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He let out a humorless laugh. "I don't think it's going too well, but it's hard to tell since he won't talk to me."
"Isn't that how teenagers are, though? They like to keep themselves in. They don’t like spending time with their parents."
He walked over to his desk, sitting back against it as he let out a long sigh. He looked down, shaking his head. "I don't know. Maybe." He lifted his gaze to mine. "I recognize that I have a part to play in all this. I'm doing my damnedest to reach him, and he looks at me like I'm lower than pond scum."
I wanted to reach out and hug him, to comfort him and give him strength to keep trying with his son. But like he said, things between us were unclear. He'd been jealous to hear about me and Mikael, but that didn't mean that he and I were a thing.
Instead of going to him, I clasped my hands in front of me. "Maybe you should spend time doing things that he enjoys."
"As far as I can tell, the only thing he enjoys is whatever he does on his phone."
"Then you need to try and find out what it is that he likes."
"How do I do that? He doesn't talk to me."
"We’re in Las Vegas, right? There are all sorts of interesting things to do around here that a teenage boy might enjoy. Ruby told me once about this really interesting haunted house.”
“It's a little bit early for Halloween. Plus, he's a little bit old."
"It runs all the time, not just for Halloween. Bo took Ruby there on a date. And don't teenage boys like horror movies and scary stuff?” I realized maybe I was pushing it too much. "Or maybe not. I don't know."
Todd was quiet for a moment as if he was thinking. Then he turned his attention back to me. "That could be fun, but we need a buffer. Would you be willing to come with us?"
I shook my head and held my hands up to stop him. "This is about the two of you bonding. You don't need me there for that. I'll just get in the way." I realized that my growing attachment to Todd was something I needed to finally break away from, and this was the best time to do it. We'd spent a week apart, and now his focus was on his son.
"Please come with us. Chances are he's going to spend all his time on the phone anyway. Or maybe you'll be able to connect with him in a way I can't. I'm his dad, so I think, by definition, he's supposed to despise me. Maybe with you there, he won’t feel so hard-core the need to keep himself closed off."
I should stand my ground. Todd and Dean needed to find their connection and build the relationship between the two of them. These two were not my problem, and getting involved would only complicate things more than they already were, at least for me. So, I needed to say no.
"Okay."
19
Todd
There was a moment when I thought I'd be going to the haunted house with only Betts. Truth be told, I would've been all right with that. Dean was a difficult kid to be around. That was my fault, so having thoughts of wishing I could leave him behind led to guilt that I was such a shitty father.
I ended up begging and cajoling, and finally, Dean, who was probably sick of listening to me, said he was willing to go if I bought him a car. Since he didn't yet have a driver’s license, that wasn't going to happen.
But I did agree to pay for private driving instruction, and finally, we negotiated an outing together. Having to bribe my son to spend time with me was another reminder of how bad I was at being a dad.
In all honesty, I wondered if it was too late for the two of us. But I didn't want to be a bad father, and the universe had thrown us together, so I was going to do my damnedest to make this work, even if the best I could hope for was coming out of this with him not hating me so much.
Instead of having someone drive us, I decided I would take us in my Audi. I pulled the car from the garage, and when he didn't think I was looking, Dean's eyes lit up at seeing the car.
"You like it?" I asked.
The moment he realized I was watching him, he turned sullen and indifferent again. He shrugged in response. I sighed and got into the car and then drove us over to Betts's apartment.
"Is this your girlfriend?" There was a sneer in his tone that grated on me. I wondered if bringing Betts along was a good idea after all. I needed her there for moral support, but I didn't want a situation in which Dean would be disrespectful to her.
I pulled into a parking spot and turned off the car and then looked at him. "Betts is a friend, and she also happens to work for me. I get that you don't like me, and I know I deserve your disdain, but you won't be rude to her. Do you understand?"
He rolled his eyes and looked out the window.
I took the keys with me as I went up to get Betts. Dean didn’t have a driver’s license, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try to take my car.
When Betts opened the door to my knock, I was once again poleaxed by the sight of her. Her gorgeous thick red hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but soft tendrils of curls fell around her face. She wore a green blouse that highlighted the matching color in her eyes. She also wore a pair of white jeans and silver sandals from which I could see pink colored toenails that made me think of bubblegum. I never had a toe or foot fetish, but all of a sudden, I had the urge to develop one.
