The Vincent Boys 01 - The Vincent Boys

whole stupid situation.
    “Honey, are you awake?” Dad’s voice called from the other side of my closed door. I let out a sigh. This was the talk I’d been dreading. The pointless talk. The one he didn’t even have to waste his breath on.
    “Yeah, Dad, come in,” I replied.
    My door opened and there he stood with the small frown on his face I rarely saw directed at me. He walked inside and stopped at the end of my bed. His arms were crossed over his chest and I could smell his aftershave. The same kind he’d been wearing all my life.
    “What exactly happened last night?” He was direct and to the point. I had to give him that. I sat up straight on my bed and stared right back at him. I needed to cover this all up. Smooth it over. Beau’s acceptance in this town and relationship with Sawyer depended on it.
    “I take it you’re referring to Beau Vincent?” As if I had to ask this. Dad’s eyebrows shot up as if he thought I might be losing my mind to even think he could be referring to something else.
    “Yes, Ashton, I am.”
    I sighed, shook my head and even threw in an eye roll for dramatic effect. “Beau’s my friend. We grew up together. He’s my boyfriend’s cousin and best friend. Sawyer wasn’t here and I was dealing with one of the hardest things in my life and Beau showed up to step in and help me. He loves Sawyer and knew it was what Sawyer would’ve wanted him to do. Besides, Beau knows how close I was to Grana. He used to sit on her porch and eat her cookies with me. Remember back then, when the fact his mama was a cocktail waitress at a bar wasn’t an issue.”
    The bitterness in my voice was unavoidable. Dad’s eyebrows snapped together. He didn’t like my tone of voice but I could see he was thinking about my excuse. I waited quietly, praying he believed it. After what felt like an eternity he nodded and let out a heavy sigh.
    “I understand this has been hard on you. With Sawyer gone and your mom and I busy dealing with funeral arrangements and relatives coming in from out of town we haven’t been here for you. I appreciate the fact Beau noticed you needed someone and stepped in. However, Beau Vincent isn’t the kind of boy I want you associating with. He’s Sawyer’s cousin and when Sawyer’s around then it’s fine. But Beau isn’t from good stock. His daddy was a wild card and his mama’s white trash. You can get a bad reputation spending time with the likes of him. Bad company corrupts good manner. Remember that.”
    I wanted to stand up and yell to the rooftops that he didn’t know anything about Beau’s stock. It didn’t matter who his parents were. Blaming the child for the parents’ sins was wrong. Didn’t the Bible he read daily discuss judging people and forgiveness? I bit down on my tongue until I tasted blood in an attempt to keep from screaming out in frustration.
    “Who called you so early?” Dad asked, eyeing my phone thrown down beside my pillow.
    “Sawyer,” I said. Obvious relief washed over his face. He really needed to get out of here before I lost it.
    “Really? How’s he doing?”
    “He’s on his way home. He’ll be here in time for the funeral.”
    Dad smiled brightly, making a sick knot form in my stomach.
    “Well, good, good. I’m glad he’s coming home for your Grana’s funeral. He’s such a good boy.”
    With his pleased look Dad turned and left the room, closing my door behind him. I glared at the closed door the way I wish I could have glared at him.
    This was exactly why I couldn’t allow my feelings to completely screw up Beau’s life even more. I wasn’t good for him. If I chose Beau then he’d lose Sawyer. He needed family. I couldn’t fill that void for him. My heart ached in my chest because I knew what I had to do. I also knew hurting Beau in order to save him was going to kill me. I’d done this. I’d messed everything up because I hadn’t been able to stay away from him. Now it was time I fixed it.
    I pulled the car onto the gravel driveway before cutting the ignition. Beau’s truck was the only vehicle parked outside of his trailer. His mother wasn’t here. That was the only good thing about this visit. I needed to do this alone. Sawyer would be in town within the next thirty minutes. I’d have come sooner but after my talk with Dad this morning I decided it was best to wait until he left for the church.
    My chest hurt. I pressed the palm of my hand against my heart, trying to ease the pain. There had to