Goldi’s pissed. She didn’t say the words, but I got the gist when she didn’t even attempt a conversation with her dad. Not that he tried to talk to her. I’ve noticed he never does. My stomach burns when I think about it. I’m sad she has to experience how addiction steals people’s love.
Her dad struggles to walk himself to the front door. My arm goes around his waist, his around my shoulders. We’ve already learned the steps to this dance. It’s one we practice often. All the while, Goldi’s gearing up for battle. I see it in the rigidness of her features and the way she stomps through the door.
Eli and his fiancée Sarah are sitting on the living room couch, watching TV.
He shoots to his feet when he sees Goldi. “Sis, what are you doing here?”
She walks right up to him and shoves his shoulders. He stumbles back, his legs hitting the furniture.
“What the hell, Lee?”
“When are you gonna get it, huh?” she hisses. “I thought you bein’ back would make you see. Get you to realize how bad things are, but here you are… sittin’ pretty with your girl while Daddy’s runnin’ around town makin’ a fool of himself.”
“I’m not his babysitter. Pops is a grown man.”
I scoff. I can’t help it. This dude is being so fucking blind.
“Do you know where we just came from, Eli?” Goldi asks.
I’m still standing in the doorway, Mr. Carson in my arms. He shifts, his weight sinking into me. I move forward, sitting him in his recliner. He hunches over, passed out. Sarah gasps when she notices the state of Mr. Carson. Eli moves his gaze from Goldi over to me and his shit-faced father.
His mouth parts and he lifts a heavy brow. “What happened?”
Goldi huffs out a laugh. “What do you think happened, Eli? The same thing that always happens. If Daddy doesn’t have a babysitter, he gets behind the wheel, drunk as a skunk, and ends up at his favorite bar. Only his favorite bar has banned him ‘cause he always causes a scene.”
Eli cringes. “Lee, I didn’t know…”
“I’ve told you a thousand times!” she screams, throwing her arms in the air. “Begged you a hundred more. You don’t listen, Eli. You don’t wanna hear it.”
Eli looks over at his dad, the grief settling heavy in his eyes. “I didn’t think it was this bad,” he whispers. “Pops said he was meeting up with his buddies. He said you just like to hover, like to control things ever since Ma die—since Ma’s been gone.”
Goldi shakes her head, exhaustion blanketing her features. “The only buddies Daddy has are Jim, Jack, and Johnny. Oh, and the cops that picked him up and booked him tonight.”
Eli’s eyes grow big. “He was arrested?”
Tears well in Goldi’s eyes, and it makes my stomach churn. I’d do anything to take this pain for her. I wish I could. I’m used to it—lived with it all my life. More wouldn’t hurt me. I know this is something that will dig deep in her soul and settle in. Something she’ll carry for the rest of her days. I can’t spare her from that. All I can do is help her navigate through the heartbreak.
“You gotta open your eyes. Daddy ain’t the hero you’ve always seen him as. I just need a minute,” she says, wiping under her eyes. She brushes past us into the kitchen.
The air is quiet but heavy. Eli collapses onto the couch. Sarah scoots closer, running her hand up and down his back as he leans forward with his head in his hands.
Eli looks up. “Thanks, man, for going with her.”
I bite my tongue. There’s a lot I want to say. Mainly, I want to ask where the hell he was, and what the fuck he was thinking.
“Do you think she’s overreacting a little?” He’s looking at Sarah, so I assume his question is aimed toward her.
I blow out a breath, my small amount of restraint disappearing with his question. “You know, you may not want to hear it, but fuck it. Ignoring the problem won’t make it go away, Eli. It won’t make it stop. It’ll just continue to spiral out of control, and then one day… one day, you’ll wake up and wonder what the hell you were thinking. You’ll wonder how you could have been so goddamn blind.”
I pause to breathe through the sudden pain in my chest. “Trust me, when that day comes? The regret will rot you from the fucking inside. Because you’ll know—you’ll know that you didn’t do everything in your power to save them when you had the chance. You didn’t do anything.” I shake my head. “I hope to God you wake up before then.”
Eli blinks at me. I don’t know if he heard a word I said, but I don’t stick around to find out. I leave the room to find Goldi. She’s coming out of the bathroom, her eyes puffy but her face clear.
She smiles when she sees me. “Ready to get outta here?”
I nod, gripping her hand. “You alright?”
She sighs, grasping my fingers tight. “Yeah, I’m alright. Just ready to leave.”
I lead her out the front door and to my truck. I’m ready to get her home and take her mind off the heaviness. We were off to such a good start before her dad interrupted our night.
I swear I can still taste her on my lips. Feasting on her pussy out in the open wasn’t my plan, but goddamn her jealousy turned me on. So I did what any man in my situation would do. I dropped to my knees and worshiped her with my tongue.
We’re pulling up to a stoplight when I see Goldi unbuckle her seatbelt from the corner of my eye. I turn to watch her. She gives me a wicked smile as she leans over the console and trails kisses up my neck. A shiver races down my spine.
Her hand creeps over my chest, and
