Thirty-One
Moving on autopilot, I found myself sitting in my parked truck before I’d even registered where I’d been driving. It only made sense that I would come to Tuck’s parents’ house. That the need to know exactly what happened had propelled me to the one place I could find answers.
I thought that would’ve been with Tuck, but knowing he’d kept quiet all these weeks had shattered something within me. I wasn’t sure what, though, because although my heart ached, it still felt intact.
Figure that out later. Now’s the time for answers.
I knocked on the front door and waited for some kind of movement or sound to reach me. After a minute, my knuckles rapped once more on the frame. Lord God, please let them still be home. Tuck hadn’t said when his folks would be leaving for the church.
Finally, the lock turned, and Mrs. Hale stood in the doorway, pushing the screen door out to let me in. “Piper honey, what brings you by?”
“Hi, Mrs. Hale. I actually came to talk to Mr. Hale.” My voice shook, and I couldn’t stop twisting the edge of my T-shirt.
Mrs. Hale was astute. “Is this about Tuck?”
“He’s just fine.”
Her shoulders sagged. “Well, Leslie’s sitting in the yard out back. Should I bring something to drink? Do you want a snack before we head to Bingo night?”
“No, thank you.” I couldn’t let anything past my lips right now. My stomach hadn’t stopped heaving upward and back down like I was trapped on a sailboat out at sea.
I walked through the house and out the back door. Sure enough, Mr. Hale sat in a lounge chair, gazing at the rolling landscape as the sun made its descent. He turned at the sound of my footsteps.
A sad smile covered his face. “Hey, Piper. I figured you’d be visiting sooner or later.”
“It would’ve been sooner had Tuck told me when he first heard.”
Mr. Hale winced. “Aw, don’t be mad at him. You know that boy thinks of every possible outcome and then plans his way. He’s not the impulsive one. We are.”
I wanted to argue, but he wasn’t wrong. Then again, I didn’t really want to hear logic right now.
“Can I sit?”
“Of course you can. I’m sure you have questions,” he said, giving me his full attention.
“Yes. I mean ... I don’t know what to ask. My brain won’t stop spinning.”
“You’re probably wondering what even made me suspect?”
I nodded.
Mr. Hale sat back, his hands intertwined and resting on his middle. When he spoke, his words were assured but calm. Measured yet steady. Not once did he falter. It was almost like a bedtime story, his voice was so soothing, but hearing his perspective had me oddly stoic. I thought I’d be crying. I thought I’d be yelling.
All I did was listen.
“So that’s that?” I asked when he finished.
“That’s that.” Lines etched his brow as he studied me. “I’m sorry it was me. I’m sorry your dad was actually giving illegal substances to his horses. I never wanted to hurt you. I love you like a daughter. I hope you know that.”
I tried to swallow around the ball in my throat. “I know,” I whispered.
“I’ll apologize to your mama as well, if you think I need to.”
I shook my head. Who knew how she’d take the news? Not once did I even think about the person who shed light on the banned act. I’d been so sure it was just a rumor to disrupt the racing agenda and throw us all off track. Then after Daddy admitted his wrongs, I was too shocked to consider who’d first discovered them.
I wanted to feel betrayed. I wanted to rail at Mr. Hale and tell him how he destroyed my family. But logic was working in my favor and kept me quiet. Daddy was the one who set this all in motion the moment he gave the okay for the vet to dope one of the horses. All this time, I’d been trying to figure out how to deflect some of the blame away from my dad. I didn’t want him to be guilty.
Only, he was. Had admitted it to me, to Mama. Mr. Hale wasn’t to blame, and if I was honest, neither was Tuck. Yeah, he should’ve told me the moment he knew about his father’s involvement. But I knew how kind and good Tuck was. He wouldn’t knowingly hurt me. He was so meticulous when it came to planning his next move that it wasn’t a shock he kept quiet. But I guess I thought our newly expressed feelings meant we’d continue riding that cloud off into the sunset and never come down.
Shame on me. As many rom-coms as I’ve watched, I should’ve known better.
I looked at Mr. Hale. “Thank you for sharing with me.”
“I’m sorry I had to be the bearer of bad news.”
“Life’s little ironies, huh?”
He cracked a smile. “Guess so.” He rose to his feet. “Can we hug it out? I want to make sure we’re good. I know how much Tuck cares for you.”
I melted into his hug. Mr. Hale was like a second father to me. And if I had my way, one day I would be a Hale. Of course I didn’t want our relationship to be strained.
“You gonna go talk to our boy?”
I shrugged. “It might serve him right to stew in his mistakes a bit.”
Mr. Hale laughed. “Oowee. I’m glad you came to Eastbrook, Piper. You could only ever be the one for our Tuck.”
Tears smarted, and my heart warmed. “You think so?”
“Without a doubt.”
I grinned for the first time since I’d heard the news. I’d often wondered why I had to be adopted in the first place. Why I couldn’t have stayed with my bio family and lived a good life. But if it all happened so I could meet Tuck, well, that was a gift I’d thank God for. And eventually, I’d let Tuck know that so he wouldn’t be sweating bullets wondering how long I’d stay mad.