“Mm-hm.” His brother folded his arms. “Seems I got a powerful lecture from you when Dani and I told the family she was pregnant. I’ll never forget that look on your face. How I’d let you down.”
Stone stared into the black coffee, recalling the stinging rebuke he’d delivered. “You let yourself down.”
“No, that’s not what you said. You said I’d let you down. Turned out just like Dad.”
Stone winced.
“What did that mean?”
“It didn’t mean anything. I was just mad you betrayed Range.”
“Hold up. I didn’t betray anyone??—I let Dani choose. Isn’t that what you’re letting Brighton do?”
Stone tensed.
“See, I think these are connected??—what’s happening with you and this girl, and Dad. So read me in.”
“Leave it alone.”
“Yeah, thought so. But”??—his brother pursed his lips?—“no.”
He glared at him.
“You’re about to engage in a life-and-death battle for this woman, so I think you need to clean out the trunks weighing you down.”
Stone sighed. “It’s best left in the past.”
“You and I both know the past won’t stay there. Hurl it out, dude. Never seen you this crazy about someone that you’d go to war. Heck, you left war for politics.” Canyon snorted and shook his head. “Explain that to me??—no. Never mind. I don’t want to know.”
“She was an escort.”
“Nope.”
He squinted at his brother.
“You’re past that.”
“How?—”
“You were eating her face when I walked in last night. There was no propriety in your positions, so no?—you’re not hung up on how many men she’s been with.”
Leave it to his brother to be blunt. “Dad …” He dropped into a wooden rocking chair, rocked a few times, then shoved to his feet. “Dad. Marie. Brighton. They all betrayed me. I loved them. And they betrayed me.”
Canyon’s arrogance slipped, his brow knotting. “How did Dad betray you?”
Eying his brother, Stone wondered if he should let someone else share that burden. “Doesn’t matter?—”
“Hold up. Yeah, it does. You just accused our father of betrayal. He was hero, earned the Bronze Star and Purple Heart—”
“He had an affair.”
Stricken, Canyon gaped. “No. No way.”
“Happened first time he was deployed.”
“Then how on earth do you know?”
“Somehow, some of his Army mail got misdirected to me while I was in Balad. I didn’t really pay attention??—thought it was from Marie. Opened it. Read it. I confronted him.” He’d never forget that night. The rage in his father’s face that slowly drained out. “He was so livid, but he finally confessed. Said it was over. A lapse in judgment.”
