“I bet.” I grinned. “Because you know how to show them how to do everything. Do you like baseball?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I do too,” Molly jumped in. “I caught a ball Daddy threw yesterday.”
“That was easy,” Nicky scoffed. “I hit one so far. You should see me, Uncle Ronan.”
My breath caught, and a fresh wave of tears spilled down Cassie’s cheeks, while mine burned as well. Six years. It had taken six years to get to this place, and while I couldn’t say it was all good between us, Cassie and I had taken that first step.
“Are you gonna stay for dinner, Uncle Ronan? We’re having lasagna. Mommy makes the best.”
Our eyes met, and Cassie said, “Mom’s recipe. And the garlic bread too.”
Children didn’t hear the words that weren’t said. They didn’t care where I’d been. They lived in the present, and I vowed to never let myself be absent from their lives again.
Gabriel took my hand, as if knowing I was teetering on the edge of an emotional breakdown. “We’d love to. Thank you for inviting us.”
The front door opened, and I heard Marty call out, “Anyone home? Where is everyone?”
“Daddy,” the kids all yelled. Nicky and Molly took off while Sami wiggled off Cassie’s lap.
“Wait for me.” She began to cry.
Nicky returned and held out his hand. “C’mon, Sami.” He cast me a quick glance, and I didn’t think I’d known as much joy as I had from that little gesture.
Gabriel squeezed my hand. “They’re adorable.”
I nodded but knew the hardest part was about to come.
Marty walked in, his face tight and eyes wary. “I heard we have a surprise guest. Ronan. Good to see you. Kids, why don’t you go to Faith and help her clean up the backyard of all your toys. You know you can’t leave them scattered and expect someone else to pick up.”
“Uncle Ronan said he’s staying for dinner.” Sami appealed to me with those big blue eyes, and I nodded.
“You know it. I love your mommy’s lasagna.”
“Yay,” they shrieked and ran out, leaving the four of us staring at each other.
Marty closed the door and pulled up a chair to sit beside Cassie. “I thought you couldn’t travel.”
“He got permission to come see us. Isn’t that great?” Cassie jumped in, eager to show she wanted to make amends. But she was my sister. My blood. I’d crawl on my knees through broken glass to help her. Marty was a different story.
“Yeah. Great.” He rubbed his chin. “I guess you’re pissed at me.”
“You think? You fucking lied to me the whole time. Made me think you’d pay me back when you never intended to. And using Cassie’s health as an excuse to get me to go along with your scheme. How low can you get?”
“I’d do anything to protect my family.”
“What about my family? You tried to cut me out of my sister’s life,” I spit out. “First you get me to lie for you, and then you want to forget you know me? It’s not going to work.”
“Cassie had to be protected. She was pregnant. And I couldn’t go to jail and leave her all alone.”
“She was your wife and signed the tax returns. Once you told her what was going on, you implicated her. And you knew that.” Frustrated, I slapped my hands on my thighs. “You got greedy, and when it all came crashing down, you freaked out and figured I was a good patsy because you knew I’d do anything for my family. You abused my love for them by trying to turn Cassie against me.”
I rose and stood over him, unwilling to raise my voice again because I didn’t want the kids to hear. Marty could see how angry I was and shrank away, but I stuck my face close to his, smelled the stink of fear. I recognized it from all my bleak years in prison. I bared my teeth in a grin that was anything but humorous.
“It didn’t work. You’ll always be a snake in my eyes, but I’ll be goddamned if I let you push me out of Cassie’s life or the children’s. I’m here to stay.”
“All I care about is making sure the kids aren’t hurt.”
