There’s a rare, optimistic smile on his face, and I almost feel bad for getting his hopes up. He closes the folder he’s holding and drops it on his desk, which is nearly enough to getmyhopes up. He’s always hated being interrupted when he works.
“Look, I want you to know I never meant—”
I raise my hand in the air to stop him. “I didn’t come here to talk about that. I need your help with something.”
His face falls, but after a moment, he nods and gestures to the small loveseat. I walk the few steps over to it and sit down. He joins me, and I can tell he’s actually trying. I don’t rememberhim ever sitting anywhere in his study except for behind his desk.
“Tell me what’s going on,” he says. “I’ll do whatever I can.”
Okay, so this is a good start, even if it’s a bit strange to see him so willing to drop work to listen to me. And soundsincereabout it. I just hope he means it.
I swallow and force myself to focus on what Icansay.
Not the emails.
Not Professor Grant’s hand on my thigh.
Not the terror still coiled tight behind my ribs.
“I had a meeting with Professor Grant,” I begin.
I walk him through what I can tell him of it—the threats, the blackmail. The longer I talk, the darker his expression grows. His jaw clenches and ticks, his nostrils flaring. The vein in his temple throbs. He didn’t even look this scary when he threatened to kill Isaac.
“That motherfucker.” He leans over with his elbow on his knee and runs his hand down his face. “That’s why Dylan left.”
“He didn’t admit to it, but…yeah. I’m pretty sure he did the same thing to Dylan.”
And I’m pretty sure that’s not all he did.
But I don’t say that part.
My dad shakes his head before leaning back again and looking at me, his jaw set. “I’ll take care of it.”
My brows draw together.
Was it really that easy?
“You will?”
“I know I haven’t been the best father, Jackson, but no one hurts my family and gets away with it.”
Maybe my dad really does regret hiding things from me and wants to try to make things right. I can’t remember ever hearing him speak this way. There have been very few times he’s surprised me.
“What does this mean for me and Isaac?” My mouth is suddenly dry as I struggle to ask the question I really want to ask. “I mean, do you…”
The tension in his body seems to ease some, and he actually kind of…smiles. “I’m not as close-minded as you might think.”
“So, you don’t mind that we’re…together?”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong.” He huffs a quiet laugh through his nose. “I definitely don’t approve. But it’s not because he’s a man.”
The next words come blurting out because I’m kind of in shock. “Are you fucking with me?”
It must be the universe fucking with me because to my absolute disbelief, helaughs. A real, genuine laugh. It’s an odd sound, only because it’s such a foreign one. It’s a deep, quiet rumble that sends me back in time. Have I heard his laugh since Mom died? It suddenly feels like she’s in the room with us.
“There are a lot of things you don’t know about your old man, and I know that’s my fault. But I’m not like half the others in this town.”
“Pretty sure it’s more than half.”
