“Get out of here,” I tell them. “What you want isn’t here.” I stomp down the breezeway to get out of there, wishing Violet were back or I’d go straight to her.
“I know he wasn’t the best father to you, but he was to us. He was amazing, and he is our Dad. We don’t want him to die.”
I twirl around so fast, and I’m in Carson’s face before he can say anything else. A few of the club brothers come out of the main room and surround us. Stevie and Brighton get closer to Carson, and like the good big brother he is, he stands in front of them to protect them.
Laughing again, I hit the side of my head with my hand and say, “How stupid are you? Do you really think he was a good father to you? Are you that clueless? After he spent the weekend with you and his fake wife, he came to me and my Mom. His real wife. All those times he probably said some shit about working long hours? He was in Oklahoma during the week. How about the times he was gone during baseball season? His schedule changed. Yeah, that’s because he came to all of my games. You think he was a bad father to me? He was the fucking best, but I hated him through it. You want to know why? Because I fucking knew something was wrong with him. My Mom was sick because of him, so I followed him one night, drove to Kansas, and saw him with you. You,” I point to the youngest one. “You were still in Mommy’s belly. None of you knew just how horrible he was. He wasn’t a good father. He was fake. He played us. All of us. So take your want. Take your mission to save your father’s life and go elsewhere. I’m not interested.”
“I know!” he yells at me, shoving me in the chest.
Yep. We are related. Only Taylor men have that kind of temper.
“You don’t think we know that? You don’t think we were just as angry? But guess what? I had more good memories with him, than bad. I chose to not be angry about it. It was out of my control. He fucked up. It was a fucked-up thing he did to us, but he went to all of your games. He supported you. That’s more than a lot of kids get. Can’t you say that?”
“No, no I can’t say that, because while he was with you, loving your mom and taking care of your house, I had to take care of my mom. I had to take care of the house that was falling apart. So fuck you, fuck what you need, and fuck him.”
“We aren’t going anywhere. We are family.”
“Oh, fuck you, Carson. This is my family.” I spread my arms out to show all of my brothers. “These are my brothers. I don’t know you.”
“We want to get to know you. He told us about you when he first got sick, and we were just as mad at him, but please—” Stevie pleads.
Fuck. I don’t do well when it comes to women having tears in their eyes. My heart softens when I see the same hazel color I have.
“Please, you could save him. You’re our last hope, and I know our intentions seem twisted, but we have always wanted to get to know you ever since we found out you existed. It hasn’t been an easy ride of acceptance for us either.”
I gently place my hand on her shoulder and clear my throat. “I’m sorry, Stevie. You’ve wasted your time. My life is where I want it to be, and that’s no thanks to him.”
“We will be renting that apartment. We aren’t going anywhere. We don’t want to be in Kansas. We want to be where you are. We even brought Dad here to the hospital.”
“He is here?” I roar, shouting at Carson. “Are you kidding me?”
“I told you. We are here for the long haul.” He tugs his sister out of my hold and wraps an arm around her. “We are family.”
“Well, I hate to break it to ya, kid. But I’m not the man you’ve conjured up in your mind. I’m sorry about your dad, but he is no longer my old man. And you don’t know what you’ve just walked into. This isn’t a country club. You aren’t in fucking Kansas anymore.” I turn to leave again, fucking