Perfect Bastard (Mason Creek)

“No. I kind of didn’t give her a chance because in her story she suggests that there is a pattern of immorality in our family. She says Dad conned her dad out of Mom and the ranch.”

“What the fuck?” Mitch couldn’t stop it with the F-bombs. “Who is this chick?”

The woman I’d fallen in love with. The dumb ideas I’d had about our future. “Doesn’t matter now.”

“I’ll get you a flight out,” Mitch said.

Aiden jumped in. “I know a guy with a private plane. He’s new in town, but we go back. Anyway, he flies mostly helicopters, but planes as well. He was in the Air Force.”

“Send me his info and kick my brother’s ass, will you?” Mitch asked Aiden before adding, “I’ll call you later, bro.”

When he hung up, Aiden said, “What actually happened?”

I told him how Avery had shown up this morning and Sunshine answered the door.

“Did Avery know about Sunshine?” Aiden asked.

“I know where you’re going with this. And no, I haven’t told her. We don’t talk about our families a lot. Hell, I wasn’t sure she was that into me until… scratch that. Anyway, even if she jumped to the wrong conclusion, two things. Was she expecting another woman and just happened to have an article that makes me look like a complete dick in her hand at that very moment?”

“Okay. Good point. What’s your other?”

“I found her. I needed to see her face and ask her about what she’d written. And not once did she mention Sunshine. So how could it be about her?”

Aiden shook his head. “I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt.”

“Me too. But it all adds up. She didn’t want to be seen with me. Probably so she could control the narrative in her story. If we were seen, there would be witnesses that I wasn’t the asshole she was making me out to be. She wanted to keep things casual. It was all there the entire time.”

“I’m sorry, Nate.”

“Why?”

“Because I encouraged you to keep trying.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s all mine. I wanted it to be more. I wanted her to be different. But she isn’t. And that is the last time I put my faith in a woman.”

TWENTY-SIX

Avery

Once the door slammed, I ran for the bathroom. I’d felt sick the entire time as I tried not to cry in front of him.

I retched and retched while Dad and Tugboat knocked on the door. “I’ll be fine. Give me a minute.”

But I wasn’t fine. I was so far from fine, I was miserable. Once my stomach settled, I got up and splashed some water on my face before leaving the bathroom.

“Tugboat, get to work,” Dad ordered, and gently guided me to the office. “What’s going on, sweetheart?”

“You were right,” I said, tossing myself in his arms. My heart hurt so badly; I couldn’t stop the tears.

“Right about what?”

“Him. He’s a dog just like the rest of them.”

Dad rubbed my back as I continued to sob uncontrollably. This was what it felt like to love someone and lose them.

“Are you sure?”

I pulled back. “Aren’t you on my side? You didn’t want me with him. And yes, I’m sure. There was a woman at his house this morning.”

“I am on your side. But he didn’t just look angry for whatever you did and will get to that. He looked destroyed. And as much as I hate to admit it, he looked as lost as you do now. Could you be mistaken about why the woman was there?”

I glared at him, not liking the sensible remarks he’d made. “She was wearing a robe and said he was in the shower. That’s kind of hard to mistake.”

“Okay. Maybe. But what was in the envelope?”

I stepped away from him and folded my arms. “An article I’d written.”

“What was it about?”

“I titled it ‘Bastard.’”

Dad sighed. “Oh, Avery. You’ve been seeing this guy.” I silently agreed. “And you wrote an article about him that wasn’t good, and you mentioned his father?”

“Yes. And shouldn’t you be happy? I’m getting our family retribution.”

He blew out a breath. “Avery, I’m a jealous old fool who thought if your mother was jealous of another woman, she’d stay. She was better than me, deserved better than me, and I thought the only reason she married me was because we’d had a drunken fling and she’d gotten pregnant. I had nothing to offer but the promise there was some other woman I could be with who was better.”

“You never dated her?” I referred to Nate’s mom.

“Once. But then she met James. He came riding into town with his rodeo wins on his belt and she never looked at me again.”

I’d thought I was sick before, but I felt it again. “Dad, you didn’t.”

“I’m not proud.”

“And the ranch?”

“I won it from the owner he said lived with him. I didn’t lie about that. And how could he have won it back from me in one hand if he didn’t cheat?”