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“I hate you, you know that?”

“You lie like a rug.”

“Anyway, I didn’t want to talk your ear off. I just called to tell you about my progress.”

“And as you anticipated, I’m proud of you. Good night, Nyx.”

“Good night, Mr. Freeze.”

“I hate you, you little leprechaun.”

Chapter Sixteen

JAMES

Exhaling slowly, I drummed my fingers against my steering wheel, attempting to brace myself for whatever it was that I was about to walk into. My dad and I hadn’t spoken since the day we’d gotten into it at his house.

Had it not been for Jude, I still wouldn’t have reached out. God knows our dad damn sure wouldn’t have. But life was short. I knew that I’d feel like shit if something happened to him, and we were still on bad terms.

So, I called him and asked if we could meet for lunch to hash everything out. There was a huge chance that shit would go left, but I could live with trying and failing. I couldn’t live with regrets and what-ifs.

Plus, I wasn’t the type of nigga to back down. It wasn’t who I was raised to be.

Forcing myself out of the car, I strolled inside, spying him sitting at a table close to the door. Back straight, shoulders rigid, and hands clasped together, he was forever the man the military had molded him to be.

I let the hostess know that the person I was meeting was already seated and headed over.

There was a glimmer of excitement in his eyes when they landed on me but it disappeared just as quickly. I almost laughed. That man was going to suppress the hell out of his emotions until he didn’t have any left.

I slipped into the chair across from him. “What’s up, Pop?”

“Son,” he nodded. “Wasn’t expecting to hear from you any time soon. Figured you’d washed your hands of me like your mama and your brother did.”

“Before you get started, my brother is the reason why I’m here.”

“Hmph, is that right?”

“You know what—” I began, already tired of his shit. Our waitress saved him, interrupting before I could get started.

We both ordered something small, and I waited until she was out of earshot before continuing.

“I don’t understand you,” I said. “You walk around with this chip on your shoulder as if the world owes you something. Like we owe you something.”

“You do,” he argued. “At least the bare minimum of respecting me for raising you boys over the years.”

“We appreciate everything that you’ve done, Pop, but with all due respect, we don’t owe you for that. Jude and I didn’t ask to be here. That was you and your wife’s decision. I love you, but I’m not going to spend the rest of my life feeling like I’m in debt for being born.”

“That’s not what I’m saying, James.”

“Then what are you saying? And what exactly is it that you want? Nothing we do is ever good enough for you, and nothing makes you happy. I know that for a fact because I’ve busted my ass for years trying to be who you want me to be. I didn’t realize it until Mom pointed it out. Everything and everyone has to have your approval. If they don’t, it’s a problem.”

“I never said that either of you had to have my approval for anything,” he argued.

“But you never made us feel like we were worth anything if we went against you, either. You and Judah haven’t spoken in how long? You walk around like you don’t care that you barely have a relationship with one of your kids.”

“I ain’t begging nobody to stick around that doesn’t want to be here,” my dad replied fiercely, crossing his arms. “I’m his father, not the other way around.”

“So, your pride means more to you than your son?”