“Dad,” Kayden pleads, but Sal waves him off while still staring me down.
“Please let me explain,” I try, reaching for Sal, but he bats my hand away. “We were gonna tell you tomorrow, but you might as well have it now. I love him. I love Kayden.”
A shadow washes over Sal’s face, then his jaw clenches, and he spits, “Oh, that’s fucking rich coming from you. You don’t even know the meaning of the wordlove.”
“Sal…”
“No, you only love yourself, Caleb. It’s all about you, isn’t it? You don’t give a shit about the trail of broken hearts you leave behind. And that’s okay. I mean, it’s none of my damn business.” He shakes his head, laughing bitterly. “Until now, because now you’ve made it my fucking business.” He turns away from me and points to Kayden, who looks like his entire world is crumbling before his eyes. “Because that ismyson, Caleb. He ismineand you,”—he looks back at me, his eyes brimming with hate almost—“you don’t deserve him. You don’t fucking deserve him.” He looks like he’s ready to slam his fists into me, and that says a lot about how angry Sal is, because he’s not a violent person. I don’t think he’s ever hit anyone in his life. But instead of rearranging my face, he looks at me with so much hurt and disappointment, it breaks my fucking heart.
Then, without another word, he storms past me, out of the kitchen, and down the hallway. Kayden looks at me, his mouth opening and closing, but nothing comes out. He jumps when the front door slams closed, then buries his face in his hands and starts crying. Within seconds, I have him in my arms, holding him against my chest.
“Shhh, it’s okay. Don’t cry, baby. It’s okay.”
He shakes his head furiously. “It’s not. It’s not.”
“It will be. I promise.” I know I can’t promise him that. There’s no way I can, but I also know I have to give it my all. I have to try to make things right again between Sal and me.
Kayden pulls away, looking at me through wet lashes. His voice is pleading as he fists my shirt. “You have to go after him, Caleb. You can’t let him leave like that. Please, you have to talk to him.”
I nod, then kiss his forehead. “Okay, but please don’t cry.” I cradle his chin in my hand. “Everything will be okay.” I don’t know if I believe the words this exact second, but I have to have faith, just like Kayden has faith in me, in us. “Jesus, sweetheart, you’re shaking. Put some clothes on. I’ll be right back.”
I hurry out the front door and down the porch. Sal has reached his truck at the end of the drive, and I call out after him.
“Sal! Wait!”
He turns slowly, his chest heaving, fists clenched at his sides. “What?!” he throws back. I reach him in a couple of long strides but keep a few feet between us. I hold out my hand disarmingly without touching him, but he instantly takes a step back and bumps into his car.
“Please come back inside, Sal. Please. We need to talk this through.”
“I’ve got nothing to say to you, Caleb. Nothing.”
“But if you just listen, then you’ll understand—”
“I have nothing to say to you until you end it with him.”
His words knock all the air out of me, and I almost wish he’d just hit me instead. The ‘end it with him’ hangs between us as he looks at me, eyes filled with disappointment and sadness, too.
“I can’t,” I croak. “I don’t want to, Sal. I love him.”
He huffs, then laughs bitterly.
“What would you say if someone told you to end things with Viv? What would you say to them?”
“Don’t you fucking dare bring Viv into this. This is about you and your selfish ways, Caleb.” He shakes his head. “You can have anyone. Anyone! But you just had to go after him, didn’t you? You couldn’t keep your fucking hands away.”
I raise my voice, standing my ground. “I don’t want anyone else. I wanthim!” I’ve known Sal all my life, and I know how fucking stubborn he is. It’s something that has gotten him to where he is today and has brought him the success he has. But I’m stubborn too.
“Bullshit! You don’t want him. Not like that. Not like he deserves to be wanted.” He pauses, his voice dipping. “Kayden is special.”
“Don’t you think I know that? I know he is. That’s why I love him. Don’t ask me to walk away, Sal, because I can’t. Iwon’t.”
He deflates, then sighs. “And I will never, not fucking ever, be okay with this. Break it off, Caleb, or we are done. The business, our friendship. We’re done.”
I don’t know what to say after that. There really isn’t anything to say. Things have gone just about as badly as they could’ve. I take a step backward, and Sal gets into his truck, then starts the engine and drives away. I think I’ve just lost my best friend. It feels final, the way he said those last words.We’re done.Sal is the kind of person who can forgive just about anything. He’s a firm believer in second chances. So many of our employees are with us because no one else wanted them or saw their potential. But this is different because Kayden is different. Of course, he is. He’s Sal’s kid. He’s special.
I turn around and find Kayden standing in the doorway in a pair of my basketball shorts and one of my sweatshirts. My heart aches at how beautiful and utterly devastated he looks. When I reach him, I pull him against me and whisper again and again against his neck, “I’m sorry. So, so sorry.”
He starts crying again, and I lead him into the house. In the kitchen, I walk to the cabinet where I keep my scotch and pour us both a drink. I slam mine down in one go, the hot liquid burning its way down my throat, washing down the echo of Sal’s words.We’re done. We’re done. Kayden just holds his glass in his hands, staring into the amber liquid.