“I’ve missed you too,” I replied, my throat tight with emotion.
I introduced Tony to Ethan, and we finally took our seats. A server brought us water and took our drink orders. The silence around the table became awkward, none of us seeming to know where to start. Then my wonderful boyfriend—bless him—asked Ethan, “So what do you do out there in the Pacific Northwest?”
Ethan’s eyes lit up. “I work in climate technology. We’re working on solutions to mitigate climate change and increase the use of renewable energy sources.”
I blinked. “I had no idea you were interested in that. I thought you were going to be a programmer.”
He shrugged. “I started out as a computer science major, but decided to switch over to renewable energy in my sophomore year.”
We fell into a conversation about climate change and renewable energy, with my brother giving us ways we could be more eco-friendly, even in a big city. Talk of cities brought up my own professions and I was so grateful that neither of my siblings brought up my disastrous decision to leave school because of my then-boyfriend.
After the server brought our meals, I asked Becky, “Do you already have a job lined up?”
She grinned broadly and nodded. “I got a job at the hospital. They said after I work there for a few years, they’ll pay for me to get my master’s.”
“That’s great,” I said. “That means you could become a nurse practitioner and have your own practice one day.”
Her cheeks turned pink with the praise. “That’s my goal. Someday down the line.”
“We should introduce you to Liam,” Tony said.
“Who’s Liam?” she asked.
“He’s my brother’s fiancé,” Tony replied. “He’s a nurse practitioner and has a lot of great stories to tell.”
We kept the dinner conversation light because we all knew we’d be talking about heavier topics when we got back to my hotel room. As we wrapped up dinner and paid the check, part of me wanted to end the night there. Delving into those places of past hurts was going to be rough. But I knew it had to be done if the three of us were going to be a family again.
The walk to the hotel was short, and the ride up in the elevator was even shorter. I told my siblings to get comfortable—or as comfortable as they could on hotel furniture. I’d gotten a bunch of snacks and nonalcoholic drinks so we could chat without interruption. While they were getting settled, I followed Tony into the bedroom and closed the door behind us.
I took him in my arms and kissed him. “Are you sure you’re okay with being cooped up in here while we take up the other room? We can go down to the common area.”
He cupped my cheek with his big hand. “Sweetheart, this is your chance to fix things with your brother and sister. I would be the biggest asshole on the planet if I got pissy about you using a room I rarely go into. I’m perfectly fine in here with my laptop. I have some emails to answer and invoices to send. I also have the entire sum of human knowledge and prejudice at my fingertips. I’ll probably end up watching a movie or a couple episodes ofJack Reacher.”
I rested my forehead against his chest. “You really are the best man I know.”
He put his fingers under my chin and tilted my head up so he could kiss me. “I feel the same about you.” He gave me a hug and then stepped back. “Go talk to them. Make things right between you.”
When I went back into the small living room, both siblings were staring at me. “You got a good one this time,” Becky said.
“The best,” I replied with a smile. I grabbed a bottle of water and a bag of Sun Chips and sat in one of the armchairs. “Where do you want to start?” I asked.
Becky glanced over at Ethan before asking, “What happened with you and that piece of shit, Randy?”
I blew out a breath. Opening with the big guns. Not that I blamed her. My relationship with Randy had been the catalyst for a lot of shitty behavior on my part. “The year after you left to go live with Jerry and Ethan left for university, Randy and I had a horrible fight. I’d started to really see how controlling his behavior was, and I was tired of it. I called him out on it.
“I wanted to go to a concert at the Stone Pony with some new friends I’d made at my job. Randy didn’t want me to go. I eveninvited him to come with us, but he said he didn’t like the band. He just didn’t want me to go out with friends.”
“Asshole,” Becky muttered.
I sighed heavily. “Yeah. We got into a fight, and he…” I swallowed hard. “He beat the shit out of me.”
Ethan shot up out of his seat. “That motherfucker!”
I waved him to sit down. “It’s okay. In the strangest way possible, it all worked out.”
Becky’s brows drew into a frown of confusion. “I don’t understand.”
I took a few calming breaths so I could continue my story. “Randy had already been drinking before the fight. Afterward, he kept drinking until he passed out. I waited until I was sure he wasn’t going anywhere, then packed a bag and left.”
