All Ronan wanted to do now was enjoy the last day and half of the long weekend and to eat his weight in ricotta cheese.
EPILOGUE
Tennyson
The next day…
Tennyson had packed his suitcase the night before, leaving out what he wanted to wear home and his toothbrush. It had taken him only minutes to gather the rest of his stuff. After he’d left his suitcase on the front porch, Ten headed out to the beach. With everyone else packing, Ten knew he’d have some time to himself.
Taking a seat on the warm sand, Ten took a moment to feel the hot sunshine on his face. This was the day he’d remember come January when there was a foot of snow on the ground and the mercury had dipped below zero.
After things wrapped up at the jail, Tin Cup had dropped them off at Ristorante Lorenzo, a Portsmouth, New Hampshire staple. Four generations of the same family had been running the restaurant, which opened in 1962.
Ten and Everly enjoyed the lobster ravioli, while Ronan and Jude had the lasagna. Jace and Fitz had the spaghetti carbonara and Cope had ricotta gnocchi. They’d all shared crusty bread, meatballs, and calamari. Ten didn’t stop eating until he was about to burst. It was undoubtedly the best meal of his life.
They’d spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach, splashing in the waves, looking for shells, and trying to build a sandcastle. Later, Ronan grilled the rest of the burgers and dogs and had set off the fireworks, before putting the kids to bed.
Ten had made himself a promise when he got to the beach that he’d reach out to his father, David, and until now, hadn’t found the free time to do so.
Taking several deep breaths, Ten quieted his mind. “Dad, are you there? I’d like to talk to you.” He paused, but there was no answer. “Dad? I’m sorry I haven’t reached out, but I’ve been going through some things.”
“So I’ve seen, son,” David Grimm said, appearing next to Tennyson in the sand. “I always loved the beach, even though we didn’t get there very often.”
Ten laughed. “Yeah, usually it was when you travelled for the church and we snuck in some beach time in between sermons.”
“I’m sorry I put you through that, Tennyson,” David said, staring out at the ocean. “I knew when you were little that you were gay. You always liked to play with Barbies when we visited with friends who had daughters. I thought strict religion and God’slove would cure you of that, but I was wrong. Just like I was wrong about River.”
“Who are you and what have you done with David Grimm?” Ten asked. If he wasn’t looking directly at his father, he would have thought someone was trying to prank him using David’s voice.
“You haven’t spoken to me in a long time, Ten. I used that time to figure things out. I spent a lot of time with your brother and his family. River’s a good man, no thanks to me. My granddaughters are beautiful and they don’t even know my name. Of course they’re in love with Kaye. Your mother is one in a million.”
“She sure is,” Ten agreed. “Mom fell in love with Brooke and Delta at first sight.”
“It just goes to show what a fool I was to keep River a secret all those years. Kaye would have been angry, but she would have forgiven me and would have wanted your brother to be a part of our family.”
Ten nodded, not wanting to get into the same argument over what David should and should not have done.
“I also spent a lot of time with Everly,” David said softly.
“With Everly?” Ten asked. He had no idea. Everly hadn’t said anything about seeing David and he never sensed his father around.
“She was madder than a wet hen when I first came to see her. Reminded me so much of Kaye when I’d get mud on her clean kitchen floor.”
Ten was proud of his daughter for not just allowing David back into her life because he was her grandfather. He and Ronan had taught her well about boundaries and sticking with them.
“Anyway, I told Everly I needed her help. She said she needed to think about it.” David chuckled. “It took her six months to reach back out to me.”
Ten laughed. “That sounds like my Everly.”
“Once she got over being angry and agreed to help me, she didn’t pull any punches. She told me what I was wrong about and how that made people feel. I always walked away from our conversations feeling like I was learning from a master, not just my granddaughter.”
“I couldn’t be prouder of her,” Ten said. “I just wish she’d told me you two were in touch.”
“I wanted her to do that very thing, but she knew you’d want to talk me and that you weren’t ready for that step yet.”
“She was right. Can’t deny that. I haven’t wanted to have this conversation, Dad. I didn’t want to hear anymore lies or excuses. I also knew there was nothing you could do to change the past or to make up for the things you did, so I felt like we were at crossed swords. I needed to finish being mad before I reached out again.” Ten’s anger had lasted nearly two years.
“I understand what I did was wrong with the religion and hiding River from you. Do you think you could find it in your heart to forgive me?” David nibbled at his bottom lip.
