The doorbell rang, and I frowned, looking at Pacey. “Did we order something?”
“Maybe Miles did.”
“I’ve got it,” Miles called out, and I shrugged, eating a piece of cheese. Pacey took one too, and I grinned. Cheese is healthy. At least, I thought so.
“Hey, Dillon, it’s for you.”
I frowned again and then made my way to the front of the house. Pacey followed, leaving the veggie tray behind. If Sanders or Miles ended up in the kitchen, it would probably be gone by the time we got back. But that was fine. We could just make another one.
Once I reached the front door, I froze, staring at the man in the doorway, wondering where I had seen him before. He didn’t look familiar, and yet I knew those eyes and that jaw.
Who the hell is that?
My heart raced, and my mouth went dry.
“You okay?” Pacey asked, his voice low.
Suddenly, Sanders and Tanner were there, all standing beside me as Miles stood near the open doorway, his eyes wide as he looked between us.
“Hey there, son. I figured it was time we met.”
Son. So that’s how I knew those eyes. Because they were mine. As in, this was my fucking father.
The man I had never actually met. Unless he had been there when I was an infant, and I didn’t remember. But the guy at my door was Dave. My sperm donor.
“How the hell did you find me?” I was surprised that my voice was so steady and that I wasn’t shouting. Or maybe I was, and the screaming in my head wasn’t only into the void.
“Found you on Instagram. They had a picture of the house at one point or another. Pretty nice digs you got here. Figured you and I should talk. These your friends?” Dave lifted his chin at my roommate even as he rubbed his arm as if he were jonesing for a fix. “These can’t be your brothers, right? They’d be older.”
“What’s going on?” Miles asked.
“How does he not know what your brothers look like?” Sanders asked and let out an oof as Tanner elbowed him in the gut.
I cleared my throat. “I don’t know who you are. You need to go.”
Dave’s eyes narrowed in rage. It was just a slight shift, but I caught it.
And I knew my roommates did, too.
“Now, son, I thought we could talk about what you owe me. You sitting here in this nice house. Going to this fancy school. You owe me a few things. I just thought we’d catch up. Make sure we put everything on the table. You don’t want to have to deal with what’s going to happen if you say no, do you?” He began to pace as if unable to stand still for longer than a few seconds, and I tensed, worried what he’d do. Hell, I worried what the others thought, too.
Jesus, my roommates did not need to see this. They didn’t need to know what kind of loser my supposed father was. I didn’t even want to know who he was. Let alone what drug he was on.
“You need to go,” I repeated with a growl, my voice stern.
Miles straightened, blocking the door with his body. “Yes, you should go.”
“You really think you can close the door on me, little kid?” he asked, and Miles rolled his shoulders back. Miles wasn’t short, nor was he a skinny beanpole. But the way he hunched in on himself sometimes, most people didn’t notice that he was actually above average in height and muscle.
The man who had left me widened his eyes a fraction as he noticed Miles, and I let myself take a little pleasure in that.
“Come on now, son.”
“Please don’t call me that.”
“I see. That asshole brother of yours has been spreading lies.”
“That’s enough,” I growled, moving forward.
Before my dad could say anything else, though, Pacey stepped up, Tanner and Sanders with him. I moved as well so I wasn’t left behind, but embarrassment filled me. Here my new roommates were, watching me interact with my so-called father. They probably all came from completely different backgrounds than I had, even though I didn’t know precisely what or how. But it didn’t matter. They would likely think less of me now. And I would deserve it. I was some kid that nobody wanted until I was forced to stay with Cameron. And though I was still trying to deal with that, I couldn’t really focus on anything with my dad standing here in front of me.
I cleared my throat. “Go. Before I call the cops.”
“You think you can do that?”
“I think you need to go.”
“Or we can handle this ourselves,” Tanner said.
Sanders grinned. “Oh, yeah. I’m pretty sure five of us young kids—as you called us—could kick your old ass. We could take you in a minute. You want to try it out, pops?”
I’d never loved Sanders more than at that moment, even as I hated myself that this was happening at all.
Dave narrowed his eyes again, then huffed away, his hands fisting and un-fisting as he stomped down the stairs to where he’d presumably parked his vehicle. I growled, followed him out onto the porch despite Miles’ protest, and looked to see where Dave had double-parked his old truck. I committed the license plate to memory, just in case. I had probably seen a few too many movies.
“You okay?” Pacey asked from behind me. I shrugged.
“Yeah. Shit.”
“That was your dad?” Sanders asked.
“Not really.” I didn’t know that man and didn’t want anything to do with him. I didn’t know what he was on or what he’d do to get the drugs and money he thought he was owed. The farther he was away from me, the better. It wasn’t safe for him to be around me or my family.
“I’m sorry,” Miles said. “He said that he was your dad, and I don’t know anyone but your brothers and your sisters-in-law. I’m sorry. I would’ve
