Hustle Me (Bank Shot Romance #1)(55)
Author: Jennifer Foor

I sat down and put my face into my hands. "This is all f**ked up. I’m sorry for the language, but that’s what it is. So did dad sleep with Charlie’s mother too?"

"Is that what he said?" she crossed her legs and waited for my reply.

"No, he said to ask you. Was Joe my father?" It would have made more sense since I was nothing like my father and Joe and I had so much in common."

"I’m afraid your father has told you another lie. Neither of us had anything to do with Joe or Charlotte until she was already pregnant. They lived in another state. It wasn’t until she got pregnant that they moved back. If you are worried about your father being her father, you shouldn’t. When Joe found out Charlotte was having the affair, he went behind her back and had Charlie tested. He said he couldn’t go another minute not knowing, but it was never your father that he accused of being with his wife. Joe was such a heavy drinker back then, so it didn’t surprise us when he accused her of cheating. Listen, it doesn’t even matter now, because they are both gone, but Charlie was Joe’s daughter."

"Mom, I don’t think you understand. Was Joe my father?"

She put her hands over her face. "That son of a bitch implied that? He’d rather you think he wasn’t even your father? John, Joe isn’t your father. You were planned and no other man had my heart back then. I can assure you that you are no relation to Charlie. By the time that Joe and I were together, you and Charlie had both been born. I never would have let you continue a relationship with her if I thought that for a second. I am telling you that it is not possible."

Relief washed over me. The idea of loving my sister was natural, but having sex with her wasn’t exactly okay with me. In fact, it made me feel sick to think about all of the things we had done together.

"It doesn’t even matter now. I left her and the kid."

She put her leg down from being crossed and leaned in to grab mine. "What happened? Tell me that your father had nothing to do with it."

I pulled away from my mother and looked toward the window. "We couldn’t find a way around saving the tavern. I didn’t want her to have to choose me. Taking myself out of the equation gave her and Ryan the tavern. She will own it free and clear. I didn’t have a choice."

She got up and started dialing a phone number. I stood up and grabbed the phone out of her hand. "Who are you calling?"

She grabbed her phone, but ended the call. "I was calling your father to let him know what he’s done. This has to end, John. I can’t take it anymore. I won’t let him hurt you this way."

"Mom, I will deal with it my own way. Charlie will be okay. She’s strong and she’s a survivor. With or without me, I wanted her to be okay. That tavern is a legacy that Joe wanted her to have. I can’t let her lose it because of Dad."

"He wanted you to be a part of it too, John." She was crying and I felt bad. It seemed like all I did was make women cry. The sad part was, I was the one keeping my feelings bottled up. I was losing my patience and at some point I would lose my self-control and do something stupid. I needed to get out of town before I went running back to Charlie. She could never know the real reason that I left. If she found out, she would beg me to come back. No, she needed to think I lied about my feelings. She needed to hate me, because in case I didn’t win that impossible billiards competition, she needed to move on.

"None of that matters anymore. I can’t come up with the fifty grand and I can’t sit around and watch Charlie and Ryan lose all they have left." It hurt so much to say her name. By now she would be devastated, probably blaming it all on herself. God, I missed her already. Just thinking that I could never touch her again was killing me inside.

"John, you can’t give up your happiness. You have to fight for what you love and don’t tell me you don’t love that girl. I can see it in your eyes that you are suffering already. That pain isn’t going to go away. It’s going to linger and intensify. You will lose yourself in angst and shut down. Please reconsider your decision. Go back and tell her the truth."

I shook my head and leaned over to kiss my mother on the forehead. "I’m sorry I stayed away from you for so long. It was never about you. Mom, if you love me like I know you do, please leave him. Take what you can and leave. You know people that will help you get away from him, or you could come with me."

She looked up and smiled. Her hand reached up and touched my cheek. "My sweet son, I do love you so, but I can’t leave. This is the life I’ve chosen. It’s not so bad. I just stay away from him and he leaves me alone. You have the chance to be happy. Please, don’t throw it away."

I tried to wipe away the regret that I know showed all over my face, but it was an inevitable task. "I’m doing this because I’m in love with her, with them. I need to know they will be happy."

She stood up and hugged me. "I’m so proud of the man you’ve become."

I pulled away from her and kissed the top of my mother’s head. "I appreciate that. Listen, I know I came here ready to battle, but I actually need a favor. I kind of left my stick at the apartment and I’m playing in this big tournament in three weeks. Do you think you could lend me a couple grand? I hate to ask, but I can’t go back and pick it up. I can’t look her in the eye and will myself to walk away. I think it would be too hard for either of us."

My mother walked into the other room and when she came back out she had her purse. She dug inside of it and pulled out a wallet. "This is a card that your father doesn’t know I have. It’s for emergencies. I used my maiden name."

I looked down at the card and traced the numbers in my fingers. "Are you sure?"

"Of course." She sighed and closed my hand on the card. "You are my son. The PIN number is your birthday. I want you to be happy. I just wish there was some way I could help you work things out with Charlie. She’s good for you."

I shook my head and looked away from her to hide the pain on my face. "If there was a way, I would do it too. I love her and she makes me want to be a different person, but I need her to be happy. It’s the most important thing to me."

She shook her head again. "What if her happiness is because of her love for you?"

It was hard to let myself think about that. I hated thinking about Charlie being miserable. The fact that I could be the cause of that pain shattered my heart. "I can’t think like that. She has her brother and her business. Dad assured me that if I walked away, the tavern would be hers free and clear. I signed over my share. I did everything he asked. I just need to get the hell out of here."