The Home-wrecker (The Goode Brothers)
The Home-wrecker: Chapter 46

“She said that?” I ask.

“Yes,” Briar replies, chewing the inside of her cheek.

She’s upset, I can tell, and for good reason. I always knew Juliet was a pretentious bitch at times, but I had no idea it was this bad.

I’ve seen families turn on each other before over love, of all things. Briar is a little less familiar with what this feels like. And maybe that’s why this doesn’t faze me at all.

I was there the night my father threatened my little brother with eternal damnation. I knew going into this that people were not going to accept us. I knew they would form their own opinions, talk behind our backs, judge us for our personal choices, and even judge us for things that were out of our control—like who we are attracted to and who we love.

Dean is standing across the room, leaning against the kitchen island and staring at the floor. I can practically feel his sense of discomfort swelling from over here. I know he’s scared. And I know he doesn’t want to be the cause of any harm.

In his mind, he thinks that if he just leaves, then everything will go back to normal. We’ll have nothing to expose, nothing to be judged for, and nothing to worry about, but he’d be wrong.

I know it. Briar knows it. And deep down, he knows it.

We don’t sacrifice who we love just to make our lives a little easier.

“Well,” I say, lifting my arms in a shrug. “Telling your sister is out of the way.”

Briar lifts her eyes and glares at me. “This is not a joke, Caleb.”

“I know it’s not a joke,” I reply. “I’m taking this very seriously. But I also know that we cannot control their reactions, and their reactions are going to be fucking absurd. We control what we can control.”

Dean turns his eyes up toward me as I continue.

“What happens here at our home is our business. And people may not like it once they find out. But I’m not willing to give up either of you because of their reactions.”

Briar continues to chew on her bottom lip as she watches me, arms crossed in front of her. “We have to all be on board if this is what we’re doing,” she says softly.

I keep my eyes on Dean. “I know,” I reply, waiting for him to answer.

He knows what I want. I made it very clear last night at the club with how many times I told him I loved him.

When Dean finally does speak, he does so with a lighthearted tone in his voice. “I was just supposed to help you guys, remember?” he says. “I was supposed to fix your marriage, not ruin it.”

“You didn’t ruin it,” I reply.

“Well, either way, this isn’t really how I expected things to turn out.”

“None of us did,” Briar replies.

My phone starts buzzing in my pocket, and I look down to see it’s my secretary, Jules. It’s bad enough I had to reschedule my morning meetings because of my late-night rendezvous with Dean, but I can’t put off work forever.

“Listen, we don’t need to figure this out right now. We have time. But I have to get to work, or I’ll lose my cases.”

“Of course,” Briar replies with a soft nod and a smile. She steps toward me, kissing me on the lips.

I cross the kitchen toward Dean and stand in front of him, waiting for him to relax. As my lips curl into a smile, so does his. “Relax,” I say. “Everything will be fine.”

Then I lean forward and press my lips to his. Feeling him soften and kiss me back gives me hope.

By the time I’m in my car, I feel lighter. Fuck, this might be the first time in my life I’ve actually felt optimistic about everything. My mind isn’t swirling with worry and indecision. Which is crazy because none of this will be easy, but honestly, how can I complain?

I have a beautiful wife, a hot fucking boyfriend, a perfect daughter. My family couldn’t be better.

We’ll weather these storms together, and I know we’ll make it. If we have to, we’ll move. I’ll take them far from here, maybe somewhere where our family will be more accepted. There has to be a better place to be a poly family than Texas.

My phone rings again, and I glance down to see Jules’s name again. If she’s calling twice in ten minutes, it must mean something important has come up.

“Hey, Jules,” I say as I answer the call through my SUV’s Bluetooth.

“Caleb,” she replies. Immediately, I hear the tension in her voice.

“What’s going on?” I ask, gripping the steering wheel tighter.

“Your father is here.” Her voice is low, a mere whisper into the phone line.

The blood drains from my face. “What? Why?”

“He said you’re his counsel and that he got explicit permission from his probation officer to visit his lawyer. And he won’t leave until he sees you.”

What the fuck?

“Okay, Jules. I just left the house, but I’ll hurry. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she mumbles.

“Jules, do not let him in my office alone.”

“I won’t, sir.”

When she hangs up the call, I press my foot on the pedal, speeding down the freeway to get to the office faster. The good feeling I had when I got into my car is suddenly gone.

By the time I park, I have myself convinced that my father is officially delusional. There’s no way he didn’t hear my statement. He’s here to argue with me, which means I need to prepare for a fight.

Truett Goode doesn’t take losing well. His ego is too large to let him admit defeat, so he won’t go down easily.

As the elevator dings and I walk to the doors of my office, I can hear his voice booming from out here. Opening the door, I shove my shoulders back and hold my head up high.

If he thinks he’s come here today to bully me, he’s wrong.

“I’ll go wherever I damn well please,” he shouts.

“Sir, please wait in the lobby,” Jules says in her sweet voice as she follows him into my office.

“Dad,” I bellow, catching them both off guard. “Stop yelling at my secretary.”

“I’m your father,” he argues. “I won’t wait out here like some regular client.”

Ignoring his outburst, I coolly reply, “I wasn’t aware we had a meeting today.”

“Where the hell have you been?” he says, staring at me as if I’m still sixteen and he still has control over me.

The first thing I notice about my father is that his suit is wrinkled, his cheeks are gaunt, and his hands have a shake to them I pick up on immediately. For a man who was once a revered pastor, broadcast around the world every Sunday, and builder of one of the biggest megachurches in Texas, he fell from very great heights. Now, it’s just sad to look at him. Especially since I know he’s hiding an ankle monitor under those dirt-stained slacks.

“Why don’t you keep your voice down in my office?” I mutter, passing him by. When he enters the office space, I start to close the door behind him and mouth a silent thank you to Jules. She waves me off as I shut myself in with my father.

“Sit down,” I say to my father as I move to the chair behind my desk.

“You got bourbon or something?” he asks.

“This is where I work,” I reply flatly. “I don’t drink at my office.”

He huffs, staring in disgust as he drops into his chair. Seeing him sitting there, I fight the urge to smile. I bet he doesn’t often get to sit in that chair. He was always the man behind the desk. The one who called the shots, holding the control and making others feel inferior.

My, how the tables have turned.

“What do you want?” I ask, placing my arms on my desk and staring at him without a hint of compassion on my face.

I watch as his molars grind, and he fights some sort of emotion bubbling to the surface. Then his expression changes, and it’s as if the cloak is whisked away. Beneath it is a sad, lonely man staring at his son and wondering what went wrong.

I could ask myself the same thing.

“I need your help,” he says, and when his voice cracks, it takes me by surprise.

Never in my life have I heard my father cry. Not for real, at least. In his sermons, he would perform. Pulling at the heartstrings of his congregation, I have heard him pretend he was so overcome with emotion and vulnerability that he was brought to tears.

I saw right through that charade.

But now…this feels real.

He’s here begging me for mercy because I am the only one who can help him. This is not what I prepared myself to face.

Before I can let him change my mind, I look away and remind myself internally to stay strong.

“I can’t help you,” I say plainly.

“I know I messed up,” he continues. “Lord, I pray every day for forgiveness, but what I’ve done is between me and God. I will face my justice on the day I meet him, I know that. But I can’t go to prison, son.”

He places his hand on my desk as if he’s reaching for me, and I make the mistake of turning toward him. There are real tears streaming down his face.

“I can’t help you. You know I can’t,” I say, but the moment the words leave my lips, I hear how weak they are. I’m letting him win. I’ve lost the confidence in my tone, giving him the upper hand.

“Your brothers are not without sin, Caleb. Before you pledge your loyalty to them, consider the mistakes they’ve made and have some compassion. You have the power to save this family, Caleb.”

I lean back in my chair, losing the fight in me. For a moment, I actually consider the consequences of defending my father’s case as if it’s a choice I would actually make.

Protecting people is what I do. That has been my first priority for so long. Protect my family above everything else.

“Perhaps I could have a word with the judge,” I say, my knee bouncing under the desk as anxiety swells inside me.

My dad quickly wipes his tears. “If you think that would help, son, I’d be so grateful.”

“But I can’t do much more than that,” I say, but it feels like a lost cause. I gave him an inch. And I know my father will try and take a mile.

In my head, I keep thinking that if I just get him out of my office with empty promises, then I can brush this entire thing off. I’ll go back to my family and the bright future ahead of us and pretend this never happened.

“Let me see if I have his information,” I say.

As I pull open the top drawer of my desk, looking for my contact book, I freeze. Sitting at the back of my open drawer is a pair of black silk underwear—Dean’s black silk underwear.

I’m frozen in place, just staring at them, and it’s as if they are fingers snapping in front of my face.

What am I doing?

I’m actually considering helping the man who would ruin my family if he knew Briar and I are in love with a man. How could I possibly defend him? He’s a threat to our entire way of life.

He is the enemy.

It’s like Isaac all over again—trying to protect him and only doing more harm than good. I hurt so many people with my actions because of this man. But I don’t have to take that road again.

I can do better this time.

I slam the drawer shut.

“I don’t have the contact,” I mumble under my breath.

“What?” he snaps. “You didn’t even look.”

“I don’t have to.”

He glares at me skeptically from the chair. “Why not?”

“Because I’m not going to help you,” I say, standing from my chair. It’s like seeing the underwear finally gave me the confidence to let everything out. I’m tired of hiding. “And do you want to know why?” I continue. “Because you’re a hypocritical, selfish, greedy, ignorant bigot who wouldn’t even help his own son.”

My blood is coursing through my veins so fast I feel it thrumming in my ears. I’ve never said anything like that to my father before. I’m getting worked up, and it feels a lot fucking better than I expected.

“What the hell has gotten into you?” he bellows, standing from his chair.

“You drove my seventeen-year-old brother away after he confided in you,” I shout.

“Isaac ran away. I didn’t do anything to him.”

I want to scream at him.

“You never take responsibility for your actions! You never learn, and you always act like you’re so much better than the rest of us, like you have some holy relationship with God, but if God could see the way you treat your own family, he’d send you straight to hell.”

“Caleb Goode, you watch your mouth,” he says in a deep, grumbling tone. “I am your father.”

My skin is tingling, and this feels too good to stop. I’m just getting started.

“And one more thing, Dad,” I reply, planting my hands on my desk and glaring at him with a mad, wild sort of look in my eye. Adrenaline pumps through my veins as I prepare myself for everything I’m about to say. It feels as if I’m coasting down a hill without brakes. Even if I could stop, I don’t think I’d want to. “You wouldn’t want my help if you knew that I’m queer too.”

He flinches as if I’ve punched him. “What on God’s earth are you talking about?”

“I’m bisexual, Dad. That’s right. You were blessed with two queer sons. Not only that, but I’m in love with a man. And so is Briar. He’s moving in with us, and we’re going to be one big happy, polyamorous family.”

His face is frozen as he stares at me, stunned. “You’re joking,” he replies, trying to force a laugh. “You’re fucking around to get back at me for Isaac.”

“You wish that, don’t you? Because you can’t stand the thought of accepting your children the way we are.” I tear open the drawer and yank out Dean’s underwear. “Well, too fucking bad!” I shout as I wave them in his face.

I look crazy, and I feel crazy. But, for the look on his face right now, it’s worth it. It feels good to finally go mad.

“These are my hot boyfriend’s underwear. I keep them in here to remind me of all the filthy, wonderful things we’ve done.”

“You’ve lost your mind,” he mutters, but I only laugh.

“Oh, and for what it’s worth, he sucked my dick in your office.” I shoot him a wink as I toss the underwear at him. He bats them away in disgust, but I only find myself laughing harder.

My father’s look of astonishment quickly transforms into a sneer. “What kind of man acts like this?”

“Your son, Dad,” I reply. “Aren’t you proud of me?”

“First Adam and now you. You’ve both gone crazy.”

“The only crazy thing I could do at this point is to help you. Now get the fuck out of my office and never call me again.”

He moves for the door before turning back toward me with a finger pointed at my face. “If I find out this bullshit is true, I’ll have my granddaughter taken away from you for raising her in a home of perverts. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

“Come near my family, and I’ll kill you,” I mutter without a hint of a smile on my face before grabbing him by the back of the neck and tossing him out of my office.

Jules lets out a scream when he puts up a fight, but I manage to haul him out and toss him onto the floor before slamming the door in his face.