Page 17 of The Score We Never Settled

There, I said it.

“Why?” Everly asks with clenched brows. “You’re amazing.”

Adeline scoffs, causing me to press my lips together because, geezus, really? She’s supposed to be my biggest fan and supporter, which is a good and bad thing.

My sister has zero issues ripping me a new asshole every time I fuck up. And I have no problem telling her that the guys she dates are a bunch of tools with small-dick energy.

“Anything you wanna add, Adeline?” I prompt because I’m all ears. Obviously, she has something to say. I’m a man with abandonment and anger issues, fully protective of my sisters because I don’t trust our father to be.

He wasn’t there for me during the hardest time of my childhood.

“Not at all,” she claims. “The floor is all yours.”

“It’ll be fine,” Everly insists. “I promise.”

You can tell him to be fine all you want, but I’m the issue.

“Fine,” I somehow get out. “What are we havin’?”

“Roast and mashed potatoes,” Adeline replies. “And Daddy’s comin’.”

I’m out.

It’s right there, at the tip of my tongue, when Everly wraps her arms around my waist again and squeezes me nice and tight.

“Thank you, Briggs,” she beams excitedly in my ribs. “I really can’t wait for you to meet him.” She releases me and sprints toward the other side of the house. “I’m gonna go text him now.”

Great.

Just fucking perfect.

The refrigerator hums in the kitchen, and Adeline is still staring at me like the nutjob I am.

It still doesn’t resonate with me because she knew I wouldn’t like this, but she’s forcing me to partake anyway.

“You are gonna be nice, right?”

“Why the hell would you invite Dad to somethin’ you know I’m not gonna like?” I bark out because I haven’t spoken to that man since I left Magnolia Ridge.

And I plan on keeping it that way.

“Because y’all need to squash this nonsense, Briggs. And I’m tired of bein’ in the middle of it.”

“Then don’t,” I retort sharply. “I’ve been tellin’ you that for years. Since I was eighteen, in fact. Let it go.”

“He’s changed, Briggs.”

“Not in my book.”

“Because you won’ttalkto him.”

“Would you?” I grind out. “Would you if he blamed you for Ma’s death? Would you if he told you every single fuckin’ day that I wasn’t allowed to cry because I didn’t earn that right? Because I was a man at eight and I didn’t need consoling? Would you, Adeline? Because our perspectives are different, and you know they are. And I’m glad he wasn’t a dickhead to you and Everly, but he was to me. And then I had to save our home because he couldn’t manage to take care of all three of us and took out that second mortgage with a balloon payment on it. So, no, I don’t need to squash anything. But I’ll sit at that dinner, and I won’t utter but three-word answers, Ad, and that’s all I can give you. Don’t ask me for anythin’ more. I can’t.”

Sadness reaches her eyes, but she bobs her head for me anyway, stepping forward to finally give me a hug and a hello because she hasn’t done that yet.

“Okay,” she mumbles in my shoulder. “I missed you.”

“I’m sure you did. What do you need fixin’ now?”