Page 41 of Rock Me

His father’s shoulders hunch over, his posture defeated.“It’s never happened before.”

Ben sets his jaw, his shoulders tense and straight.“And it can’t happen again.Either you get yourself help—real help—or I won’t be answering the phone when you need a bar tab paid or God forbid you kill someone driving drunk.”Ben’s face flushes red as he speaks, and I know, without a doubt, how difficult this is for him.

I didn’t want to embarrass Nate Hollander by staying and listening to whatever Ben intended to say, but I now realize that is part of his plan.Shock, embarrass, and hopefully get his father to hear him and finally get help for his problem.

Ben is a good, decent man, and he wouldn’t want to abandon his father in his time of need, but it is obvious, both from the run-down condition of the house and Nate’s lack of caring about much of anything, that Ben has no choice.

“I don’t know if I can stop.”Nate stares at his hands clutched tightly together.

Ben’s gaze narrows.“You mean you don’t know if you want to.It’s not going to be easy, Dad, but I’ll support you as long as you’re trying.”

The silence in the wake of Ben’s statement is deafening, I think.

“I have a friend who goes to AA.”Nate finally speaks up.“Maybe I could call him.”He glances up at his son, as if asking whether that is enough of a concession.

“That’s a start.But you have to want to sober up.You need to face your problems and your life.You want to do that?I’ll be there.”He tips his head toward me.“You ready?”he asks, obviously not expecting a definitive answer from his father right now… or miracles after dropping his ultimatum.

“I, umm, I wanted to wash the dirty dishes.”I gesture to the pan and plate I left in the sink.

Ben shakes his head.“You already cleaned up his mess.He can handle this one,” he says in a firm voice that tells me he wouldn’t accept any argument.

“Okay.”I walk toward where Ben stands in the kitchen entrance, pausing by his father at the table.“It was nice to meet you, Mr.Hollander.I hope you feel better soon.”

He lifts his head.“Thank you, Summer.I appreciate your help.”

It is the first acknowledgment he’s given me, and I smile before letting Ben lead me out of the house and back to his car.

I wait until we are settled and on the way back to Manhattan before I speak.“That was strong, the way you handled him.”

“I feel like shit,” he says, his words honest and raw.

“Of course you do.”I reach over and grab his hand, holding on tight.He can drive with his free hand.“But you had no choice.You can’t enable him and you’re right.The next time, he could kill or hurt someone… or himself.”

“I hope he realizes that himself.”

I lift his hand and press a kiss to his skin.“You did the best you could.”

“I wish to God you didn’t have to see him like that,” he says.

“I don’t judge you based on your father,” I say.“I’m just glad I could be there for you.”

“I wish you always could be.”

I know the words slipped out, the emotions of the day at the surface for Ben.

And my eyes fill with tears because he’ll never know how much I wish the same thing.

Chapter Ten

Ben

Summer is foldingclothes in her room, having done laundry, and I sit on the couch, checking work email on my laptop.I’ve had a few peaceful days with no stress from Summer’s schedule and no word from my father.I didn’t expect to hear from Nate, and I’m not of the mindset that no news is good news, because his silence could just as easily mean he’s gone back to his drinking rather than make an attempt to sober up.Time will tell.

As for Summer, she doesn’t have another engagement planned until a media junket over the following weekend.According to her agent, Jade’s tour opens in a little over two months, and she is getting closer to making a decision.As much as I want Summer’s dreams to come true, I’m not looking forward to the end of this assignment.The end of us.I didn’t listen to my gut or my own words to Summer, and kept my distance.

I introduced her to my friends and colleagues and brought her into my fractured family life.She knows me better than even those at Alpha Security who are closest to me.And she’s supported me in ways that I’ve never let anyone else do.

I allowed her to see the weakest part of me, and instead of running away, she stepped up.Hell, she cooked for my old man.She was quiet when I needed silence to process the day, and open and giving when I needed her later that night.