They all just stare at me.
In for a penny, in for a pound. Might as well go all in. I look at Rory’s father. “Sir, can we talk in private?”
He looks startled. “Yes, I suppose. If everything is all right here?”
Carmen waves us on. “Go. I’m sure Cassie and Jules can pick up where Garrett left off.”
He looks like he doesn’t want to know what that means, and that’s for the best. He grunts and nods at me. “I was going to spray down the skating trail. Come with me.”
As we walk down the lane to the tree lot, the fresh snow squeaking under our boots, I try to order my thoughts.
“Well, out with it,” he finally says, impatiently.
“I’m not sure where to start.”
“Garrett, son, I’ve known you for nearly fifteen years. You’ve been in love with my daughter every second of that time. Whatever it is, I can handle it, even if I don’t like it. You’ve always been good to Rory?—”
“That’s the thing. I haven’t.”
He turns on me, his hands immediately curling into fists. Can’t blame it. That sounded ominous.
I hold up my own hands. “I’ve never cheated on her. Don’t look at me like that.”
“Then what?”
“Earlier this year, I lost sight of…us. We’ve been struggling ever since. I don’t want to say more than that, because it’s private, and Rory doesn’t know I’m telling you this. But last night, when you joked to her that she might lose me, that pressed on a very sensitive bruise. One that I gave her, unfortunately.”
“Ah, fuck.”
“Yeah.”
“Why the fuck didn’t you say something?”
“I don’t know.”
“Jesus, kid. Now I’m the asshole.” He makes a face. “You could have ripped me for that in front of the girls, you know.”
I shake my head. “I don’t want them to know that we’re rocky. Not if Rory doesn’t want to tell anyone.”
“All right. Your secret is safe with me. But you fix this, yeah? You make it right with her?”
“Yeah, I’m going to try.”
“Don’t try. Do.”
“Easier said than done.” I shake my head. “Look, loving Rory is hard, because deep down, Rory doesn’t trust that she’s loveable. And I think—I know your family is close. Your house is chaos at the holidays. So much love, right? But there are strings attached to that love, and that scares her.”
He scoffs.
This is the hard part. “Dante, you don’t speak to your brother.”
He falls silent.
I switch gears before he gets mad and tells me to mind my own fucking business. “Did you ever know my father’s sister?”
Warily, he shakes his head. “I don’t think so. She ran away as a teenager? I think that was before we moved here. Very sad, very sad.”
“Well, it turns out, she’s alive and living in Alberta. She’s good now, but she was in a controlling relationship for a long time. She has four sons. They’re right around my age. I met one of them today.”
