When Alexa called me last week to tell me, I didn’t hesitate to visit her.
“Mason,” she says with a smile as she places her hand to my cheek. “A suit looks good on you, darling.” She wraps her arms around me, and I can’t help but notice again how frail she feels. Cancer has done this to her, and from what I’ve been told, she’s still got months of treatment ahead of her.
“How are you feeling?” I ask when she lets me go.
She keeps hold of my arm. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”
Alexa and my brothers carry on a conversation while I say to Mum, “I do worry about you.”
We’re interrupted by my father when he cuts in. “You have a funny way of showing that.”
My eyes cut to him, finding his cold gaze zeroed in on me.
Before I can reply, Mum removes her hand from my arm and wraps it around his. “Please don’t start something, James. I don’t want Alexa’s party to be ruined.”
He barely pays attention to her. “Your mother has been ill for some time, son.”
I don’t miss what he’s not saying, but I’m not copping the blame for not knowing. “I came as soon as I knew.” He’s full of shit, too. She may have been ill for some time, but she kept that from all her children until last week. I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know.
“Not good enough. A son shouldn’t be distanced from his mother like you have been.”
My mother squeezes his arm. “James, please.”
“Cherise, he needs to accept that what he’s done is wrong,” Dad says, not taking his eyes off me.
“I’m not getting into this with you now, Dad,” I say, my tone as hard as his is cold. “I’m here for Alexa tonight, and like Mum, I don’t want to ruin her party.”
“A real man doesn’t walk away from his family,” Dad says, carrying on with his agenda.
“A real fucking man puts his family first,” I snarl, instantly fucking wishing I didn’t always let my father bring the asshole in me out. But here I am, the man my father made me, and I can’t fucking stop myself. Stabbing my finger at him, I carry on, “Don’t fucking come here and lecture me on how to be a man when you don’t know the first fucking thing about it yourself.”
Mum’s sharp intake of breath is the only sound to be heard as my siblings tune into the conversation taking place between my father and me.
“Fuck,” Adam mutters. “Do we really need to do this now, Mason?”
I glare at him. “He wanted to get into it.”
Alexa looks at me, pissed off. “And you always fucking take the bait.”
“Good Lord, Alexa, must you really use that language?” Mum says.
Dad shakes his head like he’s disgusted by me. “Alexa, your mother can’t stay long tonight. She needs her rest. We’ll be out on the balcony; make sure you come and see us before we leave.”
After they exit the kitchen, Alexa slaps my chest. “God, you are so frustrating! Why do you always have to argue with him?”
“It’s my specialty.” Fuck, I’m an asshole, just like my father. I told myself I wouldn’t get into it with him tonight, for Alexa, and here I am already screwing shit up.
“Ugh! I love you, but, man, you’re hard work.”
I hold up my hands. “I’ll keep out of his way. I’m on my best behaviour for the rest of the night.”
She rolls her eyes. “You don’t even know what bad behaviour is, so I don’t know how you expect to figure out what good behaviour is.”
I grin. “I never said I’d be good.”
Hayden slaps me on my back. “I’ll keep an eye on him, Lex.”
“Jesus, that’s the blind leading the blind,” she says. Then, pointing at us, she directs, “Keep away from our parents and your exes, and I’ll accept that as my birthday present.”
Hayden frowns. “One of my exes is here?”
“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Alexa says. “You have so fucking many of them one can never be sure when they’ll pop up.” She reaches for her glass of wine. “Right, promise me you’ll all behave. I have to go see one of my friends and then I’m coming back to do our shots.”
Adam steps forward and places his hand on her arm. “Before you go, we have something for you.”
Alexa’s eyes widen a little. “Oh God, what? Please tell me this isn’t like that time the four of you got me that stripper