He shrugged, sipping his drink. “Thank you, and you’re right. It’s of no consequence now.” He lifted curious eyes from the table he’d been staring at. “Should I even ask how Levana slipped past your rule?” Tensing, I opened my mouth to answer, and he shook his head. “It’s okay. I’ll forgive that minor mishap.” His soft smile spoke to his love for the girl. I breathed easily as he said, “Grandfather really bought your lie about your age?” he asked, referring to Rowena’s father.
I smiled at his disbelief. “I’d like to think so. Perhaps it was my regaling charm, my sincerity to marry her, or the thick wad of bills I offered.” I shrugged. “Later, a friend of the family drew up new papers that declared me twenty-seven and your mother eighteen. Her father got us married in a small ceremony, and my father nearly killed me when I returned home with a wife, a baby, and false identification.”
“You never told grandfather before that?”
“I feared he’d make her abort the baby if I mentioned it to him. My father was adamant I would marry a girl of his choosing. I knew my defiance wouldn’t go down well. While I finished college, her parents cared for her until you were born.” Leaning back in my chair, I linked my hands behind my head. “Without seeing you, Father insisted I send you both back. During the heated argument, my mother carried you. His stubbornness, however, got the better of me. To calm down, I took Rowena for a walk. Father was carrying you when we returned and decided to accept my marriage. Mother said that your—”
“My eyes changed his mind?” Saint scoffed, having been told that plenty of times since he was old enough to understand his role as a Sinclair.
I grinned. “His acceptance came with one condition, though.”
“You had to participate in the ritual?”
“And groom you to ascend in the event the curse never broke. I refused to lose you, so I agreed. Instead of sending me back to college, Father used the false papers as my true age and began training me in the business. Over time I forgot about my actual age. Besides, raising you became my priority, the Brotherhood my second.”
Saint toyed with his empty cup. “How did Mother accept you weren’t able to fall in love and participate in the ritual while married to her?”
“Against sounding biblical, women are God’s divine creatures, son. She’ll give you her all when you allow her to feel safe. She’ll give you every inch of her. She’ll give you her life. Because she knows she can trust you. That’s the beauty of love.”
“This coming from a man who couldn’t fall in love.” He grinned.
My laugh soft, I leaned forward in my seat. “When a man accepts her life, her trust and works hard to ensure he provides that safety net for her, she will let go, projecting that true divine self of maternal instinct and unerring care even a man unable to fall in love would grasp with open arms. When I offered her marriage, your mother knew she was never a maybe, a second choice, an option, or a wait-and-see. She was an absolute yes, which allowed her to accept me, flaws and all. She was the only woman outside the realm of the Brotherhood I told about the curse, the ritual, and my father’s conditions.”
“And why she prepared me for my ascension?”
I nodded. “Even without love, our family flourished under her care.”
“But you never told me everything, correct?” he pointed out. Surprised, I didn’t immediately respond, trying to figure out what he knew. “The journal, Father, the one you showed to Levana?”
Releasing the breath I didn’t know I held, I nodded. “You were overwhelmed with the curse and your grandfather placing that huge responsibility on your shoulders, I just thought it best not to share everything.” I hoped he accepted my explanation.
Thankfully, he did. “Why have you never mentioned any of this before? It wouldn’t have made a difference to me.” I heard the confusion in his voice.
“Strangely, and no matter how many times my father drummed it into me, I never believed in the reasoning behind the ritual. I merely performed it out of obligation. For our family name, hoping that one of my sons would change our course one day.”
Watching his soft smile form, I silently cursed my actions. For holding back pertinent information, he wasn’t ready to hear. Rocking the boat further, given its current stability, would unleash unnecessary heartache. He’d found love, and that was all I needed him to believe in right now.
“Because I questioned whether our actions were selfish or righteous,” I said instead and got to my feet. “Despite the fabrication of my age, I’m still the father—”
“I know,” he finished for me. “I had young parents, nothing wrong there. Given Levana’s age, I’m learning to deal with it.” He chuckled, rising.
Together we walked toward the door. “Son, you know I always have your best interest at heart, right?”
He looked at me, frowning. “Something else you’re not telling me?”
I hesitated momentarily, the need to give him a little more burdening my tongue. “No. Just reminding you how much I love you.”
“Don’t get all mushy on me, old man.” He chuckled. “I’ll always love you no matter what.”
“Old man?” I scoffed. “Care to take me up on any challenge? Rhett already has the boudoir. Let us take ours to the road?” I dared him, knowing how much he enjoyed our bike rides. “Maybe a run to Anne Port Bay?”
“Been a while. You’re on.”
Sharing his laugh, I walked him to the reception, comforted in the knowledge that my son would forgive my past and present mistakes if they came to light.
