Save Me

Chapter 8

Romeo's driving my fucking car after inviting himself to come with us to the park, and I'm sitting in the back seat next to Lucca, and I'm behind Alexi, who is in the passenger seat next to my brother. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm fine with riding in the back with Lucca, but it's the fact that my brother has invited himself along, and is driving my vehicle as I should be the one driving my vehicle.

Romeo and I make eye contact through the rear-view mirror, and he smirks at me causing me to pout and cross my arms over my chest. Yes, I know I'm acting like a damn child, but I can't help how I feel. Flipping him off when I notice that Lucca isn't looking at me, but focused on something out the back window. Romeo just loudly laughs at my action, and shakes his head as he focuses on the road again.

When we arrive at the park, we climb out, and I go with Lucca to the swings where I push him while Romeo and Alexi sit on a picnic table. They're talking while Lucca and I play, and that's fine by me, and this goes on the entire time we're here at the park. My question is why in the hell they came along with Lucca and me if they were going to sit and bullshit the entire time. Lucca even asked them to play with us, and they politely declined his request, and that just pisses me off even more.

By the time we're leaving an hour later because Lucca's bored, I'm fuming at my brother and his best friend. The entire ride home, I'm silent toward the other two men, only speaking with Lucca. When we arrive home, I bring Lucca inside along with unused bottles of water and chips, placing these away as Lucca excitedly tells his grandpa's about the park.

"Milan, are you alright?" Romeo questions as he and Alexi finally join us in the house.

Throwing them a glare, I refuse to answer, not caring that I'm acting like a fucking child. Instead I focus on Lucca, asking him what he wants to do until lunch. He tells me he wants to play in his bedroom with me, so I agree to his request. Lucca and I weren't in his room for more than ten minutes, when there's a soft knock on the open door, and when I look up, my anger flares again as I find myself looking at my brother and his friend, and both men look guilty.

"Can I help you?" I ask them in a dull tone, not really caring as I focus back on my son as we sit on his floor while building with his colorful blocks.

"May we come inside, we'd like to speak with you?" Romeo lightly asks as he fidgets on his feet.

Shrugging my shoulders as Lucca and I each add a block to our building; "It's not up to me, it's up to Lucca since this is his room. Besides, we don't have anything to talk about."

"Lucca, can we come inside, so we can talk to Papa for a minute, please? I think Alexi and I made Papa mad," Romeo asks my son instead of listening to my last sentence.

"Suwe, but I mad, too, you know play wif me at paw' when I ask," he grumbles, his blue eyes holding sadness which angers me even more.

"Alexi and I are very sorry we made you mad too, bubba," Romeo apologizes as they enter the room, sitting on the floor across from us. "That was very wrong of us, and we should have never done that after joining you and Papa at the park."

Lucca hums as he looks at his uncle and Alexi for several seconds before telling them that he forgives them. Oh, to be a young child who is so forgiving, and Alexi and Romeo accept their apology. They then focus on me, and I fight the urge to roll my eyes at their hopeful expressions because I'm petty, and not as forgiving.

"I'm not as kind and as sweet as my son," I say, deflating both of their hopeful expressions. "Alexi, you asked to join us at the park because you wanted to know Lucca and I more, and Romeo, you just invited yourself along. That I could get over, along with you driving my car without even asking me if I was okay with that, which I wasn't by the way. The worst things though is that the entire time we were there, you both sat at the picnic table talking, and if that's all you were gonna do, why didn't you stay here, and let Lucca and I go ourselves. Why come along, and ignore Lucca who wanted you guys to join us?"

"We should have never done any of that, and for our bad behavior, we do apologize," Alexi says with a sad expression. "We were being jerks, and there's no excuse for this, and we hope you can accept our apologies?"

Shrugging my shoulders, mumbling; "Sure, you're forgiven."

Alexi seems relieved, but I notice Romeo's expression doesn't change because he knows I truly don't forgive them just yet. My brother knows me well enough to know that I don't forgive them, but I'm just saying this to end the conversation.

"Papa, we see daddy?" Lucca suddenly asks, and I've never been more thankful for his random request.

Nodding my head with a sad smile; "Sure we can, Lucca. Let's clean up your toys, then we'll stop to buy daddy some flowers on the way to visit him, okay?"

"Yeah!" he cheers, quickly placing the blocks back in the bin as I help him, and we ignore Alexi and Romeo.

Romeo knows better than to try and tag along when Lucca and I visit the cemetery because everyone knows this is something for just Lucca and me. When we've finished picking up, the four of us leave Lucca's bedroom, and I stop at my bedroom with Lucca to grab my wallet, keys, cell phone, and to grab my gun, a loaded clip, and gun holster from the locked safe from the top shelf of my closet where Lucca cannot reach. Checking over the unloaded gun quickly before placing it in the holster that I've clipped onto my belt, and slipping my wallet, phone, and gun clip into my jean pockets, we leave my bedroom for the front door.