After all, he owed his son that, right?
That was part of the healing and forgiveness process, and he needed to give that to him.
“Of course.”
That was all Ethan had to hear.
“If my mother walked through that door now, and you weren’t married to Caryn, but had to choose between them, who would choose to leave with?” he asked, wanting to see if his father really did love his mother like he said he did.
They all knew he adored Caryn and loved her a great deal.
At his question, he didn’t hesitate.
“Catherine.”
Ethan was curious.
“Why?” he asked. “Is it just because of guilt? Or is there something more?”
He was honest.
“It’s because I love her to this day. She was the one true love of my life. Don’t get me wrong, because I cherish and love Caryn, but when you meet that person, and your heart knows, it knows.”
That Ethan understood.
That was how it felt when he met Gene and then Elizabeth. He loved Chris very much, but the love was different. It wasn’t as all-encompassing, and he knew everyone in their unit felt the same. Gene loved him relentlessly, and he loved Elizabeth, but not the same way.
Callen loved Chris and him, but Elizabeth was his person. Your heart knew when it knew. It didn’t mean you couldn’t open it for others.
It just had that special connection to someone. His was with Elizabeth and Gene.
He thought about what his mother said, and had he been born a Running Wolf, he would have had Callen as his soulmate. Fate was tricky.
“Do you miss her?” he asked.
Wyler ate some stew, and nodded.
“I miss her more than anyone knows. I think about her every day, and I dream about her. The way I abused her heart makes me ashamed. I wanted to see her to say that I was so sorry for how I left her alone. Every day, I think about how she died alone. Now more since I’m going to leave this world sooner, rather than later.”
A single tear slipped down Wyler’s cheek.
That broke Ethan’s heart.
“Is that why you came back? To die alone as punishment for what you did to her?”
He didn’t hesitate.
Instead, Wyler nodded.
“It’s what I deserved. It should be my penance for that horrible sin, Ethan. It wasn’t to hurt you guys. It was to hurt me. I didn’t think for one second your wife would move everyone here. I assumed I’d win that one. She’s tough to outthink.”
Well, that was sad, but it made sense.
“That wasn’t necessary.”
Oh, but it was.
Wyler was to the point.
