Page 145 of Toxic Wishes

“No. Abigail. No,” She says softly, and confusion sets in with a mixture of relief.

“You’re not adopted.”

“Then who is my father? Why does it have another man’s name on my birth certificate? And how come I’ve never seen it? Did mom give me a fake one to take to college when I needed it? I mean. I-I don’t understand. What the fuck is going on?”

“Abigail, calm down. She did that to…” She hesitates trailing off and I know she’s thinking of a way to lie to me. “Protect you in a sense. She didn’t think you should find out, especially not like this.”

“So you’ve known this whole time I’ve had another father? We’re not sisters?”

“We are sisters. We’re just, half, instead of whole.”

“What the fuck, how come no one told me?” My hands began to tremble so I gripped the steering wheel tighter to stay in control. But when I steadied my hands, I could feel my body start to shake.

“Did mom have an affair”? Is that why Dad started cheating on her?”

“Look, the baby is sleeping, so why don’t you just come over? I don’t think I should discuss this with you over the phone. Not while you’re driving. I know you probably didn’t eat much today, so the last thing I want is for my sister to pass out from exhaustion and shock.”

Her sweet suggestion made me calm down a little. My sister always showed me love and concern when I needed it most. Especially after our grandma had passed, it’s like Adalee knew the only other person who cared about me on this earth was our grandma.

Before answering, I took a deep breath and said, “Okay, I’ll head there now.”

46

Colt

“Music does a lot of things for a lot of people. It’s transporting, for sure. It can take you right back, years back, to the very moment certain things happened in your life. It’s uplifting, it’s encouraging, it’s strengthening.” — Aretha Franklin

Coach Bently asked me to come to his house after camp. He was quiet as he let me in the front door. I followed him into the kitchen, suspecting he wanted to ring me out for a less-than-stellar performance on the field today. His kids grabbed a drink from the fridge, eyeing me, then their dad, and the look on their faces told me they even knew this wouldn’t be good. His wife arranged pictures on the wall, ensuring they looked symmetrical. Kathy was a sweetheart and always treated me like a long-lost friend or a family member. I hugged her, and when we separated, I saw Coach give her a look before she made herself scarce. Yup, I was definitely about to get chewed out on top of having my ass handed to me on a gold platter. And he wanted to do it in private. Sure enough, after he had passed me a beer, he took a seat and laid it on me.

“Okay, what the hell is going on with you, Killian?”

I pulled out a chair and sat down. “I know. I’m sorry,”

“You missed an open receiver downfield. And that’s not the first time that’s happened lately, either. I don’t know what the fuck is going on, but you better get your head out of your ass before the season starts. We have a good chance of making it to the Super Bowl with this team, and I’ll be damned if some piece of ass fucks that up for us.”

I’ve learned the hard way over the years that he eventually figured it out whenever I tried to hide something from him. So, trying to convince him this wasn’t about a girl seemed pointless. Besides, Coach Bently had become like a father to me, and I felt comfortable admitting the truth. He deserved that, primarily when my actions would affect his bottom line and the teams.

“Yeah, you’re right. I just haven’t been able to shake it. I thought being away and distancing myself would help, but it hasn’t.”

“So it is about a girl?” He raises his brow. “Is this about Naomi? Is she giving you a hard time? And I thought you guys were on a break?”

“I wish that’s what this was about,” I mutter.

“If it ain’t that? Then, the only other thing that gets to you like this is your brother. But it’s been years. I don’t know what would trigger you to bring him in your head on the field now.”

Oh, just his high school crush who was living under my roof who I just so happened to have the best sex of my life with.

He took a sip of his beer.

“It’s complicated,” I said.

“What’s her name?” he asked, and I exhaled.

“Abigail.”

“Isn’t that the name of that girl in the video that went viral on the internet?”

“Yes,” I bit out.