"You used to call me 'Dad'," Sam says sadly. The hurt in his voice permeates the room and instantly neither Luke nor I are smiling or laughing.
What am I supposed to say to that?
"Now you call me ‘Mr. Woods’. I don't remember you calling me that even when we first met. I could be wrong....but I don't remember it," he continues with a low, sad tone.
"Can you blame her?" Luke demands, in my defense. I appreciate the gesture but I don't want a fight.
"No, son, I don't blame her at all. It's just...," he looks at me, "I miss it. I miss you calling me dad."
I wipe away the tears falling down my cheeks as I rise and walkacross the room. He stands and I wrap my arms around his neck to hug him. His voice is strained as he chokes out, over and over again, "I'm so sorry, Andi."
"I forgive you, Dad," I reply through my tears and my own strained voice. Suddenly, two more arms have encircled us and I hear Linda softly crying at my shoulder as she strokes my hair, "Baby girl." Then two more strong arms wrap around from the other side and the four of us stand here in a family embrace.
LUKE
Now that Andi and I have made up with my parents, we're enjoying a relaxing evening on the completed patio. At least the big fightwith Andi and my parents got me out of most of the damn grunt work. But I would've gladly finished it all myself if I could take back what I did to Andi that night. She has told me several times to let it go, that I'm forgiven, but I just don't get how she can forgive so easily. One more thing that I love about her.
Rhoades coming to my parents' house thoroughly pisses me off. I know it's a posturing move - he wanted to get the inside scoop on my parents, and me, to use against Andi later. I talked to my dad briefly about this when Mom was showing Andi around her newly decorated backyard. He knows that no matter what Rhoades threatens, I will not turn against Andi - even if that means Dad has to fight for his business again. This time, Dad completely agrees with me.
I know I have to talk to Andi about my revelation earlier - about being a psychologist. She had no clue and she must have at least thought, even for a second, that I had something to do with getting those pictures of her. Or even that I could be in league with Rhoades now and will eventually use my training against her.
She's been a little more distant since that talk in the car. I keep trying to tell myself it's because of everything else that's happened tonight - finding Rhoades in my parents' house, just seeing him again, and then making up with my parents. That's enough to drain anyone.
But I know Andi - and she's not the same. I apparently don't know how to do relationships very well because I keep screwing up, no matter how unintentional it has been, I know I keep hurting her. Watching her now as she helps bring the food out of the kitchen, I feel so protective of her and I have to fight the urge to just take her away from all this. But she's a fighter, she is stronger than anyone gives her credit for being, and she would never back down from this fight.
"Penny for your thoughts," Andi says as she sits beside me. I lace my fingers with hers, pull her hand to my mouth and gently place a kiss on every knuckle.
"I was just thinking about you, and you're worth way more than a penny."
"So the media keeps telling everyone," she deadpans.
I smile in response to her sarcasm, "That's not what I meant and you know it. I don't care how much money youhave. You areworthfar more than that."
She stares into my eyes, searching and questioning, but doesn't let go of my hand. I know she wants to ask me something but she doesn't. She just keeps looking at me like she's trying to figure out a puzzle but there's a piece missing that she can't quite place. I want to ask her what's on her mind but I suddenly feel like that's too much like what a shrink would ask a patient, so I keep my mouth shut.
Mom interrupts Andi's examination of me, "Let's eat before the food gets cold. I'm so glad to have my kids back home!"
With that, Andi releases my hand and begins filling her plate. When she let go, I suddenly had an odd and ominous feeling, like grains of sand sifting through my fingers and falling away no matter how hard I try to hold onto them. I'm not the damn sensitive type who believes in all that paranormal bullshit. But the feeling was so strong, I almost grabbed her hand back in pure fear of losing her. Giving myself the mental "man-up" pep talk, I shook it off and filled my own plate.
We enjoyed our time with my parents but I am so glad when we finally leave so that I can have Andi all to myself. She is unusually quiet on the ride to her house. Her arm is propped on the car door and she is chewing her fingernails. An action I have very, very rarely seen from her. I slowly reach over and take her other hand in mine, rubbing her hand back and forth with my thumb until she looks over at me.
“My turn to offer a penny for your thoughts,” I say with a half-smile.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were a psychologist before tonight? I thought you were in the same business with your dad.”
Her tone isn’t accusing, but it’s there just under the surface. She has a strong distrust of psychologists and psychiatrists after her year-long stint in the psychiatric hospital. She’s probably feeling very betrayed right now – like I’m part of those people who turned a blind eye and deaf ear on everything she experienced in foster care.
“I wasn’t hiding it from you, if that’s what you’re thinking. It really isn’t part of me, Andi. It’s not who I am or what I want. I learned that pretty quickly and I’ve been trying to break into boxing for quite some time.”
She’s quiet as she processes this information. I half-expected her next question but that didn’t soften the blow any.
“Did you help your dad get those pictures of me?” Her voice is small and sad – like she’s afraid of the answer.
“Hell. No. I would never do that to you.” I squeeze her hand and tug on it slightly so she will look at me as I say the words to her. She only nods in response.
“He’s going to hurt you and your family, Luke. Jackson won’t stop until he gets what he wants. I don’t know what he wants from me – what he thinks he can gain. But this is all a big chess game to him. He’s arranging his pieces so that he has all the advantages. He’s going to take out everyone who means anything to me one at a time and make me watch. He won’t come after me until he’s through with everyone else.”
“He’s already coming after you, Andi. You still have your name in the damn tabloids every week with some crazy, made up pile of shit. And you’re about to lose your contract with your dad’s record label over all this negative shit.”
