When You Were Mine (Stone Lake 2)

“Luna got those. She felt a house needed to be a home, and somehow that meant it needed curtains,” he says with a dry laugh.

“I don’t think I can understand. You have to get how strange this all is.”

“I get it, more than you know, son,” he says quietly, and I know I should be feeling something, but instead I’m just confused and numb. I wish he’d stop calling me son.

I follow him into the kitchen, where he turns on the coffee maker. I could tell him he needn’t bother. I don’t plan on staying that long, but I don’t. Instead I ask him the one question that’s been bothering me the most.

“How did you and Luna even get to know each other?”

It’s the biggest question that I have. I don’t understand how this relationship he has with Luna came about. I don’t even know who the man standing before me is or why he should take an interest in Joshua’s life. I can’t understand any of it. He stares at me for a moment, his face going serious.

“She needed a friend. Someone to help her. Someone that wasn’t trying to control her. When I found out she was pregnant with your child, it was the kick in the pants that I needed to finally drag myself out of the hole that I’d been living in. I got sober, I stayed sober.”

“You understand how I have a problem believing that right? Why could a grandson make you do what your own sons never could?”

“I know you’re angry at me, Gavin. You have every right.”

“You’re damn straight I do. Do you know I still carry scars from the way you hit me? I don’t want you around my son, Roy. You’re toxic. I don’t want to give you the chance to hurt him.”

“I would never do anything to hurt Joshua. I love that boy.”

“You never had a problem hurting me or Atticus, did you, Roy? Was that the difference? There just wasn’t love involved when it came to your own sons.” I spew out the words, filled with pain and hurt that I thought I buried years ago. Apparently, I was wrong, because once I start, I can’t seem to stop. I hate that he has been in contact with Joshua. I hate even the idea that my son would feel closer to this man—a man who was a monster the entire time I grew up—than he would feel to me.

“I was a sick man when you were a kid, son. I—”

“Let’s call it what it was, Roy. You were an abusive drunk.”

“You’re right,” he says. “I was. I can’t make that up to you, Gavin. I swear if I could, I would.”

“You’re right. There’s no way you ever could.”

“I’m a different man now, Gavin. I know that’s hard to believe, but I am.”

“You might be sober, but the man staring back at me right now is the same man who tried to kill me so many times I lost count.”

“I was sick—”

“You were a bastard.”

“Nothing I can say is going to make this better, Gavin. I can’t go back.”

“Don’t you think I know that? What I want to know is why you tried to be a part of my son’s life? Why did you even make the effort?”

“I’d lost everything. I was alone. When I found out that Luna was expecting your child…”

“You saw her and Joshua as what? A second chance?”

“I guess. I thought if I could clean up, start over…”

“You could redeem yourself?” I laugh, shaking my head.

“Is that so hard to believe?” he asks.

I start to reply when the shattering of glass can be heard from the front of the house. My head jerks toward the sound, my hand automatically going to my service weapon.

“What was that?” Roy asks, starting to walk back to the living room.

I grab his arm, pulling him back, and drawing my weapon.

“You stay here and let me see what it is,” I tell him. Then, I make my way into the living room, trying to stay against the wall in case there’s an intruder waiting to take aim at me.

When I make it back into the living room, the picture window is shattered, the pink curtains blowing in the wind. There’s a brick lying on the floor. I start to go outside to see who is out there, but I hear the squealing of tires and when I look out of the broken window, I see a white SUV squealing out of the drive, weaving dangerously as it takes the curve at breakneck speed.

“What happened?” Roy cautiously enters the room, despite me telling him to stay put.

I pull out my phone, calling for backup and getting a plate ran because I managed to get most of the numbers as the guy peeled out. I’ve got a bad feeling this is the same guy who did this at Luna’s house the other day. Maybe if I can get my hands on him, I can at least get a few questions answered.