, and at the same time, I could see why he might think that. “I think she wanted to stack the deck in favor of her returning and staying. I don’t know, Eli. I’m just telling you what she said.”
“I hate that you were the one with her.”
“I know, man. I don’t blame you.”
“You’ve taken everyone from me.”
“What?”
“Mia, my dad, my mom.”
“Don’t be an idiot.” Maybe I should have been more sensitive, but I was tired of his whining. “Mia and your dad love you. If things are tense, maybe you need to look at how you act around them. Stop whining so much. Grow your balls back. Jesus, you used to have them. What happened to them?”
He glared at me, and then it fell from his face.
“Why are you so pissed all the time. Is it really because of me?” I asked, genuinely curious.
He shook his head and looked down. “No. But you’re the reminder of what I could have had.”
I laughed, and he scowled. “Come on, Eli. My life is shit right now. You can’t want that.”
“You’ll come out of this lawsuit. You’re like a cat, always landing on your feet.”
“Maybe. But I don’t know if I’ll have the town’s respect anymore. There will always be whispers about Ms. Mason. And now your mother.”