Alphahole (Alphahole Roommates 1)

“I slept in your brother’s spare room last night.”

“Huh?

“We had a fight after I bailed her out of jail. I got home last night after the company event and she was three sheets to the wind and wanted to pick another fight. I tried to sleep in one of the guest rooms and she got belligerent and wouldn’t leave me alone so I left. Don’t tell your sister. They put her on bed rest and we don’t wanna stress her out.”

I glance at Austin, who’s on the couch, Xbox controller in hand. He waves.

“You read your text?” I ask.

“Phone’s probably dead,” my brother replies, pushing buttons, eyes on the screen.

“Auz,” I say, and he glances my way and then pauses his game and I’ve got my eyes on my Dad. Auz straightens up.

“Oh,” Austin turns the game off and winces. “Dad, me ‘n Aid’re gonna take a walk.”

I look at my Dad. I look back at my brother. “Let’s do it here. With Dad.”

I’ve just surprised myself. My brother’s eyebrows jut up. My Dad looks at me, curiously.

“So, uh…” I scratch my head, “I wanna get some shit on the table here. Now. No sense waiting any longer. Been long enough. You’re in a fight with your wife, I get it, but shit’s about to be real here. As real as it gets. You interested in real, Dad?”

My father swallows hard and sits down. He sits down slowly and shakily.

I pull the folded envelope out of my back jeans pocket and drop it on the coffee table.

“What’s this?” He eyes it.

“DNA test results,” I answer.

“D---”

“Yeah. Mine.”

He frowns.

“About two years ago, I walked in on your wife having sex with two men. Two. At once. In the garden shed behind our home.”

I can’t get a read on his face. He is expressionless.

“I already had a bad taste in my mouth about the kind of person she was. That? That was not good. I don’t even wanna…” I stop and shudder. “She threatened me against telling you. I tried to tell you anyway. You---”

“Wouldn’t allow you to tell me,” he answers.

“Right.”

“And then?” he asks, eyes on the envelope.

“And then I hired someone to investigate her. All sorts of ugly shit got unearthed, including evidence calling my and Auz’s paternity into question.”

Dad looks to Austin.

“Opened my envelope Thursday, Dad. No questions about me.”

Dad’s face is still unreadable for a second and then his eyes, his brown eyes that are like mine and like Uncle Mitch’s look at me. “You don’t even need to open that envelope, Aiden. I can tell you the answer.”

“I’ve been hanging onto this envelope and Austin’s for over a year.”

“A year?” Dad’s face changes. The color drains as he tries to make sense of why I’d do such a thing.