Chapter 25
Time To Fess Up
Heston
“I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Devyn hugged me and kissed Dad’s cheek.
“How are you feeling, Dad?” Devyn had taken to calling my father, Dad. It was cute, and he loved it.
“Much better.” I stayed quiet but Devyn caught my eye. When you needed bypass surgery, “much better” wasn’t great. But he was out of bed and he was breathing easier so that was a plus.
“Do you feel up to a quick lunch somewhere?” I glanced at Dad. He had color in his cheeks. “My treat,” Devyn added.
“That’s so kind. I’d love to.”
We debated whether Devyn’s car was too low for Dad to get into but he insisted on riding up front. Devyn chose a restaurant with easy access and a wide doorway and we sat in an out of the way booth toward the back.
After the server brought our menus and we ordered drinks, Dad asked Devyn what he’d been doing as his shirt was covered in loose threads.
“I was getting fitted for a suit,” he said absentmindedly while he fiddled with the salt shaker.
“Are you in a wedding party?”
I kicked him under the table, and he grimaced and sat up straight. “Ummm yes.”
Damn, I wished he’d come up with a different excuse, but when you’re fibbing, it’s best to keep as close to the truth as possible.
“That’s nice.” Dad took a sip of his soda. “Family or a friend?”
“Sorry?” My mate’s eyes glinted, his beast at the forefront of his gaze, and I nudged his foot again while mouthing, “Wolf.” Gods, if his beast popped out here, there’d be pandemonium. Dad might have a heart attack, animal control might shoot my mate’s wolf, and my world would end.
“The grooms. Is one or are both family or friends?” Dad asked.
Devyn gulped, and I side-eyed him. He’d stepped in this on his own and I wasn’t about to save him.
“Ummm family?”
Dad arched a brow. “You don’t seem certain.”
Devyn’s head bobbled, reminding me of a toy. “No, no. It’s family.”
“Are you ready to order?” The server saved Devyn from having to provide more details and expand on his lies.
Devyn prevented Dad continuing the conversation after we ordered our food by describing the painting he was working on. He showed us pics and explained his use of colors and we admired his technique.
As Dad brought his burger to his lips he said, “Isn’t that Sebastian?” His fingers pressed into the bun and froze while Devyn and I craned our necks. Shit and triple shit. What the heck was my stepfather doing in what he’d call a dive like this? He was a champagne and caviar kinda guy.
Devyn caught my eye and we slithered under the table in unison.
“Heston,” Dad hissed. “Get up here. I’m not carrying on a conversation alone with that man.”
“Can’t,” I whispered as I peered toward the counter and the expensive leather shoes that had to be my step-father’s. They were a little scuffed, another sign his life was in flux. In the past, he would bellow at the staff if he couldn’t see his reflection in his shoes.
The feet paused, turned toward our booth as if he were deciding whether to come over. But as we were tucked away behind potted plants, he might not have seen Dad—or us.
But he turned on his heel and faced the counter. Even above the chatter, I could hear his less than dulcet tones insulting the staff and telling them to hurry his order.
When he strode out of the diner, the tension left Dad’s body as Devyn and I crept out shamefaced from under the table.
Dad’s pinched mouth was a sure sign he was peeved, as he had every right to be.
“I’d like an explanation, please.”
“Can I eat first?” But one glance at my dad told me the delaying tactic wasn’t an option. “Okay. Where do I start?” I tapped my lips, hoping Devyn would help me out. “It’s like this. I love Devyn.”
Dad’s steely glare was enough to have me continue.
“And he loves me.” I bit into my BLT and the sriracha sauce drizzled over my chin.
“Napkin.” He shoved one at me and I dabbed at the spicy sauce.
Devyn grabbed my hand. “And we want to get married.”
My dad’s nostrils flared. “And that’s the wedding?” He stabbed his finger on the table. “My son is getting married and I’m the last to know?”
“Maybe we should take this outside?” People were looking at us and I longed to not share all my secrets in public.
“We’ll do it here.” Dad’s firm voice told me not to argue.
“It was supposed to be a surprise,” Devyn added. “For you.”
“Is it an elopement or am I invited to my only son’s wedding?”
Ummm, I hadn’t thought about that. All I was concerned about was the money.
“Of course you’re invited, Dad.” Devyn cut off the elopement story.
My dad drummed his fingers on the tabletop. “Fine. But what does Sebastian have to do with it? And why were you hiding from him?”
Okay, that was a tough one. “Did you want to take that, Devyn?”
“Nope.” He swatted it back to me.
I could tell another fib so there’d be a towering mountain of lies. But one nudge and it would topple and I’d be surrounded by a steaming pile of fabrications.
“It’s about money.” Devyn gave me a what the fuck look, but I charged ahead. “For your operation.”
Maybe it would have been easier to tell him Devyn had a wolf inside him and Dad might have fainted like me. Gods, I was a horrible person wanting my father to collapse under the weight of information that might kill him.
Dad glowered at Devyn. “Are you bribing my son to marry you? And if he does, you’ll pay for my surgery?”
Devyn shrank under my dad’s gaze. “Nope,” he whispered. “It’s not like that.”
“Explain it to me.”
I blurted out the deets about me asking Sebastian for money and him agreeing but for a price. Devyn took up the story, saying his family was forcing him into an arranged marriage.
“Forcing you?”
“It’s a long story.” Devyn sank lower on the seat. Any further and he’d slip under the table again.
“The short version is we both agreed, never having met the other person, but we bumped into one another near Dean’s motel and not only did we fall for one another, but we put two and two together and discovered we were each other’s intended.”
Whew! It was good to get that out.
“Sounds like a soap opera to me.” A man in the next booth commented to his companion.
“Perhaps we should take this outside,” Dad agreed.
When we were in the car, Dad said, “And if Sebastian or Devyn’s father found out you not only knew one another but were happy to get married, they’d what? Call the wedding off?”
Good point. How did I admit that we wanted to mess with their heads? That wasn’t a good look for either of us.
“Sebastian was acting squirrely when I saw him some days ago. Something isn’t right and I was keeping the deets close to my chest.”
Dad said nothing but I could almost see his mind churning. “And the plan was to never let on? Just get married.”
“We hadn’t thought that far ahead,” my mate admitted.
“So, there was no plan? Just you two fumbling your way through this?”
We both nodded.
Dad went on to say he needed time to digest what we’d told him and asked to go home and rest. Devyn drove us home in silence until I pointed out my car was at the hospital, but we got Dad settled in bed with his oxygen tank beside him and the phone and remote on the nightstand.
While I couldn’t see into Dad’s head, he wouldn’t be happy with the big pretense.
He hated fibbing, even though this was lying by omission.
And then there was the money issue. Discovering Sebastian would pay for his surgery, I’d expected him to give a flat out no as he had done when I’d originally brought it up.
Maybe he’d given up on me finding another avenue of finance.
Or perhaps he was so ill he no longer cared that the man who replaced him in Father’s life was his savior.
“What do we do now?” Devyn pulled up behind my car.
“Wait until I speak to Dad. But we need to ferret out more details about your brother and Sebastian.” I’d get in contact with some of Father’s former business associates and see if they’d heard anything about Sebastian, who was supposed to be the managing director extraordinaire.
“Whatever happens, we’re getting married next week.”
“Should we mate before or after?”
“Before. That’s binding. No one can take it away, whereas a marriage can be dissolved.”
I promised to call him later and jumped in my car, wondering what the next week would bring.