Read Online Stay With Me, Contemporary Romance (Last Frontier Lodge Novels Book 5) by J.H. Croix - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: J.H. Croix
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him there, but you know how she is with him. She can’t stand up to him. I tried, but it got ugly. I mostly tried to stay out of way, but…” Ryan shrugged and shook his head. “I don’t know what he was like when you were there, but he’s a fuckin’ asshole now. I don’t know if it’s worse when he’s drunk or sober. At least when he’s drinking, I just have to wait long enough for him to pass out.”
Anger flashed through Eli. He closed his eyes and clenched a fist, waiting for it to pass. He’d spent most of his life determined not to let anger rule him the way it did his father. After a moment, he opened his eyes and looked over at Ryan. “Doesn’t sound like he’s changed much. Mom ever tell you why Dad wasn’t staying with you guys?”
Ryan nodded. “A few years back, she told me you made Dad leave. She didn’t say much about it, but I could guess why. Even though I didn’t see him much, I knew he was a jerk. He was always showing up and demanding money from her. I don’t think I knew how bad he was until he moved in.”
Eli was furious with his father, but he was also angry with his mother. If she’d told him his father had moved back in, he would’ve gone down there to do something about it. He knew she was cowed by his father, but it didn’t change his frustration with her inability to walk away from him. They didn’t talk often, but when they did, she’d definitely omitted the significant detail about his father moving back in. He hooked his foot on the rung of a stool nearby and tugged it over, plunking down on it and running a hand through his hair. He felt suddenly weary. Ryan watched him, his eyes guarded and wary.
Eli mentally shook himself. Ryan didn’t need to know how much Eli had wished he could have protected him from ever seeing this side of their father. “I’m sorry to hear that. Dammit. I should’ve known he’d eventually find a way back in.”
Still twisting the napkin in his hands, Ryan shrugged again. “Once he finds out I took off and came to see you, he’s gonna flip. I wasn’t thinking about that when I came here. I just wanted to get the hell away from him.”
Eli rubbed his hand over his face and sighed. He wished Ryan was wrong, but he knew their father wouldn’t take kindly to Ryan running away to stay with Eli. “Right. Yeah, to say he and I weren’t on good terms when I left is an understatement. We have to call Mom though. When did you leave with your friend?”
“Four days before I got here. His parents took us on the ferry to Whittier. It took me another day to get here.”
Eli glanced at the clock over the stove. “If she doesn’t hear from you soon, she’s going to start worrying. You wanna call tonight? Get it over with?”
Ryan’s eyes widened. He started to shake his head and then stopped, his shoulders sagging. “I don’t want to call at all, but I guess I can only blow it off so long.” He paused and took a deep breath. “What do we do if Mom says I have to go back?”
The same question had been tumbling through his mind since Ryan had shown up here. Eli couldn’t stomach sending Ryan back to Juneau with their father living in the same house now. Yet, it wasn’t like he had a leg to stand on legally. He knew his father well. In all the years of being abusive to his mother, once in a while, she’d actually pressed charges. Each time, their father threw his energy into refuting it. Any challenge to his rights as a husband and father was like waving a red flag in front of him. He ran at it with all his might. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t be bothered to actually care about how he functioned in those roles. All that mattered was someone was daring to question his right to do so. Eli mentally sighed. He’d hoped he’d left tangling with his father in his past when he left Juneau. Much as he didn’t want to, he couldn’t stand by and let Ryan return. Not as long as his father was back in his mother’s home.
Eli met
Anger flashed through Eli. He closed his eyes and clenched a fist, waiting for it to pass. He’d spent most of his life determined not to let anger rule him the way it did his father. After a moment, he opened his eyes and looked over at Ryan. “Doesn’t sound like he’s changed much. Mom ever tell you why Dad wasn’t staying with you guys?”
Ryan nodded. “A few years back, she told me you made Dad leave. She didn’t say much about it, but I could guess why. Even though I didn’t see him much, I knew he was a jerk. He was always showing up and demanding money from her. I don’t think I knew how bad he was until he moved in.”
Eli was furious with his father, but he was also angry with his mother. If she’d told him his father had moved back in, he would’ve gone down there to do something about it. He knew she was cowed by his father, but it didn’t change his frustration with her inability to walk away from him. They didn’t talk often, but when they did, she’d definitely omitted the significant detail about his father moving back in. He hooked his foot on the rung of a stool nearby and tugged it over, plunking down on it and running a hand through his hair. He felt suddenly weary. Ryan watched him, his eyes guarded and wary.
Eli mentally shook himself. Ryan didn’t need to know how much Eli had wished he could have protected him from ever seeing this side of their father. “I’m sorry to hear that. Dammit. I should’ve known he’d eventually find a way back in.”
Still twisting the napkin in his hands, Ryan shrugged again. “Once he finds out I took off and came to see you, he’s gonna flip. I wasn’t thinking about that when I came here. I just wanted to get the hell away from him.”
Eli rubbed his hand over his face and sighed. He wished Ryan was wrong, but he knew their father wouldn’t take kindly to Ryan running away to stay with Eli. “Right. Yeah, to say he and I weren’t on good terms when I left is an understatement. We have to call Mom though. When did you leave with your friend?”
“Four days before I got here. His parents took us on the ferry to Whittier. It took me another day to get here.”
Eli glanced at the clock over the stove. “If she doesn’t hear from you soon, she’s going to start worrying. You wanna call tonight? Get it over with?”
Ryan’s eyes widened. He started to shake his head and then stopped, his shoulders sagging. “I don’t want to call at all, but I guess I can only blow it off so long.” He paused and took a deep breath. “What do we do if Mom says I have to go back?”
The same question had been tumbling through his mind since Ryan had shown up here. Eli couldn’t stomach sending Ryan back to Juneau with their father living in the same house now. Yet, it wasn’t like he had a leg to stand on legally. He knew his father well. In all the years of being abusive to his mother, once in a while, she’d actually pressed charges. Each time, their father threw his energy into refuting it. Any challenge to his rights as a husband and father was like waving a red flag in front of him. He ran at it with all his might. It didn’t matter that he couldn’t be bothered to actually care about how he functioned in those roles. All that mattered was someone was daring to question his right to do so. Eli mentally sighed. He’d hoped he’d left tangling with his father in his past when he left Juneau. Much as he didn’t want to, he couldn’t stand by and let Ryan return. Not as long as his father was back in his mother’s home.
Eli met
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