Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
GREG
I stood in front of the restaurant, my hand tightly gripping Tony’s.
“I can do this,” I murmured to myself.
My brain helpfully reminded me of all the shitty things I’d said to my siblings when I was trying to convince them to do things my way. I knew I’d been floundering at the time, trying desperately to keep any sort of connection with someone who wasn’t Randy.
Tony squeezed my hand. “Yes, you can do this. They want to repair their relationships with you, or they wouldn’t be here.”
“Right.” I took a breath and blew it out slowly. “You’re right. I’m just nervous. Let’s go in.”
After telling the woman at the host station we were meeting someone, we made our way toward the back of the restaurant, where my sister had texted they’d been seated. I knew them as soon as I spotted them. I took in a sharp breath and blinked sudden tears from my eyes.
Becky spotted me before I could get to the table and jumped out of her seat to greet me. “Greg!” she cried as she threw her arms around me and held me tight.
When she finally let go, I stepped back to get a good look at her.
She had grown from a gangly teenager to a beautiful young woman.
Her hair, the same sandy-blond as mine, was cut in a cute bob that suited her heart-shaped face.
“It’s so good to see you again.” I gestured Tony forward. “This is my boyfriend, Tony D’Angelo.”
Tony held out his hand. “Nice to finally meet you.”
Becky smiled at him. “Same.” She then took my hand and led me the rest of the way to the table where Ethan was seated.
He had also changed and grown. His blond hair had darkened over the years, and he sported a well-trimmed beard that matched his lumberjack build.
Clearly, he took after our father. He rose slowly from his seat, his face a mask of uncertainty.
I took the initiative and approached him with open arms. “Hey, Ethan.”
His eyes misted over, and he pulled me into a bone-crushing hug, nearly lifting me off my feet. “I’ve missed you so much, big brother.”
“I’ve missed you too,” I replied, my throat tight with emotion.
I introduced Tony to Ethan, and we finally took our seats.
A server brought us water and took our drink orders.
The silence around the table became awkward, none of us seeming to know where to start.
Then my wonderful boyfriend—bless him—asked Ethan, “So what do you do out there in the Pacific Northwest?”
Ethan’s eyes lit up. “I work in climate technology. We’re working on solutions to mitigate climate change and increase the use of renewable energy sources.”
I blinked. “I had no idea you were interested in that. I thought you were going to be a programmer.”
He shrugged. “I started out as a computer science major, but decided to switch over to renewable energy in my sophomore year.”
We fell into a conversation about climate change and renewable energy, with my brother giving us ways we could be more eco-friendly, even in a big city.
Talk of cities brought up my own professions and I was so grateful that neither of my siblings brought up my disastrous decision to leave school because of my then-boyfriend.
After the server brought our meals, I asked Becky, “Do you already have a job lined up?”
She grinned broadly and nodded. “I got a job at the hospital. They said after I work there for a few years, they’ll pay for me to get my master’s.”
“That’s great,” I said. “That means you could become a nurse practitioner and have your own practice one day.”
Her cheeks turned pink with the praise. “That’s my goal. Someday down the line.”
“We should introduce you to Liam,” Tony said.
“Who’s Liam?” she asked.
“He’s my brother’s fiancé,” Tony replied. “He’s a nurse practitioner and has a lot of great stories to tell.”
We kept the dinner conversation light because we all knew we’d be talking about heavier topics when we got back to my hotel room.
As we wrapped up dinner and paid the check, part of me wanted to end the night there.
Delving into those places of past hurts was going to be rough.
But I knew it had to be done if the three of us were going to be a family again.
The walk to the hotel was short, and the ride up in the elevator was even shorter.
I told my siblings to get comfortable—or as comfortable as they could on hotel furniture.
I’d gotten a bunch of snacks and nonalcoholic drinks so we could chat without interruption.
While they were getting settled, I followed Tony into the bedroom and closed the door behind us.
I took him in my arms and kissed him. “Are you sure you’re okay with being cooped up in here while we take up the other room? We can go down to the common area.”
He cupped my cheek with his big hand. “Sweetheart, this is your chance to fix things with your brother and sister. I would be the biggest asshole on the planet if I got pissy about you using a room I rarely go into. I’m perfectly fine in here with my laptop.
I have some emails to answer and invoices to send.
I also have the entire sum of human knowledge and prejudice at my fingertips.
I’ll probably end up watching a movie or a couple episodes of Jack Reacher. ”
I rested my forehead against his chest. “You really are the best man I know.”
He put his fingers under my chin and tilted my head up so he could kiss me. “I feel the same about you.” He gave me a hug and then stepped back. “Go talk to them. Make things right between you.”
When I went back into the small living room, both siblings were staring at me. “You got a good one this time,” Becky said.
“The best,” I replied with a smile. I grabbed a bottle of water and a bag of Sun Chips and sat in one of the armchairs. “Where do you want to start?” I asked.
Becky glanced over at Ethan before asking, “What happened with you and that piece of shit, Randy?”
I blew out a breath. Opening with the big guns.
Not that I blamed her. My relationship with Randy had been the catalyst for a lot of shitty behavior on my part.
“The year after you left to go live with Jerry and Ethan left for university, Randy and I had a horrible fight. I’d started to really see how controlling his behavior was, and I was tired of it. I called him out on it.
“I wanted to go to a concert at the Stone Pony with some new friends I’d made at my job. Randy didn’t want me to go. I even invited him to come with us, but he said he didn’t like the band. He just didn’t want me to go out with friends.”
“Asshole,” Becky muttered.
I sighed heavily. “Yeah. We got into a fight, and he…” I swallowed hard. “He beat the shit out of me.”
Ethan shot up out of his seat. “That motherfucker!”
I waved him to sit down. “It’s okay. In the strangest way possible, it all worked out.”
Becky’s brows drew into a frown of confusion. “I don’t understand.”
I took a few calming breaths so I could continue my story. “Randy had already been drinking before the fight. Afterward, he kept drinking until he passed out. I waited until I was sure he wasn’t going anywhere, then packed a bag and left.”
“Where did you go?” Ethan asked.
I huffed a short laugh and shook my head. “Not far. My left eye was swollen shut, and my head was pounding. I got pulled over by a police officer for driving erratically.”
“Oh no!” Becky exclaimed. “Did they help?”
A fond smile curved my lips. “Yes, he did. He encouraged me to go to the hospital and to get help from the county domestic violence shelter.”
“Did you?” Ethan asked.
I nodded. “I did. I got help, and I got out. I pressed charges and got a permanent restraining order against Randy.” I glanced at the door between the rooms. “All thanks to Officer Tony D’Angelo.”
“What?” they both exclaimed at the same time.
Becky looked even more confused than before. “How? I thought he owned a security company?”
“He does now. But twelve years ago, he was a Belmar police officer.”
She frowned. “But you said you met him two years ago through Jeremy.”
“I did. At the time, I didn’t recognize him. That happened this year when we started dating.”
Ethan shook his head. “That’s wild.”
“It really is,” I agreed. “And it’s arguably the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“You love him,” Becky observed.
I opened my mouth to object, but no words came out. I did love him. I knew that. I’d just been afraid to say it aloud. I swallowed hard. “I do.”
“But you haven’t told him,” Ethan rightly guessed.
“I haven’t,” I confessed.
Becky reached across the small coffee table and smacked my arm lightly. “You should. That man looks at you like you hung the moon and stars. Don’t let him get away.”
Ethan jerked a thumb in his sister’s direction. “What she said.”
“I will,” I promised, even though the thought sent butterflies careening in my stomach.
“But first, I want to tell you both I’m sorry for all the shitty things I said to you and all the grief I gave you for rightly leaving a horrible home life.
I was terrified of being alone, and I took it out on you two. ”
Ethan stood and drew Becky up with him. “Get over here, big brother.” I went to them, and they pulled me into a group hug that ended with all three of us in tears.
We finally sat, all wiping our eyes. “So tell me what you two have been doing for the past decade or so.”
Hours later, full of joy that I finally had my brother and sister back, I said goodnight to them, knowing I would see them, not only the next day, but again and again in the future.
In the bedroom, the lights were out and Tony was asleep.
I undressed quietly and crawled under the blankets, snuggling as close as I could get to him.
To my surprise, he rolled over and pulled me into his arms. “I guess it went well,” he said, his voice raspy with sleep.
“It did. It really did.”
He hummed softly. “That’s good. I’m happy for you.”
“Tony?”
“Yeah?”
“I want to tell you something.” I took a quiet breath to soothe my nerves.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“I love you.”
His body went still. He ran his fingers through my hair. “You do?”
“I do. I think I have for a long time.”
His arms tightened around me, and he tucked his face into my neck. “I love you too.” I felt dampness on my skin and let my own tears fall. I finally had the love I’d been looking for my whole life.