Free The Closer by Rhonda Nelson Page A

she said, her eyes lighting with the first bit of pleasure he’d observed in a while. She tried to be happy, for his sake, he knew, but could recognize the difference between a real smile and one that was forced.
    He hated his father for that, more than anything, for making her pretend that everything was fine when it wasn’t.
    Selfish, cheating bastard.
    Initially she’d lied about his absences, had credited his father’s long stretches away from home as part of his job, that traveling was necessary. It wasn’t until Justin was twelve that he’d learned the truth, and only then because he’d stumbled upon it. He’d joined a travel ball team at the end of his regular season, hoping to keep his father around longer because, regardless of “work,” he was never away during baseball season. In fact, his dad made every game, helped with practices, took him to the batting cages, the whole shebang. It was the only reason Justin had kept playing, really, to have his father home, his mother happy...to be a real family.
    When his travel ball team had visited a park in a neighboring county, he’d spotted his father out with another woman at the restaurant where they’d stopped to eat after the game.
    To his everlasting shame, everyone else had seen him, as well.
    It had been mortifying .
    He’d never forget the look on his father’s face when he’d approached his table, watched his amorous player’s smile capsize as recognition surfaced, then guiltily scramble away from the woman. She’d been young, with unnaturally red hair and a smear of marinara sauce on her chin.
    â€œWorking hard, huh, Dad?” he’d said, then simmering with rage and humiliation, he’d turned his back on him and rejoined his friends.
    He’d never told his mother—he just couldn’t bring himself to do it—and neither he nor his father had ever mentioned the incident again. But not mentioning it didn’t lessen the knowing, and things had never been the same between them since. His father’s drinking had escalated and his time at home had grown even more infrequent. And now that he’d never play baseball again, Justin knew that seeing him regularly was unlikely.
    His mother knew it, too, but wasn’t ready to accept it yet.
    â€œHow is Griff?” she asked. “Still doing well?”
    â€œYeah, I think so. He’s started a new job, so he doesn’t have a lot of time to talk.”
    His mother took a seat on the edge of the bed, laid a hand on his arm. “I’m sure he has time to talk to you,” she said. “You’re family.”
    â€œNot really,” he said, wishing the words didn’t hurt quite so much. “His mother is his family. Glory is his family.” His lips twisted. “I’m just some shared DNA whose existence wrecked his childhood and ruined his career.”
    His mother inhaled sharply and squeezed his arm. “That’s not true,” she said, frowning fiercely. “Your father made the decision to leave Griff’s mother, to cut all contact. That’s not your fault. It’s his,” she insisted.
    â€œHe left Griff’s mother because you were pregnant with me.”
    Had she forgotten that he knew the truth? That all of it—the whole horrible tale—had come out when his kidneys failed? When they’d had no other choice but to contact his half brother and sister to see if either one of them would be a match? Had he not gotten sick, he’d have never known about them, never even known they existed.
    But they had known about him...and never made an effort to contact him. He swallowed, his throat tightening with disappointment.
    â€œI didn’t know that he was married, Justin,” she said, sighing wearily. “And by the time I did, it was too late. I’ve explained this, as best I can already. I encouraged him to see Griff, to see Glory, to at the