“That it does, Freckles.”
Later in bed, Elijah opened up a bit more and told me stories about his dad and the way he viewed him as a little kid. “Earning his praise was my highest priority in life until I learned the cool thing my dick could do.” I tried to squelch my snort before it escaped but wasn’t successful. “My brother… He was my hero, Maegan. I’m not sure I can ever get over him sleeping with Brandy or forgive the rift it created between my father and me.”
“I don’t think you have to know all the answers tonight,” I replied softly. “Maybe you should acknowledge that you’re going to see your father in a few days and let that sink in. Let the words flow naturally when you see him again rather than prepare a speech in advance.”
“That’s probably sound advice.” Elijah blew out a long sigh. “I just hope Jack and Brandy aren’t there.”
Well fuck. I hadn’t thought aboutherbeing there. She was the first girl Elijah loved, emotionally and physically. They might still be together if she wasn’t a faithless hag. I could feel my blood pressure rising just thinking about it. I wanted to go in there, wherever this meeting took place, all classy to make Elijah proud, but a big part of me wanted to tear those two up. “I’m sure they’ll stay away,” I said. Who was I trying to assure? Him or me?
Elijah didn’t respond, and I realized why when I paid attention to his breathing. I was glad he fell asleep easily but knew it would be a while before I could shut down my brain and follow him to dreamland.
IT TURNED OUT THAT DECIDINGto see my dad and putting a plan into motion were two very different things. He’d given me his cell phone number to program into my phone which I did after we disconnected our call Tuesday night. Hell, I was stunned to learn my dad finally broke down and got a cell phone after blaming them for society’s downfall for so many years. I’d started to call him a dozen times between Wednesday morning and Friday night, but I hung up before the call could even go through. I expected Mom to call and lean on me a little since Dad made the first move, but she didn’t. Mom had waited for this moment for ten years, and I knew she wanted her family put back together more than anything. I wouldn’t give her false hope and make her believe we could go back to the way things were before our lives exploded because of two selfish assholes. Agreeing to see Dad was a decision only I could make, and even though I’d made it, I couldn’t seem to take the next step.
On Friday night, Maegan and I went on a double date to dinner and a movie with Milo and Andy. We invited Memphis, of course, but he claimed he was working on a special project while Lyric was still out of town, but we suspected he was moping. Well, all except Milo who thought Memphis’s special project was manscaping for his reunion with Lyric the next day. Either way, it was just the four of us, and Maegan chose an awesome action adventure movie that we all enjoyed. I loved the action and plot while the rest of them drooled over one of the lead actors. Even I had to admit the guy was a sexy beast and pulled off playing a villain better than any of his nice guy roles.
Saturday morning rolled around, and Maegan went off to work while I hung around the house. I walked by the open door to the nursery, and that was when I finally worked up the courage to call my dad back and confirm I was coming to see him. I wanted to be the best father I could be to my children, and that meant I needed to unburden myself of the hurtful things of my past. No one said I had to forgive and embrace him, but I could at least find peace and move on with my life.
“Hello, Elijah,” my father said, sounding exhausted and vastly different from the robust man I remembered.
“Did I wake you, Jack?”
A rough and tumble chuckle came from the other end of the connection. “You’re back to calling me Jack again, eh?”
“Well, you caught me off guard when you called me the other night, and I said the first thing that came to mind.”
“I guess I have your answer to my request then. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to call me back. I appreciate that you at least heard me out.”
“Not so fast,” I firmly said before he could hang up. “That’s not the kind of man you raised, Jack. I needed a few days to think about what I wanted to say to you. I guess I never really thought I’d have the chance.”
“So, you’re coming then?” he asked. Was that hopefulness I heard in his voice.Couldn’t be.
“I’ll be there tomorrow afternoon.”
“That’s great, Elijah. Your mother will be so happy.”
“She’s especially going to be happy when she meets the special someone I’m bringing with me.” Mom had heard plenty about Maegan during our phone conversations, but there was no way she was prepared for the awesomeness of seeing my lady in person.
“I thought you sounded happier than the last time we talked.” I knew he wasn’t referring to the brief conversation from a few days prior.
“Jack, the last time we talked, I was in the hospital after a brawl fight at a bar. You wanted me to suck it up and soldier on after learning about Jack and Brandy.”
“I vividly remember the encounter, Elijah. I have lung cancer, but I’m not senile.”
“That’s good because pretending it never happened won’t fix anything.”
“No, it won’t,” my dad said after a pause. “Do you know about what time we can expect you? Your mother will want to prepare food for you and your lady friend.”
“We’ll probably be there around four o’clock if that works for you. Please tell Mom not to go to any trouble though.”
“I’m not going to waste my breath because you know how she is.” I did know, but it was worth a shot. “Elijah, I’ll be happy to see you and meet your lady.”
Emotion rose up from the pit of my soul to choke me, making it hard to breathe or speak. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I managed to say after a brief pause. I hung up before I could make a fool of myself by doing something like bursting into tears.
Sitting around the house was the worst thing I could do because it would give me too much time to think. I remembered Andy had said the night before that he was all caught up on paid projects and planned to work on his and Milo’s house on Lover’s Lane. I knew my way around a hammer and had plenty of experience painting, so I headed over to the new house.
When I arrived, Andy was jamming to rock songs that were popular before either of us were born, but they called it classic rock for a reason. It wasn’t his music choice I found interesting; it was the air guitar he played on the long pole attached to his paint roller while lip syncing.
“You’re making great time with the renovations in here,” I said, noticing all the hideous dancing pepper wallpaper and outdated cabinetry had been removed.
