I nodded.
“Fuck me,” he huffed, “no wonder you’re sleeping all the fucking time.”
I frowned and looked out the window. The night was already dark and dreary.
I looked back at him. “I’m not sleeping all the time.”
“Uh, huh.”
“I’m not.”
“Right, and how many times have you tried to quit, but the detox got too tough?”
A cold wave washed through me. I held my breath and didn’t answer.
“You thought nobody would know your dirty little secret?” He laughed a low, sad laugh as he shook his head slowly. “If there’s one person in the world who’d recognize an addict—it’s my daughter. She’s had years of training. If Alexis already sniffed you out—I’d trust her judgment.”
He closed his eyes, then opened them. “Fuck, you find the one woman in the world who can spot a junkie a mile away—and you marry her.”
“I’m not a junkie, Wes.”
He cocked his head and shrugged. “You’re a baby junkie. Just learnin’ the ropes. I guess marrying my daughter was either the worst thing you ever did—or the best thing you ever did. You deal with this shit early, hit it hard and get it done—maybe your wife ends up saving your life.”
I cleared my throat and pushed off the counter. “Are you helping to clean this kitchen? Or do I get to do it alone?” I’d had enough of this conversation. Wes was talking nonsense, and I didn’t want to listen to him anymore.
“Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt,” I heard Wes say behind me before he started laughing again. When I looked up, he was making his way to the living room.
Fuckin’ old man.
Spewing bullshit.
Projecting his issues onto me.
I did my best to ignore his words and accusations—and instead, focused on cleaning the kitchen.
I was in a club.
Loud music.
Lots of drinks.
Lots of hot chicks in tight, revealing dresses.
The volume of the music kept getting louder and louder. And I pounded back the drinks faster and faster.
A couple of women came over to flirt with me—looking for a good time.
I chatted and drank with them for a while until I spotted my wife.
She was on the dance floor, in a tight as fuck pink dress.
Lexi danced between two of the young guys on my team.
And they were all having fun.
More fun than a married woman should be having on a dance floor without her husband.
One of the guys put his hands on her tiny waist and pulled her closer to him. She laughed and slung her arms around his shoulders.