He took a breath, his voice trembling with years of guilt. “I’m sorry you didn’t feel safe enough to tell me. I’m sorry for the shortcomings your dad and I had. I know… I know I wasn’t there like I should have been when you were growing up. I was lost in my own demons, getting clean for the girls while you were dealing with everything else alone. I carry that guilt every day.”
“Scott, no—”
“Yes,” he insisted. “I can’t fix what Maverick did. I can’t fix the past. But I can try to heal what’s left. I want to make it right. All I want is for you to be happy.”
He wiped a tear from my cheek with his thumb, smiling through his own tears.
“You may be Maverick’s kid, Silas,” Scott said, his voice thick with emotion. “But you were always my son.Always.”
That broke me. It healed a part of me I didn’t even know was still bleeding.
Scott pulled me into another hug, then turned to Cal. He reached out and clapped a hand on Cal’s shoulder.
“You seem like a good man, Callum,” Scott said sincerely. “You two… you deserve happiness. And I will do everything I can to make sure you have it. Because that’s what a father does.”
He paused, narrowing his eyes slightly in a playful, protective glare. “But if you hurt him, I assume you know I can beat your ass?”
Cal laughed, wiping his eyes. “Yes, sir. I know. I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Good.” Scott clapped his hands together, shifting modes instantly. “Alright. Let’s discuss the plan for your dad.”
Thepanic flared in my chest again. “He’s going to freak out.”
“We’ll handle it,” Scott said firmly. “We’ll do a dinner here tonight. I’ll call Jayme, tell her to pick up food on her way back. I’ll call your dad and tell him you’re in town. You don’t stress. We are in this together.”
“Scott,” I said, my voice small. “What if he… what if he hates me?”
Scott sighed, leaning against the mantle.
“Silas, I’m going to be honest with you. I don’t know what his reaction will be. He’s old school. He’s fearful. But one thing I know for certain? Maverick will never turn his back on you. He will never stop loving you. He sucks at showing it, God knows he does, but you are his boy. He isn’t going anywhere.”
I nodded, trying to believe him.
Cal reached out and took my hand, lacing our fingers together right there in front of Scott. I didn’t pull away.
Scott watched us, a genuine smile spreading across his face.
“It makes me happy,” Scott said softly. “Seeing you like this. Knowing you found someone who adores you. Who treats you the way you deserve. I hope my girls find that one day.”
I squeezed Cal’s hand. We looked at each other, and for the first time since we landed, the weight lifted.
“Go take a breather in the guest room,” Scott said, waving us off. “Wash up. Reset. I’ll make the call to your dad.”
We walked down the hall to the guest room, stepping inside and closing the door.
Cal immediately pulled me into his arms. We didn’t speak. We just stood there, holding each other in the quiet of the house, surrounded by the ghosts of my past and the promise of my future.
The hardest part was over. We were doing it. Our lives would never be the same after this, but looking at Scott, feeling Cal’s arms around me… I was okay with it. Hell, I was ready to embrace it.
29
APRIL - THE REED LAND, NORTH CAROLINA
Now playing: Same Love - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Mary Lambert
Scottmadegoodonhis promise of getting everyone together for dinner this evening. He did it swiftly, and quickly, like it wasn’t any kind of a bother, like I didn’t entirely throw off whatever the fuck he had been doing before Cal and I walked through his front door.
We hung out in the guest room for a while, just us, doing exactly what Scott said: resetting. We left the door open. We had nothing to hide anymore, not here anyways.
