Chapter 60 Grayden
SIXTY
Grayden
“Mr. Carmichael, you have a visitor.”
I followed the nurse into Danny’s room. He looked hopeful for a split second before his frown sank into place.
“Oh, it’s you.”
“It’s me.” I walked to his bed and held out a paper bag. Danny looked at it like I might be handing him a rattlesnake.
“What’s that?”
“Rice pudding. I brought you lunch. They said you can only eat soft foods.”
“I hate rice pudding,” he grumbled.
“Just eat it, asshole. Or I will. It has cinnamon.”
The nurse smirked at us as she checked Danny’s vitals. He reluctantly took the bag.
Danny was moving around more easily now. Supposedly he’d be released in a few days.
“Piper and Ollie are at the nurse’s station, giving out thank-you gifts for everyone taking care of you,” I said. “They should be here in a couple minutes. But I figured you and I could have a chat first.”
“I heard about what happened with Zach Kirby yesterday. The police have already been here to talk to me.”
Danny’s nurse left the room, and I went and closed the door. He took out the container of pudding and stared at it.
“If this is your way of poisoning me, it’ll be pretty obvious,” he said.
“Do I want to poison you for everything you did? No comment. But I’m not going to. I do have some questions though. Like why the fuck you didn’t tell us earlier that Zach Kirby was involved in this mess.”
Slowly, he took off the container’s lid and dipped the plastic spoon inside. “Why do you think?”
I supposed it was obvious. If Danny had admitted to blackmailing Zach, he would’ve been admitting a crime. But because he’d kept silent, Piper had almost died.
Fury boiled in my gut as I thought about it.
“I didn’t know he’d go after Piper. I swear.”
“Did you know it was Zach who stabbed you?”
“Not for sure. He was wearing a ski mask. Jumped me as I left my motel room, just like I told the police before. But I suspected it was him. Didn’t think he was a danger to anyone except me.”
“Right, because you rarely think of anyone but yourself.” I paced over to the window and scowled at the parking lot.
Couldn’t believe I had to keep dealing with Danny Carmichael. But he was Ollie’s dad, so I’d have to keep dealing with him for the rest of my life. If I was lucky.
“Piper wants answers,” I said, still facing the window. “I’m trying to save her the discomfort of getting them directly from you.”
“What else do you want to know?”
There was a hint of humility in those words. I glanced over my shoulder at him. Danny took a small bite of the pudding.
“How did you first find the jewelry box?” I asked.
“Piper’s mom was in hospice care. Mrs. Landry was pretty incoherent toward the end, but she said something about a man she’d loved. She seemed to think I was Teller at one point. Told me to find a locket in her jewelry box and give it to Piper after…uh, she died.”
“Did you find this locket?”
“Yeah. The jewelry box was at Mrs. Landry’s house on her nightstand. I found the locket and realized what it meant. It had a picture of Piper’s biological father inside. Bruce Kirby.”
“But you didn’t tell Piper? Or give her the locket?”
“I left it in the box. I meant to tell her about it. I really did.”
I snorted derisively. “Sure.”
“I did. It’s not like I set out to be a shitty husband and father, okay? Piper just needed so much all the time. It was constant demands and pressure.”
“All she needed was to be loved,” I bit out.
Danny stirred the spoon in the pudding. “Maybe I just didn’t have that in me.”
It struck me how incredibly sad that was. Danny was a pathetic excuse for a husband and father, but maybe he was finally starting to understand that about himself.
“After Mrs. Landry died, I went to look for the jewelry box again. But the box was gone. I assumed Grace or Callum or one of Piper’s friends had already packed it up to store with Mrs. Landry’s other things in the basement.
So I decided to just leave it alone. Piper’s mom didn’t have a detailed will or anything, so nobody knew about the jewelry box. ”
“And you figured it might be useful someday.”
He didn’t bother denying it. “I’m deep in debt. Had some big investments that didn’t pan out, and when I tried to make the money back, those opportunities didn’t pan out either.”
“In other words, you gambled everything away.”
“The exact details don’t matter, okay? I’m about a month from bankruptcy. I’m going to lose my dental practice. I remembered Mrs. Landry’s locket, and that was my Hail Mary.”
“Blackmailing the Kirby family.”
“Yeah, and look where it got me.” Danny pointed at himself. “I nearly died.”
“So you were supposed to meet with Zach that night at the bar, right? When I showed up instead? You lied about that.”
He shrugged.
“That night, you mentioned the police showing up at my place,” I added. “How did you know?”
“From Zach. He’d said something about it when we were arranging the meeting.
How he’d seen Piper there with you.” He pushed the pudding cup away.
“I realize you hate me, and I’m not too fond of you either, O’Neal.
But I’m not the same man I was. That has to be something you can understand.
Fucking up your life and trying to come back from it. ”
I crossed my arms. I didn’t like thinking of myself and Danny as remotely the same. I’d never intentionally hurt a woman or a kid I was supposed to love.
But I’d screwed up before. I’d lived with that shame. I also believed anyone could change. If they wanted to.
“Can’t I start over?” Danny asked quietly. “I could be a better person. A better father.”
“If you think starting over is the same as everyone else magically forgetting what you did, then no. That won’t happen. But if you’re really willing to do the work, then you can earn a place in Piper and Ollie’s lives. Just don’t expect me to go anywhere.”
Danny rolled his eyes. “I guess that would be too much to hope for.”
“I will always protect Piper and Ollie. I’m going to give them all the love they deserve, and then some more.
But if you can be a positive presence in their lives, then I’ll make room for you.
I might even help you. I would suggest you start with apologizing to them. And you’d better fucking mean it.”
He looked at me curiously, like he couldn’t quite figure me out.
The door opened, and Ollie’s head popped in. “Hi, can I come in?” He glanced between me and his dad.
I walked over and patted Ollie on the shoulder. “I was just giving your dad his pudding. I’m done. I’ll go find your mom.”
Danny worked to sit up a little higher on his pillows. “Hi, champ. Come in. There’s some things I’d like to say to you.”
Last night, after Piper had finished at the police station, our closest friends and family had gathered around us and brought dinner over. Teller had spent time on the phone with Piper as well. He’d wanted to fly out again, but Piper had insisted he stay on tour with Ayla.
Tonight, it was just the three of us again at Piper’s place. Ollie was in his room. Piper and I were in the kitchen putting together a stir fry.
Simple moments. But we all needed this. To feel safe and do quiet, normal things.
“Interesting conversation with Danny at the hospital,” Piper said as she chopped a bell pepper. “He apologized to me and Ollie. I think he actually meant it.”
He better have, I thought, but just nodded. “Good. How are you feeling?”
“Sad,” she whispered. “Overwhelmed. But lucky too. Grateful you’re here.”
“No place I’d rather be.”
I hadn’t shared everything Danny told me with Piper yet. Later, after Ollie went to bed, we’d have time to sit and talk it all through.
“Dillon texted me earlier,” she said. “He’s with his mom. They’re mourning, of course. He’s not ready to see me again just yet, but he said he will. He doesn’t blame me for anything. He wanted to make sure I knew that. He’s nothing like Zach.”
I set down the spoon I’d been using to stir the vegetables. Wrapped both my arms around Piper.
Earlier today, we’d also received word that Officer Chad Bronski was suspended without pay for his involvement in placing the false report against me. I had no idea if he’d be fired or what. Honestly, I didn’t really care. Chief Nichols could deal with him.
Ashford had assured me he was spreading the truth far and wide: I was a good guy who’d gotten a bad rap. I’d reminded him I wasn’t entirely innocent. But he just countered that nobody was entirely innocent.
Ashford had also said he and Dane were looking into hiring a private investigator to go after Silas and Aaron Drummond. Maybe even clear my record. That seemed pretty far-fetched to me.
But if Ashford thought I was worth the effort, that meant a whole lot.
“Mom? Grayden?”
Piper and I separated, though we hadn’t been doing anything but hugging. Ollie stood near the kitchen island. We hadn’t even heard him approach.
He held a polished wooden box in his hands. Looked like a jewelry box.
“Ollie-bear? What’s that?”
“I heard Dad and Grayden talking about it in Dad’s hospital room. I didn’t know it was important, I promise.”
“Is that Grandma’s?” Piper asked breathlessly. “Where in the world did you get it?”
Ollie’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry, Momma. I just wanted to pretend it was a treasure box so Maisie and me could play pirates. I took it from Grandma’s house when she was getting really sick, but I didn’t mean to keep it.”
Piper swayed against me. I put my hand on her back. “Let’s all go sit in the living room,” I said, then put my other hand on Ollie’s shoulder, smiling in a way I hoped reassured him.
Seemed like we were about to solve another mystery.
After switching off the stove, we went to the couch with Ollie sitting between us. He handed the box to Piper, and she cradled it in her hands without opening it.
“You’re not in trouble, honey,” she said. “Did you have this in your room the whole time since Grandma died?”
“Maisie and I played with it some. We were always careful to put everything back inside. I kept it in my toy box. Kind of…hidden, I guess. Like pirate treasure. But then I forgot about it. I wasn’t trying to keep it from you. Dad said Grandma wanted you to have it.”
Piper’s gaze locked with mine, full of shock.
“That’s what Danny told me today,” I said. “I was going to share all of it later. Didn’t realize Ollie was listening, not that I mind.” I winked at him.
With shaking hands, Piper opened the lid. A jumble of items lay inside. Some tangled necklaces, a couple pairs of hoop earrings. Odds and ends.
The locket lay tucked into a soft velvet cloth, like it was truly a treasure.
“It was always wrapped up like that,” Ollie said excitedly. “I think Grandma did it. I think this necklace was special to her. Mom, is that the one Dad meant? That Grandma wanted you to have?”
Piper wasn’t saying anything. She seemed overcome with emotion, so I nodded.
“Looks like it, Ollie,” I said. “That’s a locket.”
Piper opened the clasp. There was a tiny photo in the hollow of the pendant. Two blond children. Teller holding Piper.
“Is that you and Uncle Teller?” Ollie asked.
“Yes, that’s us. But I thought…”
Ollie reached to take the locket from her hands. “Here, Mom. Look. There’s another picture inside, underneath. Maisie’s the one who found it.”
With his small fingers, Ollie plucked out the tiny portrait of Piper and Teller. Just as he’d said, there was another photo beneath.
“Is that Grandma? She looks really young.”
Piper stared at it for a long moment. A tear slipped down her cheek.
“That’s my mom. And Mr. Kirby.” She pointed at the faces of the adults. “And I think that’s me.”
“You’re the baby they’re holding?” Ollie asked. “Whoa.”
From the angle, it looked like Kirby had been holding the camera. He and Mrs. Landry both wore bittersweet smiles. Like this was a stolen moment, and they knew it wouldn’t happen again.
Ollie bounced on the cushion. “Because it was a secret, right? That Mr. Kirby was really your dad? That’s why this photo was hidden.”
Piper had tried to explain last night about why Zach Kirby kidnapped her. She’d told Ollie the vague outlines of the drama between the Kirby and Landry families, leaving out some of the darkest parts. Like Zach setting the fire that killed his father and sister, or how he’d meant to kill Piper.
She’d said Zach fell by accident and died. Which was essentially true.
Piper was breathing hard. I could tell she was trying to keep from falling apart in front of her son.
“You’re probably right, Ollie,” she said. “Thank you for showing this to me. I’m glad to have it.”
“You’re not mad?”
She hugged him. “No, baby. Not mad at all.”
Piper smiled through dinner, but her mind seemed far away. After she got Ollie into bed, she and I sat on the couch again.
She took the locket out of the jewelry box and opened it, looking again at the hidden picture inside.
“Why would my mom keep this?” Piper whispered. “I guess she must’ve loved him, but she couldn’t be with him. Maybe that’s why she was so miserable the whole time I knew her. That’s why she hated me.”
I pulled her against me. Piper’s head tucked beneath my chin. “But she kept that locket like it was precious,” I said. “She could’ve kept a photo of just him, but it wasn’t. It was the three of you.”
Damn. Life really was complicated, wasn’t it?
Piper sniffled and wiped at her tear-streaked face.
“There was this big presentation we did at school one year. Seventh grade, maybe? We each had a role saying something about Colorado history, and most everyone’s parents came.
Zach spoke right before me, because we were in alphabetical order. K before L. My parents didn’t show.”
She took a breath, and I stroked her hair.
“But afterward, Mr. Kirby saw me standing alone and walked over. He said…” She swallowed. “He said I did a great job. I should be proud of myself, and my mom and dad would be proud if they were there.”
A sob burst from Piper’s throat. I crushed her to my chest.
There was no way I could make this better except hold her. So that’s what I did. I held her and told her, over and over, that I loved her.
“Sleep in my bed with me?” she asked.
It would be the first time I slept in her room with Ollie in the house. Another big step. But if she was ready for that, I was ready too. “You want me to wake up next to you?”
“I just need you, Grayden. I don’t think I could make it through all this without you.”
“You don’t have to. I’m going to take care of you tonight. Don’t worry about another thing.”
I knew I could spend the rest of my life taking care of her. Loving her. And it would still barely scratch the surface.
Actually, that sounded like a pretty good plan.