Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
J ack
“I’m very busy,” I said, sitting behind my desk.
“I know you are. I was reviewing the quarterly reports, and I’m very pleased with your work. Listen, Jack. I gave a lot of thought to what you said the other night.”
“Dad, I don’t want to?—”
“I don’t give a shit. You’re going to sit there and listen to me.” He pointed his finger at me. “I was a shit father, I know that. I never should have left you at the boarding school over the holidays. After your mother passed, I was in a bad place. I had a company to run and thought boarding school would be the best place for you.”
“Well, you thought wrong. Because when you sent me there, I lost two parents. Do you know what it was like not spending the holidays with the only parent I had left? To be left at that damn school during Christmas with two others whose parents didn’t give a shit about them either? Do you even understand the trauma I experienced? Not only losing my mother but losing my father and my home? The emotional trauma? You have no idea, Dad. No fucking idea at all.”
“Actually, I do, son. A friend of mine here is a psychologist, and I spoke to him over the weekend. He explained to me the psychological scarring of what I’d done. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry I ever sent you to that damn boarding school. I understand why you hate the holidays and have never been in a relationship. I’m the cause of that damage, and I take full responsibility.”
“Good for you, Dad. Now, I have work to do.”
“Jack, I want to make amends and need your forgiveness. Gabriela is distraught over this.”
I laughed. “Is that the reason? Because Gabriela found out the truth about you?”
“No! You’re my son, and I love you!”
“I certainly wasn’t your son growing up in that boarding school.”
“You’ve always been my son, boy. I want you to listen to me. I know you love that woman out there and your daughter. I saw it in your eyes when we were at your house. Don’t fuck it up because of me. If you don’t want me in your life, fine. I’ll stay out of it. But I do want to be in my granddaughter’s life. Don’t take that away from me. Please, Jack.”
“How does it feel to want, Dad? I wanted you in my life since Mom died, and you never were. This is your karma. Your karma!” I shouted. “Now, get out of my office.”
“Have you forgotten that this is my office? This is my company, and I’m on the board. I can make your life a living hell if I wanted to.”
“Then your future wife will really see the monster you truly are.”
He stood from his chair and stared at me. “I’m not giving up, son.” He walked out of my office.
Tears formed in my eyes as I leaned back in my chair. Glancing over at my computer, I watched my daughter sitting in a circle with the other children, listening to the story her teacher was telling.
“Jack?” Sierra walked in.
“Not now, Sierra,” I shouted.
“Okay.” She went to leave my office, and I stopped her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to shout at you.”
“It’s okay, Jack. I get it.”
I stood up from my chair, grabbed my coat, and put it on.
“I’m going out for a while.” I stopped at Sierra’s desk. “Make sure those projections for the Cooper project are on my desk before I get back.”
“I will. Where are you going?”
“I don’t know. I just need some air.” I headed toward the elevator.
“Hey, Jack.” I heard Daniel’s voice. “I need to go over something with you.”
“Not now, Daniel. I’m heading out. We’ll go over it when I return.”
Tucking my hands into my coat pockets, I walked down the street as it started snowing again. Grabbing a coffee from one of the street vendors, I took it and sat on a bench, staring at the snow-covered decorated city.
“May I?” an older gentleman in a long black coat wearing a black fedora asked.
“Sure,” I said, sipping from my cup.
“It sure is cold out here, but it’s certainly a beautiful sight.”
“If you say so.”
“I always loved this time of year. The hustle and bustle of the city, beautiful decorations, everyone shopping to find the perfect gift for their loved ones. It’s amazing how magical the holiday season can be and how it brings families together.”
“Listen, sir. I don’t mean to burst your holiday bubble, but it’s all a load of shit.”
“Is it really, though? It only is to those who have closed off their hearts. But once they open their hearts, they can see the beauty the holidays have to offer. I wasn’t the best father I could have been back then, and I admit that.”
I glanced over and furrowed my brows at him, taking in the familiarity.
“Do I know you?” I asked.
“No, son. You don’t. Take a look around. It’s not just about the decorations and gifts,” his voice was low but warm. “It’s how the world slows down and shifts this time of year, even for a moment. People are happier. Families scattered all year somehow return to their loved ones to celebrate. And those who don’t have much always find a way to give something. That’s part of the magic. And even if life’s been hard and messy all year, the holidays give us a chance to believe. To believe in something good. Like the air is filled with hope. It’s the kind of magic that shows up when we believe in it. Open your heart and let it all in. You don’t have to believe all the time, Jack. Just enough—enough to let it all in.”
I turned my head when he said my name, and he was gone. In a flash, he was no longer sitting next to me. My heart raced with fear. What the hell just happened? For fuck’s sake, I was losing my mind. The familiarity of him startled me. I stood up and returned to the office. I stopped at Sierra’s desk and stared at her.
“Jack, are you okay?”
“I don’t know.” I walked into my office, and she followed.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I’m fine, Sierra.” I removed my coat and sat behind my desk.
“Okay. I’ll be out there if you need me.”
I hit a key on my computer to wake it and Googled my grandfather. When his picture appeared, I gasped. It was him—the man who sat beside me on the bench. But it wasn’t possible. He died before I was born. Placing my hands over my face, I felt like I was having a mental breakdown. But I knew one person who could help me. Pulling out my phone, I dialed Asher Remington.
“Jack, my friend. Happy Holidays.”
“Hi, Asher. Listen. I need to speak with Everly. Is there any way I can come over tonight?”
“Sure. We’ll be home. Are you okay?”
“No. I’m not.”
“I assume if you need to speak with Everly, you saw something or someone.”
“I’m not sure if I did or not.”
“Okay. I’ll be home around six o’clock. I’ll let Everly know you’re coming.”
“Thank you, Asher. I’ll see you later.”
I was rattled the entire day. It was two forty-five when Sierra opened my office door.
“Eric is downstairs. I have to leave and pick up Ellie.”
“Okay. Tell her that I’ll be home later. I have a meeting at six o’clock at Asher Remington’s house.”
“You didn’t tell me about any meeting tonight.” Her brows furrowed.
“It happened last minute. I’ll be home later. You and Ellie eat dinner without me.”
“Okay.”
“Sierra?”
“Yes, Jack?”
“Thank you for everything.”
“You’re welcome.” Her brows furrowed. “I have to go. I don’t want to be late.”