“You know, Lennon, I’m still your father. I’m sorry if me bedding your high school girlfriend has you that traumatized. It’s time to move on.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at how sick and twisted the man was. Yeah, Dad had an affair with an old flame of Lennon’s but that wasn’t the worst part of it. He’d cheated on our mother and slept with his best friend’s teenage daughter. The list was long, but he had a way of minimizing his offenses by focusing on small pieces of his depraved little world.
“I think you’re missing a whole lot of offenses there, big guy,” I said. I noted the veins bulging in my brother’s neck, and I put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.
Lennon leaned forward. “How about what you did to our mother? Shall we talk about that, you selfish prick.”
“Your mother is a grown ass woman. She can fight her own battles. She’ll get over this. Give her time,” Dad said, chugging the rest of his Chardonnay and snapping his fingers for the waiter to refill his glass.
Classy.
“How about what you did to your own son? Paying some psycho bitch to claim Cruz knocked her up. Who the fuck does that?” Lennon said, his words laced with venom. My brother had found his backbone somewhere between getting a grip on his sobriety and falling in love. And I was impressed. Hell, the kid was a force to reckon with now.
“So, we’re going to let some, what did you call her, psycho bitch, come between us?”
“She’s back in the news, if you hadn’t heard. You opened a shitstorm by bringing her crazy ass into our world.”
“I didn’t bring her in. Check with your pal, Dex. He’s the one who brought her in. I just fanned the flames. I barely interacted with the girl, and I haven’t talked to her since. I’ve apologized for the role I played in it. Now let’s move on. We’re family.”
“You’re not my family,” Lennon said, and even my jaw dropped a bit. I’d never seen my brother take such a strong stance against our father. But Lennon was making his own money, and since distancing himself from Dad, he’d learned that he didn’t need the man anymore. In fact, he’d come to realize that my father was at the crux of most of his problems. It was a valuable lesson we’d both learned this year.
“Is that so?” Dad chuckled. Good Christ, the man must have a heart of steel because he seemed completely unphased by Lennon’s words. “Then you won’t be needing my planes, and homes, or any of the other things you both feel so entitled to?”
We paused when the waiter approached, and we ordered dinner. I wondered why we were even bothering to have a meal together. Jesus, this was dysfunction at its finest.
Lennon folded his hands on the table and glanced over at me before speaking. I was letting him take the reins. Hell, the kid seemed to have a lot to say.
“Do you know that I almost died from an overdose twice? I’m twenty-one years old, Dad. That’s how out of control I was, and you continued to push your drug dealer on me. You liked me that way. You know, just barely hanging by a thread, so you could use me the way you wanted to. Like I was your little puppet. Well, I’m here to tell you those days are over. And you can dangle all your fancy toys in my face but guess what? I don’t give a shit. I wouldn’t even be flying on the plane if Mom didn’t remind me that they also belong to her. So, once the divorce goes through, I won’t be using anything that belongs to you. And for the record, I can buy my own shit now. Maybe not a private plane, but I’d sit in steerage on a coach flight before I’d ever come to you for a favor.”
The words hung in the air around us. Not quite where I saw tonight going, but I was proud of Lennon. He needed to get this shit off his chest. This man was toxic. And Lennon was absolutely-fucking right, Mom was a partner in everything in this fucked up marriage and especially after the divorce, maybe then some—and she’s got a kick ass lawyer.
My father’s face was bright red. “I don’t plan on divorcing her anytime soon. She may have served me the papers, but we can drag this out for a long time.”
Not much of a comeback. He was losing his edge and in denial. Maybe his lifestyle was finally catching up to him.
The waiter set our food down and Lennon and my father both started eating.
Was I the only one that found this to be awkward?
“So, have you heard anything from Dex? Where he is? What he’s doing? I assume he’s behind the Farah bullshit,” I said. I wanted to see his reaction. I could usually tell when my father was up to something.
Dad set his fork down and wiped his mouth. “I reached out to him, but he hasn’t taken my calls since he admitted himself into a program. Just what the world needs. Another fucking boy scout.”
Lennon shook his head and stood. “I need to use the restroom.”
“He’s being a bit dramatic don’t you think?” Dad asked me as soon as my brother left the table.
“Not even a little bit. That was a long time coming. But you’ve known where I stand on this, it’s no secret.”
“So, tell me. You’re back with Jade? The press sure seems to think so.”
“It’s pretty sad that you get your information from the press. You could call and ask. You know, instead of only talking business when we speak,” I said. “But yes, Jade and I are very much together.”
“And she wants you out of Exiled?”
I took my time chewing my food because I could feel my temper rising. “No. I want out of Exiled. I never wanted to be in the band, if you remember.”
“Bullshit. When you broke up with her, you ended up staying in the band.”
“I stayed in the band because fucking Dex attacked her, and I wanted him out,” I said, fisting my hands in my lap.
“Exiled is going to implode if you leave. You’re not getting out without a fight,” he said, his ice blue stare locked with mine.
“The label has already agreed to let me go. I’m afraid you’re shit out of luck, old man.”
“They aren’t the only ones who have a stake in this band,” he said, reaching for another full glass of wine and chugging it.
“You know, it may have helped if you fought this hard to save your marriage and your family. Why you fucking care so much about Exiled is beyond me,” I said, tossing my napkin on the table.
“My wife and my family don’t bring in any revenue.” A wicked smile spread across his face and I pushed to my feet.
“We’re done,” I said, slipping my jacket on.
“Oh son. We’re just getting started.”
I motioned to Lennon when he returned from the restroom, and he followed me out of the restaurant.