“Preston?” I let out a dry laugh. “Yeah, see, I’ve known Preston my whole damn life, and that man doesn’t lie about anything, especially not to me.”
“Well, he is about this.”
“What exactly do you think he told me?” I watch him squirm, waiting to see if he’ll dig his hole deeper.
I can practically see the panic crawling up his spine, but all he does is give me a half-assed shrug, like a kid who still thinks he can bullshit his way out of anything. Meredith swoops in, wrapping an arm around him like he’s some poor, misunderstood angel instead of the pain in my ass he actually is, playingprotective mama bear while she does everything possible to shield him from the big, bad consequences of his own choices.
“You don’t have to do this, Travis. I know you’ve done nothing but take the anger of a bitter old man.”
“Actually, you do have to do this, Travis, because you came onto my farm with a pack of matches, and Preston caught you in the barn lighting them up like it was the Fourth of July.”
“Prove it.” The challenge in his voice makes my blood boil.
“He showed me where you stashed them.” I step closer, watching his face pale. “Do you realize what could’ve happened, Travis? For God’s sake, what the hell is wrong with you?”
“That’s a lie!” He practically screams it, but I know what his stories sound like. “Preston pulled me into the barn, roughed me up, and then dragged me back out and spun some story to make you turn on me. He wants you to hate me.”
“And why the hell would he want that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe… maybe he wants the farm for himself.” I let out a low, disbelieving laugh and step back, rubbing a hand over the back of my neck.
“Is this what you think a man should be, Meredith?” I gesture at the boy I’ve spent fifteen years trying to connect with and shape into someone who knows right from wrong. “Someone who can’t own up to their shit? Who’d rather destroy a man’s reputation than face consequences?”
She doesn’t flinch or even blink. She just stares me down and looks me dead in the eyes. “Maybe he’s more like you than either of us realizes.”
I don’t rise to it. Instead, I turn to Travis. “Next weekend, you’re coming up to the farm. You’ll be apologizing to Preston?—”
“He absolutely will not be.” Meredith cuts in like she’s the queen of the damn world, but I keep my focus on our son.
“You’ll be apologizing for trying to drag his name through the mud, and you’ll be shoveling horse shit for the entire weekend. Do you understand me?” His face goes tight, thunder written across every line of it. He glances at his mom like he can’t believe I’m serious—like he’s waiting for her to step in and rescue him. “Or we can call the police and let them investigate. They can pull prints from that matchbox and take Preston’s statement—you know, Preston, the man who’s got more respect in my town than God himself, including fromSheriff Martinez.” I watch that sink in, the color bleeding from his face. “We can go down that road if you want. You can get under oath and explain how Preston supposedly beat you so badly, yet there’s not a mark on you. Your choice, kid.”
When Travis’s face drops and the fight drains from him, I know I’ve got him.
“Fine.”
One word, dragged out of him like I’d pulled it with pliers. But it’s a win, and I’ll take it.
“Great, I’ll come pick you up Saturday morning, six a.m.”
“Six!” The horror in his voice almost makes me smile.
“You want to make it five? Hell, we can do four if you’re feeling ambitious.” Amazing how the threat of manual labor can make a teenager appreciate sleeping in.
“Six is fine,” he grumbles.
“Go back inside, Travis. I need to speak to your father.”
His shoulders sag like the world’s about to end, and he turns without another word. As he disappears into the house, I’m left alone with the woman who hasn’t changed a bit. She still looks like the girl I met all those years ago. She still has that same flawless exterior. But that ugly personality shines right through it.
“If this is how you treat him, it’s no wonder he can’t stand coming to visit.”
“Let’s not pretend this isn’t the best fucking day of your life, Meredith.” I lean in, done playing nice. “You’ve been trying to punish me through him since day one, but someone has to step up and actually parent that kid instead of coddling him, and it sure as shit isn’t you.”
“All I’ve done is be honest with the type of man you are. It’s not my problem if he doesn’t like what he hears.”
“You knew me for all of an hour before you were on your back. Don’t pretend to understand anything about me.”
“You really are a pig,” she sneers as I turn to walk away.
