Chapter 27
27
MARNIN
I ’d never considered myself old-fashioned, but I guess in some ways I was because there was no way I was even considering a future with Ennio without talking to his father first. Or was that because I had so much love and respect for the man? Whatever it was, I needed to know he was okay with this, with Ennio and me being together. I wanted his blessing, his approval. In fact, I needed it—maybe even more than I had realized until I was sitting across from him.
I’d driven to Forestville without telling Ennio. I hated keeping things from him, but this was something I needed to do alone. Not that I expected him to try and stop me, but still.
The old, cozy house where Auden had lived with his kids before meeting Keaton now belonged to the sheriff and Cora. The walls were freshly painted and the furniture was different, but the warm memories lingered in every corner.
“It’s good to see you, son,” Sheriff Frant greeted me. His handshake was as firm as ever.
Cora served us drinks—a steaming cup of black coffee for me and a fragrant herbal tea for the sheriff, along with a slice of her famous banana bread—then retreated to the kitchen as we settled into the comfortable chairs.
“You too, sir. How have you been?”
“I try to keep busy. Retirement is not easy on guys like me who are so used to working all their lives. The winters especially are hard.”
“I would go crazy.”
“So prepare yourself for when that time comes. Find a hobby.”
Retirement. Jesus, there was a depressing thought. I was so not ready for that. “The good news is I have some time before I’m at that stage.”
He chuckled. “That’s what I thought, and here I am.”
“Are you trying to depress the fuck out of me?”
“Nah, riling you up is just an added bonus.” Then his expression turned serious. “What’s on your heart, Marnin? Because I take it this is not a social visit?”
I took a deep breath. “Ennio.”
He slowly nodded, understanding immediately. “I figured.”
“I’m in love with him.”
“Does he know that?”
“Oh yeah. I told him.”
A smile spread across the sheriff’s face. “At least you had your priorities straight. Congratulations, son.”
“You’re…okay with this?”
He cocked his head, studying me with the kind brown eyes his son had inherited. “What would you do if I wasn’t? Would you stop seeing him?”
“I would do whatever I could to change your mind.”
“But you wouldn’t give him up?”
The mere thought of it made it hard to breathe. “Honestly, I don’t think I could.”
“Those are strong words from someone who has always been adamant he doesn’t believe in love and doesn’t do relationships.”
I shifted uncomfortably, my stomach churning with nerves. “I know, sir. Trust me, I know. And I have no explanation other than that he… He changed me. I have no clue what he sees in me, but he loves me back, and it’s the greatest gift I’ve ever been given.”
“What are you here to ask me? Because if your goal was to tell me you’re seeing Ennio, then you could’ve saved yourself the trouble. I already figured that out when I discovered you knew about Ennio’s financial troubles before we did.”
Of course he’d figured it out. The man was a sheriff, after all, trained to read people and situations for a living. “That’s not it. I would like your…your blessing.”
Surprise flickered across his face before he schooled his expression again. “You would?”
How did I explain this? “What you said at the party about me being a bonus son…? That meant a lot to me.”
“Every word was true.”
I had to ask the question that had been playing through my mind the last week. “My apologies for the abrupt segue, sir, but do you know what happened to my birth mother? I have no desire to find or see her, but I was curious.”
He stroked his silver beard thoughtfully before answering. “I was wondering if you’d ever ask me that question. Yes, I do. I looked into her disappearance when I found out because I wanted to ensure she left voluntarily.”
I immediately understood what he wasn’t saying. “You weren’t ruling out my father had hurt her.”
“No, and I needed to make sure. For myself, but also for you.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “But she did leave of her own accord. She moved to Detroit, where she fell on hard times for a while, then got her act together and found new love. She remarried and had three kids—your half-siblings. I kept tabs on her in case you ever asked about her.”
I had half-siblings? My mother had started a new family without me, leaving me behind like an unwanted memory. But strangely enough, I didn’t feel any desire to meet these half-siblings. Was that weird? “Is she still alive?” I asked, my voice as detached as if discussing a stranger’s life.
He shook his head. “She passed away two years ago after a gallbladder surgery went awry and led to complications.”
I absorbed the news, trying to process the fact that my mother was no longer in this world. On some level, I should probably feel sadness or grief, but instead, there was only a sense of detachment. How could I mourn someone I had never truly known? “Is it bad that news doesn’t mean anything to me?”
He shrugged. “She was never your mom. She might’ve given birth to you, but she didn’t raise you.”
The truth hit me with blinding clarity, and suddenly, everything made sense. No matter what my biological ties may be, Auden’s parents would always be the ones who raised me, loved me, and shaped me into the person standing before him. “No, you and Mrs. Frant did. Auden’s mom, I mean.”
“Sarah and I did what we could to make up for what was lacking in your life.”
“Remember what you told me at my high school graduation?” He shook his head. “You told me not to forget I wasn’t the product of my DNA and that I had to shape my own future.”
“That sounds like something I would say.”
“It took me until recently to realize you were right. I allowed myself to believe that my crappy DNA meant I would never be able to find love or be in a healthy, committed relationship. But Ennio made me see that’s bullshit, that I was shaped more by the people around me, the people who loved me like you and Mrs. Frant and Auden and all my friends, than by the people I share DNA with.”
“He’s wise like that.”
“I’ve been so scared to disappoint people like my parents disappointed me.”
“You’re not a disappointment, son. You could never be.”
“Not even when I slept with everyone willing to spread their legs for me?”
He let out a dry chuckle. “Are you trying to shock me? Because that won’t work.”
“You gotta have an opinion on it. I mean, you’re a man with principles.”
“Were all of those sexual encounters consensual and between adults?”
“Of course.”
“Then what business is it of mine? Look, I’m not gonna pretend I understand why you did it, but I also don’t judge. To each their own, especially when it comes to sex.” Then he narrowed his eyes. “But you damn well better treat Ennio with respect.”
I held up my hands. “I have every intention to. I’d never cheat on him, sir. Ever.”
“Then you have my blessing.”
“Yeah? You’re truly okay with this?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because he’s your son, and I’m…” I made a helpless gesture.
“You’re what, Marnin? An amazing man capable of so much more than he ever thought? A man who is a true, loyal friend to those he loves and gave his best friend the most amazing gift anyone could ever give?”
“I did nothing special,” I protested. “All I did was jerk off into a cup.”
“Bullshit. You created life, Marnin. You gave Auden what he needed so he could fulfill his dream of having a family. And then you stepped back and let those two girls bloom into wonderful young women. God, have you met Violet? She’s you. She’s smart and fiercely loyal, and she has your sarcastic sense of humor but also your big heart. Every time I look at her, I see you…and it makes me so glad and grateful.”
It was hard to recognize myself in those words, but I tried to see it through his eyes. For the first time, I truly made an effort to take a step back and look at what I had done from someone else’s perspective. “All I feel is gratitude that I could do that for Auden and Tricia.”
“The act itself was a kindness, but stepping back and never taking credit for it was selfless, and I will never forget it. So yes, I’m more than okay with you and Ennio being together. Did I see it coming? No, but once I saw the two of you together, it made complete sense. He’s the sunlight to your shadows, and you’re the reason for his intuition and dreams. You complement each other.”
“We do. He’s…” My heart swelled with joy and I was certain I was sporting a goofy smile. “He makes me want to be a better man.”
“That’s the hallmark of love right there.”
“I love him more than I ever thought possible.”
“So you’re serious about him? About a future together.”
A surge of determination and happiness coursed through me. “I’m going to marry him…if he’ll have me. And it won’t be long either. Now that I finally got my head out of my ass, I’m not going to waste any time. I want to spend every moment I can with him.”
He started laughing. “I wholeheartedly agree, son.”
“And I promise to take care of him financially.” I hesitated. Should I tell him what I was working on with Tomás and Tiago? No, it needed to stay a surprise for now. I didn’t want Ennio to find out before everything had been approved. “As much as he needs and wants me to.”
“I expected nothing else. You’ve always been generous.”
“Thank you, sir. For your blessing, I mean.”
His smile faded into a thoughtful expression. “I do have one request…and you’re allowed to think about it and not give me your answer right now if you want or need to.”
I furrowed my brow in confusion. What could he possibly ask me? It had to be some kind of guarantee, right? A promise to protect Ennio? “Okay…”
His voice was soft as he continued. “I don’t know how else to say this, but it bothers me that you call me Sheriff and sir. I know you mean it respectfully, but it feels…cold to me. As if I’m nothing more to you than that.”
My mouth ran suddenly dry. What did he mean? What else could I call him? “I can’t call you by your first name. I’m sorry, but that doesn’t feel right.”
“You could call me something else.” He met my eyes, and much to my surprise, his gaze held a quiet plea. “You could call me Dad if you wanted.”
Dad. How wonderfully right that felt on my tongue. Like coming home. “You want me to call you Dad?”
“Only if you want to. I won’t be upset if you don’t, but I’ve been meaning to ask you for a long time now, and… Well, now that you’re with Ennio, it seems even more appropriate since you’ll be my official son-in-law.”
Jesus, he was gonna make me cry again, wasn’t he? What the fuck was wrong with me lately that I kept bursting into tears? As if somehow, forty years of not giving a shit had been reversed and now I had to make up for lost time. “I would like that. I would really like that…Dad.”
He rose and held out his arms to me. “Give me a hug, son.”
And I didn’t even hesitate. I clung to him as if I were ten again, and he let me. Even at his age, his arms had lost little strength and he smelled the same as he always had. “Thank you for being my dad even when I didn’t realize it.”
“It was always our joy. And Sarah would be so proud of you if she could see you.”
I lost my battle against my tears…but it didn’t matter. I was with family.