Chapter 63
sixty-three
ROWAN
“And this is the beer garden.” I walk through the back of the brewery, Dad and Amy following me.
When I reached out to them, asking if they’d like to visit for the weekend, they did not hesitate when they said yes. The kid in me bounced up and down in excitement, knowing that my dad was coming to see me.
Sometimes I think that it’s too good to be true. All of it. My dad, Ellie, my confidence. The two people that I felt were missing from my life have filled the gaping hole that was in my heart, and I’ve never felt so full until now. I never want this feeling to go away.
There is still a part of me that’s hesitant and wary. It may be like that for a long time until I realize that he’s staying for good. I’ve talked to him a lot since I saw him for the first time. He mentioned that he went to therapy for a long time to recover from what he had done. He had to work on forgiving himself.
Since then, I’ve looked into going to therapy myself. I know there is still so much that I need to work on, and I’m looking forward to it.
Dad and Amy said they were going to stay in the town's hotel, but I insisted they stay in the guest room. I was relentless, and when they arrived, I personally took their bags and brought them into the house without question.
I was nervous about Milo meeting them because he’s my best friend, and who he likes and doesn’t like determines everything. Yes, I let Milo take charge of this friendship. If he doesn’t like someone, it must be for a good reason. Right?
Then again, Milo likes everyone.
“This took me and James some time to put together. This wasn’t here initially when we opened the brewery. We knew it was something we wanted to do; we just had the pick the right time.”
I look at my dad, focusing all my attention on him, and watch every facial expression he shows. His dark blue-gray eyes round, and I feel like I see a spark of amazement in them. He places his hands on his hips and slowly walks in a circle to take everything in.
“You did this all yourself?” Dad asks.
“Yeah.” I place my hands on my hips, mimicking him like a child wanting to be just like his dad. “James and I built everything. With the help of Beau and August, of course.” I chuckle before saying, “Actually, if you look right over there, you’ll see our initials from when we poured the concrete.” I point toward the bottom of the entrance.
James and I put our initials on one side of the large sliding doors and Beau and August put theirs on the opposite side. When we walk through the entrance, we are always reminded that we did this together. We celebrated after the final completion with tacos and beer around the campfire.
Hailey, Riley, and Addie were with us. But it still felt empty without Ellie, despite me calling her and video chatting with everyone in the background. I still remember her reaction when she first saw the setup. She was in her chef’s coat, her cheeks red, and her hair wrapped tightly in a sleek bun.
Holy crap, you guys did all that? That’s amazing, Rowan. Ugh, I wish I could just fly out there now and be with you guys. I miss you all so much. Especially you.
I remember my heart tugging at that, and I gave her a lopsided smile.
I wish you were here too. It doesn’t feel the same without you.
“Do you guys’ host bands?” Amy asks, pulling me out of my memories.
“We do. We post on our social media pages and usually have a lineup of bands willing to come out to play. Just small bands, nothing huge like Aerosmith.” I laugh.
“Hey, Aerosmith would be lucky to play here.” Dad beams.
“You know, my son, Theodore, he’s in a band. Maybe he could play here sometime?” Amy suggests.
“That would be cool. What’s his band's name?”
“Maybe you’ve heard of them, Yellow Sundays? He’s touring right now, actually.”
“Wait.” I hold up a hand. “Are you telling me that your son is Theo Grant? Holy shit, yeah, I’ve heard of them. I’ve listened to them since they were just a small band. Their music is great.”
“Well, I can talk to him about this.” Amy points to the small stage. “I’m sure he would be happy to do it. He may be well known, but he’s still my Theodore and never skips any family functions. Especially when his sisters nag him long enough.”
“My stepbrother is Theo Grant. This is absolutely wild. Addie is going to flip her shit when I tell her.”
I notice my dad puts on a smile, but it carries a lot of sadness behind it. He knows Addie doesn’t want to see him, and even though he’s upset about it, he understands.
“Would you guys’ mind if we check in on Ellie? I only saw her this morning before the festival started. Maybe she still has some desserts left.”
“Oh, yes, please. I would love to.” Amy looks at Dad.
“Yeah, let’s go see how she’s doing. I’m excited to see what she’s made.” Dad smiles at me and places a hand on my shoulder, guiding us back inside the brewery.
We haven’t run into Addie. Mostly on purpose because she’s doing her part in avoiding him and Amy as much as she can. I told her I was taking them to check out the brewery, so she made sure she wasn’t around that. She told me where she was setting up the table, and I’ve been kind enough to avoid that area.
But if Dad happens to run into her and sees her at the table, I’m not going to stop whatever he decides to do. Yes, I want to protect Addie. But at the same time, I’m hoping she changes her mind. I would really love it if she changed her mind.