Everyone got along for the rest of the afternoon, except for my father who wouldn’t stop staring at my boy with an expression I wanted to knock off his fucking face.
Once Ben was playing outside with one of his friends from the neighborhood, I couldn’t hold back any longer.
Spewing, “What the fuck is your problem?”
“Jax!” Sophie chastised, standing beside her mom and mine. “What’s gotten into you?”
Dad didn’t cower, but I knew he wouldn’t.
“I thought I raised you better than this.”
“Rick,” Mom stated in a sharp tone, but he didn’t pay her any mind.
Glaring at Sophie, he bit, “How well do you even know this woman?”
“Are you referring to my wife?”
His seedy eyes met mine. “Please tell me you at least had her sign a prenuptial agreement?”
I jerked back from the impact of his question. “She’s the mother of my son.”
“And you’re certain he’s yours?”
“Rick, stop it!”
“Stay out of this! This is between me and my son.”
I shook my head. “I’m not your son. I stopped being your son years ago, and you know why.”
His jaw clenched. “What did you just say to me?”
“You heard me.”
“Jax, don’t be an idiot. I raised you better than this.”
“You didn’t raise me at all.”
“Well, you know what they say. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, seeing as you didn’t start raising your son until now.”
Sophie gasped, and my hands fisted at my sides.
“Rick! Don’t you dare—”
Cutting my mom off, he sternly pointed at Sophie. “That woman has been trying to get her claws into our son since high school.”
“What?”
“Yeah, that’s right! They’ve been fucking since she moved into the guesthouse. I’m surprised she didn’t get knocked up sooner. I bet she did it on purpose. I’m not convinced her son isn’t a bastard, and she’s just conning Jax to raise him with her pussy!”
“Jax, don’t!” was the last thing I heard before my fist connected with his face. He flew back, immediately falling to the ground, but I didn’t stop. I gripped onto the lapels of his jacket, dragging him up.
“You piece of shit! Get the fuck out of my house! Better yet, I’ll throw you the fuck out!”
“Get your hands off me!” he roared, stumbling over his feet. “I’m your father!”
Nobody said a word as I hauled his ass across the house.
“You’re nothing but a sperm doner, you piece of shit! I’m nothing like you! I’ll never be anything like you!”