Page 89 of Imperfect Match (Imperfect Match 1)
He looks up from his desk in annoyance at the intrusion. “Reid? What the hell?”
“I want to talk to you.”
“Then make an appointment.”
“I’m your son. I shouldn’t need an appointment to talk to you!”
He sits back in his chair and studies me. “What’s this about? Have you come to your senses? Are you ready to quit picking around at that stupid little job working for someone else and take your place here?”
“There’s no way in hell I’d work for you.”
His dark eyes turn beady. “You’ve got something against money, power, and success, is that it?”
“I’ve got something against the man who destroyed my family.”
“When are you going to grow up? You’re a Fortino, for fuck’s sake. Act like one.” He’s getting riled up, and I find myself enjoying it. As a kid, his temper scared me, but I’m not afraid of him anymore.
“You might think I’m a Fortino, but it’s only in name.”
“It’s in your blood.”
I shake my head and realize something for the first time. “You’re wrong. My blood is my own. And I’m tired of feeling like I’m being punished for your mistakes. I’m not you.”
He cocks his head to one side. “Is this some kind of sins-of-the-father bullshit? What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the fact I might have just lost the best thing that ever happened to me because I was too afraid of being like you.”
He looks amused. “Are you talking about a girl?”
“I’m talking about Willow. She’s not just some girl—she’s everything to me, and I walked out on her.”
“And somehow that’s my fault?” His smirk infuriates me.
“Yes!” I snap. “Because she wants a good man—a real man, a man who’d be a good husband and father. And thanks to you, I have no fucking idea what that looks like!”
“Listen, you’re smart to ditch the girl now, whatever the reason. Marriage is a hassle no man needs. An impossible game to win.”
“It’s not a game at all, Dad. It’s real life, and the way you treated Mom had real consequences—for her, and for Leo and me. Your game playing wrecked our entire family. Why do you think mom drinks so much? Why do you think Leo can’t hold a job? Why did I grow up being more of a father to Leo than you ever were?”
Riled up, my dad gets to his feet. “Your mother expected too much—it fucking exhausted me! And your brother was a spoiled brat who never toughened up and grew a backbone. He’s been a pansy his entire life.”
“Don’t talk about him like that!” I move forward and lean over the desk to get in his face. “All he ever wanted—all any of us ever wanted was to feel like we mattered to you! But you were too self-centered to care.”
“A man provides for his family, and that’s what I did! Christ, did you think your privileged life was free? The million-dollar house? The cars? The vacations? The Ivy League education? And how about the trips to rehab? You think those are cheap? I’ve had to work for every cent, Reid.”
“We could have lived with less money and more attention.”
He rolls his eyes. “So you’d have been happier being poor? What a joke. You’re wasting my time, Reid. If you didn’t come here to take your place in this company, then what the hell do you want from me? I can’t turn back time, and even if I could, I am who I am, and I’m not going to change. Your mother knew who she married.”
I look at him for a long, hard moment over that desk, and find relief when I see no trace of myself in his face. “I don’t want anything from you anymore. I came here today to confront you, to ask you why you treated us all like dirt, like possessions—as though we didn’t mean as much to you as the fancy cars in your garage. I wanted to look you in the eye and say fuck you for never being there. Fuck you for not caring more. Fuck you for making me feel like I can’t be a better man. Because I can. And I will.”
We stare at each other for a few more seconds, and even though we’re the same height, I feel taller than my father for the first time. Bigger. Stronger. More powerful.
“See you around, Dad.” Without looking back, I stride out of his office and down the hall to the elevator.
I feel like a million bucks, like a huge weight has been lifted off me, like I’ve let go of something that’s been dragging me down all my life. There’s still work to do, of course, but I’m not scared of it.
I know what I want, and that’s a life with Willow.
