Page 114 of Without a Hitch
“Lila.”
My father’s face contorts, and he taps his forefinger on his chin. I don’t dare look at Nova. “Every day of my life,” he finally says.
“Do you regret it? Loving her when you only had her for such a short time?”
“God no, boy. The great thing about love is that it goes on. It lives in the memories. I’ve had the love of two amazing women in my life. They’ve made me crazy. They’ve made me cry and scream. They’ve also given me the best gifts a man could ever ask for. They gave me you and Nono.”
“I don’t understand you, Dad.”
“You don’t have to understand me, son. But do you understand this girl?”
I nod, weighing his words.
“Why did you ask about my mom?” Nova whispers.
I stare at her sad eyes for a beat too long. When a tear slips free, I want to throat punch myself. Just because I’m miserable doesn’t mean I want my family to be.
“I was just wondering how long this feeling would last,” I finally admit with a painful gruffness to my voice.
“So, you do love her?”
“I’ve only known her for a few months. We’ve only really gotten to know each other the last two weeks.”
“Like my Lila and me,” my dad surmises.
“Do you love her?” Nova asks again, handing me a bottle of water.
My gaze bounces to each member of my family before falling back to my sister. “She got me to wear bloody baby trackies.” I shrug like that’s answer enough.
Nova’s eyes sparkle as she regards me with a smile. “You’re worried that she’s like Christine.”
“No. I’m not,” I bellow. Unable to make eye contact with anyone, I start tossing Skittles wrappers out of the tub. “She’s nothing like Christine.”
“Then what are you scared of?” my mother asks with none of her usual primness.
My head throbs, and I close my eyes. How long have I been awake?
“I told you recently that Christine changed you long before she deceived you. Do you remember that?” Nova says.
I nod, but keep my eyes closed and feel her hand take the bottle of water and bring it to my lips. I drink greedily, washing down the Skittle scuz.
“Do you know what I meant by that?” Nova’s voice wavers in my ears, but I fight the urge to sleep.
“No,” I grunt, forcing one eye open.
“She was playing mind games with you from the day she walked into that hotel, Loch. The very first time I met her, she was diminishing the award you had just received for excellence in hospitality. That’s something you worked your ass off to achieve. How do you think Tilly would have responded to that award?”
My head sways as my entire body smiles. “She would have thrown a bloody fantastic party.”
I don’t have to look to know Nova’s smiling. “And what did Christine say when you told her you were uncomfortable with her ‘friendly’ flirting with hotel employees?”
“I’ll answer that one,” my mother hisses. “She told him his emotions were his responsibility.”
“What about when she’d come home hours later than she said she’d be?”
Jesus, Nova is really knifing me about this.
“That I always remembered things wrong, or I was making a big deal out of nothing.” The words taste as bitter as the bile rising in my throat. “If we’re going down this road, let’s not forget when she gave me chlamydia and told me it was my fault.” My voice is hoarse by the time I get the last word out, and the room sways.
