“Six years I waited to see them. And you know what? I’m going to be a fucking fabulous uncle. Nothing you can say or do will keep me out of their lives.”
“Can I say something?” Gabriel broke in.
“Who’re you?” Marty challenged. “His lawyer?”
“No, his boyfriend.”
All the fight left me, and on shaking legs, I returned to sit next to him.
“Is it all right if I talk to them?” He touched my arm.
“You can say whatever you want.”
But I had no idea what was on his mind.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Gabriel
It broke my heart. Ronan didn’t deserve the treatment his brother-in-law dealt him. The man needed to apologize, and knowing Ronan as I did, he’d forgive—even if not forget, and rightly so in this case. If it were me, I wasn’t sure I could do either.
“What concerns me the most, as an outsider to this all, is why both of you forgot about Ronan. While he sat in a cell, you went on with your lives, and yes, it was hard to lose your home and have to move, but you didn’t have the stain of a criminal act against your names. You came across as victims, and for some reason, acted as though you were the ones betrayed.” I took Ronan’s cold hand in mine. “But it was Ronan.” I focused on Cassie. “He loves you and would do anything for you, and you took him for granted. You betrayed your brother in the worst way possible.”
“I know,” she whispered. “It was easy to forget when he wasn’t around.”
“Not for me,” Ronan responded, sounding wooden. “It was a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from because I wasn’t sleeping. I was living it every single day.”
“If I could change it, I’d never let you do what you did. I would’ve taken my punishment for being so foolish and greedy.”
“But we can’t.” Marty shifted in his chair. “I’m sorry it’s been so hard for you, Ronan, but you did know the consequences. I’m not going to shoulder all the blame here, but I can admit I should’ve been nicer when you came out.”
“That was as half-assed an apology as I’ve ever heard,” I lashed out. “He took the punishment so you could keep your family intact, and that’s all you’re willing to give him? Both of you should be so damn grateful he’s the type who’d never turn on you and tell the whole story. You’re living in a house of cards of your own making, and yet you still won’t give him the simplest thing he’s asking for. From the first I wondered why Ronan would need to steal. How did you manage to convince the feds he did it? They’re pretty thorough, from what I know.”
“Duplicate paperwork that had him forging my signatures. That’s what we showed the SEC and the cops. They were eager to make the arrest for the cameras, so it wasn’t as difficult as you might think.”
“Especially since they had my confession,” Ronan said bitterly. “They took one look at me, saw my tats, and thought ‘party-boy.’ The press called me ‘Pretty Boy Ronan,’ and I was fodder for the crowd—convicted by social media before trial.”
“I’m not sure I can explain to people why we’ve forgiven him.” Marty sat with a pugnacious thrust of his jaw, and I couldn’t understand why he resented Ronan so much. He absolutely didn’t see they needed Ronan’s forgiveness, and until that happened, nothing would change.
“Who cares?” I squeezed Ronan’s hand. “Ronan is family, the only one Cassie has. You’re so caught up in ‘keeping up with the Joneses,’ you’re missing out on what’s important in real life.”
“That’s not true.” Marty squirmed in his seat. “My kids are the most important thing.”
“As they should be. And Ronan is the most important thing to me. That’s why I’m here. Because as tough as you think he is, Ronan is hurting. Badly. And I’ll do anything to help him through it. If he wants to cut ties, I’ll back him up. If he wants to be in your lives, I’ll fight by his side to make that happen. Whatever will happen, it obviously won’t be solved today. But you have to understand, he wants to be an uncle to these children. Family means everything to him. And he means everything to me, so I want to help him.”
“I want my brother.” Cassie spoke with such strength and conviction, I was surprised. Once Marty had come home, she’d become more passive, and I suspected she usually gave in to his demands, so it was good to see a flash of independence. “It was a terrible idea from the first, and I’m sorry, Ronan. I’ve missed you so much, and I can’t believe you’re being so forgiving.” She wiped her eyes. “Having the kids changed everything. It’s not all about me anymore. It took me until now to grow up, but I want the chance to make it up to you, if you’ll let me. The kids deserve to know their uncle.”
“I was trying to protect Cassie. That’s all.”
“I don’t need protection. I’m not a child or made of glass.” That flash of spirit was so much like Ronan, I wanted to smile. “Just like when you concocted that stupid, horrible scheme, you’re making decisions that affect me with the worst consequences. I’m taking full responsibility for ignoring Ronan all these years. But this has to stop. Right now. If Ronan is willing to come all the way here, we need to do whatever we can to make it work. Understand?”
Marty’s head hung low. “Yeah.”
The last thing I wanted was for careless, hurtful words to be thrown out, so I jumped in. “Ronan, can I talk to you in private for a sec?” I didn’t even wait for him to answer but pulled him off the couch. “We’ll be right outside.”
With the door closed, Ronan whipped around, his face full of anger. “Did you hear that shit? He thinks he can get away with it.”
“Then don’t let him.”
