“Um…okay.” I eye Sally, and she nods back.
He follows me back to my office, and all I hear is his feet scuffing along the floor. Once we’re sitting in my office, I say, “Look, I don’t know why you are here, but there’s really nothing more I have to say to you after what happened last time.” Trying like hell to keep my composure, and wishing I still had thosepapers and the check so I could rip them up and throw the pieces at him.
He places his elbows on his knees and then runs his hands down his face.
What is going on?
I’m trying to decipher what he’s doing here, but nothing is adding up.
With an enormous sigh, he says with a shaky voice, “I had a conversation with my mother, Jane. She’s one of your clients.”
“Yes, she is,” I say, leaving room for him to continue.
“She told me I needed to take a hard look at myself. About my boys…about you. I came here last time in arrogance, thinking I knew best. I see now I was mistaken.”
With my arms crossed over my chest, I’m not letting him intrude into my space. “You certainly made your opinion clear.”
His head hangs low, shaking. “I know. And I hurt you—and Dane—by doing it. My mother told me about the ways you’ve helped this community, the people who lean on you.” He clears his throat a few times. The air thickens in the room. “She said I’ve been blind to what truly matters. I thought protecting my sons meant controlling them, but all I did was push them away.”
I’m not letting my guard down with him sitting in front of me. This person looks torn, sad, and something else I can’t put my finger on. “So why are you here now?”
“To admit I was wrong. To tell you that I see how much you mean to Dane—and to our family. I don’t expect forgiveness, but I hope one day you’ll believe me when I say, I only wanted what was best for him. I just didn’t see that you might be that best thing.”
My ears must be playing tricks on me. A man who came in here earlier this week, threatening me, trying to pay me off, intimidating me—just admitted he was wrong about me, about what he did?
With my head tilted to the side, eyes wide, I’m not sure what to say.
“I’m sure this is a surprise given our last conversation.”
“Ah-huh.” That’s all that comes out of my mouth, and I nod yes.
“I was completely out of line.”
“Did Dane send you?”
“No, no. He has no idea I’m even here.” He moves to the edge of the chair. “I don’t want to lose my boys. I've already lost enough.”
He must be talking about his ex-wife. I let him continue—it seems like he needs to get it off his chest.
“Okay.” I lean onto my desk, waiting for more.
“I don’t know if Dane told you, but my wife cheated on me—several times. Well, now she’s my ex-wife. I thought she was the one…like my parents had.” His eyes glisten. “I thought I was doing the right thing coming to you. But now, they might leave. It’s the last thing I want, so I had to fix it—starting with you.”
“Me?” I ask without thinking.
“Yes. I thought I was protecting Dane, but in fact, I was sticking my nose where it didn’t belong because I thought I knew best. I didn’t want him to get hurt…again.”
“Mr. Walsh…to be clear, I know what I’m getting with Dane, and hurting him is the last thing I want to do.” As the words pass through my lips, I know I won’t ever hurt him like Maggie did. I will love him for however long I’m on this earth. Clearing the lump in my throat, I need to talk to Dane.
“Dane made that clear earlier this week,” his dad says.
Therapist or hairstylist, it’s all the same…It’s as if people see me and want to share their deepest, darkest secrets.
“That was a lot.” I shake my head. “You can’t insert yourself into your son’s relationship,” I say with compassion lacing my voice. It might be a bit too forward, but I’m not holding backwith this guy. He came into my office, steamrolling me, and I let him get under my skin—not today.
“You’re right. And I won’t involve myself in my sons' love lives again.”
“Have you told him that yet?” I ask, sincerely curious.
