Was this his grandmother’s hidden agenda for getting them back to Alaska after all these years? If so, she was about to get a reality check. This wasn’t one of those cutesy movies likeThe Parent Trapwhere decades-long divides could be made up for over the course of a few weeks. His father’s absence in their formative years had negatively impacted all three of them. There was no coming back from that type of betrayal. Hattie might as well try to part the Bering Sea.
Once he was behind closed doors with his brothers, Xavier let loose.
“Did you look over the contract?” Xavier asked, waving the paperwork in the air.
Landon nodded. His mouth was set in a grim line. “I did. Plot twist.”
A sheepish expression passed over Caleb’s face. “I kind of skimmed it if I’m being honest,” he admitted.
Xavier rolled his eyes. “Seriously? This is important stuff, Caleb. We didn’t come all this way for the scenery. We need to be on the same page.”
Caleb held up his hands. “Sorry. My bad. I nodded off.” He looked back and forth between his brothers. “What? Did I miss something important?”
Landon arched an eyebrow. “I’m guessing you didn’t read the stipulation stating that we’re required to work with—” At this point Landon swallowed before continuing. “With Dad.” His voice came out in a raspy whisper as if he was afraid to say it out loud.
“What? You’ve got to be kidding me!” Caleb said. He ran a shaky hand over his face.
“He’s dead serious,” Xavier said. “It’s right here in black-and-white on page three.”
“What is she thinking?” Caleb asked as he reached for the document and scanned the passage. Seconds later he slammed his palm against his forehead and let out a groan.
Xavier couldn’t come up with a single reasonable explanation. Coming home to Moose Falls had been hard enough, but the notion of working with Paul Stone was mind-boggling.
“Perhaps it’s her dying wish,” Landon said with a shrug. “It’s not uncommon for folks to try to sort out their affairs before they pass.” He twisted his lips. “I mean, that’s themain reason why we’re here, isn’t it? So she can go to the great beyond with her business all tied up with a neat red bow.”
“We came here for Yukon Cider, not for the invisible man,” Xavier muttered. “I don’t have a desire to make nice with him after all these years. That’s not happening!” Xavier didn’t even know what to call him other thansperm donor. Anything paternal likedadorpopwas far too generous. And he wasn’t in the mood to play nice. He was tired and hungry and in need of some relaxation. True’s face flashed before his eyes. He should have gotten her number so they could hang out. She was definitely a silver lining in this tiny Alaskan village.
“I agree,” Caleb said, folding his arms across his chest. “It’s not like he’s ever tried to be a part of our lives.”
“Other than the random visits when we were kids,” Landon pointed out. “Remember that time he took us to the circus? Caleb ate so much popcorn, he threw up on the way home.” Landon chuckled at the memory.
Both Xavier and Caleb turned their heads to frown at him.
“What?” Landon asked, adjusting the bridge of his glasses. “I’m just stating the facts. Let’s not lose all objectivity here. I feel the same way as the two of you about him, but I’m not going to pretend as if there wasn’t a time when he seemed to care about us. It wasn’t all bad.”
“I don’t remember it that way,” Xavier said. It pained him to go down this road, but it was too late to reverse course now. Some things a person never forgot. “I remember how Mom cried for days before he came and how frightened she was that he wasn’t going to bring us back home. I remember how he checked his watch the whole time we were at the circus and screamed at Caleb when he got sick.” He could see all those moments in his mind’s eye so clearly, almost asif it weren’t nearly two decades ago. Considering how long he’d stuffed these memories down, it was a miracle they had resurfaced. After all this time, they still made his stomach hurt.
A tense silence descended over them. This wasn’t a topic they had ever been comfortable discussing. There was so much wrapped up in it—pain, embarrassment, loss, and anger. Most kids took having a father for granted. For the Stone brothers, there had always been a huge hole sitting smack-dab in the center of their lives. No Pops sitting in the stands at his football games. No Pops cheering Caleb on at the school play or attending Landon’s science fairs. Although their mom had always been there for them, she shouldn’t have had to do the heavy lifting by herself. Even if they were no longer married, he could have offered his support.
And now Hattie expected them to put all those things aside? It just wasn’t possible.
“Let’s not fight,” Landon said in a soft voice. He folded his arms across his chest. Xavier knew it was Landon’s tell. He was trying to protect himself. That was exactly what Xavier was trying to do—protect the three of them.
“This isn’t fighting,” Caleb said. “We’re just talking it out.”
Seeing Landon’s crushed expression gave Xavier pause. He hadn’t meant to sound so fierce, but old wounds were being reopened.
Xavier reached out and placed his arm around Landon and pulled him close. “We’re not on opposite sides. It’s always team Stone brothers. No matter what. You all right?”
Landon’s shoulders sagged, and he let out a breath. “Okay. I’m good. It’s just been a stressful day.”
Of the three of them, Landon was the most sensitive.In the heat of the moment, Xavier tended to forget that his youngest brother had always taken things to heart. When they’d left Moose Falls as kids, Landon had cried nonstop for days. Xavier and Caleb had been stoic about leaving the only home they’d ever known and their father. To this day Xavier wondered if he would’ve been better off if he hadn’t stuffed down his emotions. Maybe he should’ve cried his eyes out, but he’d wanted to be strong for their mom. Over the years that had become his pattern—to push away his feelings when faced with heartbreak.
“So, what now?” Caleb asked, sinking down on the plush bed.
“Let’s get downstairs and let Hattie know where we stand on this,” Xavier suggested. “She needs to understand that we’re not just going to roll over and agree to something unreasonable.”
“Right. It’s nonnegotiable,” Landon said, nodding in agreement. “And we need to get this squared away.”
