Chapter 32 #2
“What would you have done, Ma?” My heart broke hearing the crack in Janae’s voice. I knew exactly how she felt. If I ever thought my father might have accepted me, then I would have stayed. His threats told me all I needed to know.
“I would’ve talked to your father—”
“They were given the same options I was at their age. There are expectations of you when you wear this name. Gentry Co is a family-owned business, and it will remain that way. Parker made his choice, the girls made theirs. I don’t need anyone's permission to protect our legacy.”
My limits had been met. I surged from my seat, meeting him at the head of the table. My father stood suddenly, his chair scraping back on the hardwood floors.
“Do you not see what you’re doing to your family? You’re playing with our lives like we’re damn chess pieces on a board. What happened to you?” My voice boomed across the room.
My sisters appeared at my side. I was just two seconds away from pummeling him to the ground.
There was no way I could be in his presence another moment longer without doing something I wouldn’t be able to take back. Shaking off my sisters, I stormed out of the room.
I was halfway down the path to the pool house when my father called out to me. He was charging towards me like a man on a mission. He had never hit me before, but the man I once knew wasn’t the man standing in front of me.
He stepped toward me, pointing a finger into my chest.
“I let you live your dream and disrespect your legacy. I thought taking away your inheritance would embolden you to be smart. But you’ve proven to still be the same silly boy who left here ten years ago.
I will not allow you to embarrass this family with your silly dalliance with this girl.
If you don’t like the rules, you can leave. ”
He shoved a manila folder with Evelyn’s name written across it into my chest.
“Read it. See who you brought into your family’s home. See who you are so set on protecting. Her father was nothing but a con man. This story that she’s given you is nothing but an elaborate lie. A tale to garner sympathy so she can get her money's worth.”
Spittle flew from his mouth as he tried to convince me that the woman I was falling for was nothing but a scammer.
My mother came rushing out from the house just as my father had shoved me again before beginning another tirade.
“Jonathan Xavier Woods, get your hands off that boy right now!” She hollered.
The sound of her voice seemed to break him out of his rage. As angry as I was, I couldn't process the scene that had just unfolded.
If my mother hadn’t come out, I’m certain that it would have come to blows.
He took a step back and moved wordlessly towards my mother. Her disgust was clear on her face. She scoffed and walked away. My father trailed behind, calling after her. After tonight, nothing about their relationship made sense to me.
Looking towards the pool house, I saw Evelyn standing in the doorway with tears running down her face. When I moved towards her, she turned away and walked back into the house.
“Evelyn, wait!” I yelled, running the rest of the way to the house.
When I got inside, I found her crying on the sofa with her face in her hands.
“I’m sorry you had to hear that, baby.” I tried pulling her into my arms, but she turned away.
The rejection stung.
She turned to face me with her tear-stricken face. “Your father thinks I’m making everything up. I want to read it. I want to know what’s in that file that convinced your father that I wasn’t worth protecting.”
“Ev—” I started.
“No, Parker. I need to read it.”
I handed her the folder and watched her pore over every single sheet of paper as the sun set and evening replaced the daylight.
There were several photos of people, I assume, who were her family.
I sat back quietly, letting her process everything that had just happened and what she was most likely discovering in the file.
Evelyn didn’t do well being pushed, and if I tried too hard, then she would shut down completely.
We have gotten so far in the last few weeks. I didn’t want to lose her.
“I haven’t seen my dad since I was thirteen years old.
Twice a month, if we were lucky, he would come and spend the day with Cellie and me.
Then one day, he just stopped coming. We would ask our mothers if they had heard from him, and they would say no.
Although I wasn’t much older than Cellie, I knew he wasn’t coming back, but she still had hope.
I didn’t have it in me to break my sister's heart that way.”
“He found your dad?”
She let out a dry laugh. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was preparing to close herself off.
It was how she protected herself, and I couldn’t blame her.
My father and the sheriff had invaded her privacy.
She had been opening up to me on her own terms, but now it was like her soul was completely laid bare in a manila folder.
“Yeah, he’s in Jamaica, apparently. He has a new family.” The hysterical laugh she released was enough to keep me from prying any further. “He has two teenage daughters, Parker. Two. I don’t believe much in God, but he sure is hilarious.”
Tears pooled in her eyes again. The whirlwind of emotions she was displaying had me longing to comfort her, but I couldn’t take another rejection.
She swiped the tears off her face and turned to me with steel in her gaze.
“I didn’t know about the things my father had done. We barely knew him. We just knew he was our dad. I won’t take responsibility for his crimes or his actions. He abandoned us and never looked back.”
“Ev, I would never think less of you because of something your dad did.”
“In my heart, I know that. At least I think so.”
It hurt to hear that she doubted me. I knew things were still fresh between us, but I thought our connection was strong.
“I want you to read this file. Your dad thought he was protecting you. That’s what fathers are supposed to do. But before you do, I want to tell you what happened.”
“You don’t —”
“No, Parker, you have a right to know. You’ve put yourself in danger, and probably your family too. You have a right to know what happened.”
I didn’t want her to relive her past for the second time tonight, but it was her story to tell. If she wanted to share, then I would listen.