Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Carson and Cresley broke apart, with her looking as stunned as he felt.
“What’s up, buddy?” she asked Ty.
“Kissing is so gross.”
“No, it isn’t,” Carson said. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
“No way. That’s how you get other people’s germs.”
“He had a unit on germs in kindergarten that changed him forever,” Cresley said.
Carson wondered if she could feel how turned on he was by her nearness and her sexy kisses. When she would’ve moved away from him, he kept her anchored in place. “I need a second,” he said quietly.
“Oh.”
“Don’t act like you didn’t do this to me.”
“Do what?” Ty asked as he examined the remaining doughnuts.
“You’ve had enough of them,” Cresley said. “Another one will make you sick.”
“It’s worth it,” he said as he chose a chocolate-frosted confection.
“Two bites and then put it back in the box.”
“Speaking of germs,” Ty said, making a disgusted face. “Once I take a bite, my germs are all over it. It’s safer for everyone if I just eat the whole thing.”
Carson snorted out a laugh. The kid was too much.
Cresley swatted the top of his head. “He’s not funny.”
“He’s kinda funny.”
“I’m very funny. Everyone says so. Carson, you want to watch surfing videos? I found a channel on YouTube that has some awesome ones.”
“I’d love to do that. I’ll be right there.”
“No more kissing,” he said as he took off toward the living room. “It’s not good for you.”
“He cracks me up.”
“His fear of germs is legit. I complained to the school about whatever horror-show video they played for the kids that sent him into a complete panic. He hasn’t been the same since he saw that.”
“Luckily, I have no such fears.”
“He’s never seen me kiss a man before.”
“Never?”
“Not once ever.”
“Oh. Well…”
“Under normal circumstances, you wouldn’t even know him yet.”
“Nothing about this has been normal for either of us.”
“What’s normal look like for you?” she asked.
“Um, well…”
“Wham, bam, thank you, ma’am?”
Laughing, Carson said, “Not quite that bad, but close.”
“For me, too. Only the ‘ma’am’ was ‘sir.’”
“Tell me more.”
“That’s enough for now.” She kissed the top of his head and disentangled from his embrace.
“Where’re you going? It was just getting interesting around here.”
“To be continued.”
Carson’s phone rang with a call from the office. Shit. The meeting. He took the call. “I’m here. Sorry. Got sidetracked.”
“By your model girlfriend?” Jackson said.
Carson glanced at her. “Something like that.”
“Lucky bastard.”
“Enough about me. What’s going on there?”
“How are you feeling this morning, son?” Corbin asked.
“Just dandy.”
“He’s shacked up with a famous model,” Jackson reminded their father. “Of course he’s just dandy.”
“We’re very thankful the three of you are safe,” Corbin said.
“We are, too. Thank you.”
“It’s been… sobering… to realize how quickly we could lose one of you. Your, um… Your mother and I have been very upset about what happened to you, Carson. We hope you know, that you all know… how much we love you and want only the best of everything for you.”
Carson wished he could see his brothers’ faces. He was sure they must be as shocked as he was to hear their father get emotional about his children.
“Since you’ve joined our firms, we’ve become all business all the time, and the family connection has taken a back seat to the work.
We’ve failed to tell you how proud we are of each of you for the men, women and attorneys you’ve grown up to be, and Carson, the best legal investigator in the business.
We’re very proud, but we’re also incredibly sorry for everything we put you through after our divorce and how it’s affected your feelings about love and romance. ”
“Dad…” Griffin said. “It’s fine. We’re fine.”
“You’re not fine. Do you think we don’t know about the vow you took with your sisters? It breaks our hearts to think that we did that to you.”
“It’s not just you,” Ethan said. “It’s the shit we see in our practices, too. It’s just… easier… to stay single than to potentially deal with the fallout if it doesn’t work.”
“It may be easier,” Corbin said, “but you can’t miss out on the best things in life simply because it might get messy at some point.
Even at our worst, your mother and I wouldn’t have changed a thing because we got all of you from our marriage.
You’ve always been the best part of our lives, and we’re painfully aware that we made a fucking mess of things with you.
But we’d like the chance to fix that. If you’ll let us. ”
The statement was met with dead silence.
Carson was certain his brothers were as stunned as he was to hear their father take ownership of past mistakes when he was usually all business.
“Griffin, we’d like to meet your daughter.”
“How do you… Uh… When did you find out about her?”
“Mom picked up on it when we were at the hospital. You’ve made us grandparents. We’d like to know her. We’d like to know you all—who you are away from work, that is.”
More silence.
“What’s her name, son?”
“Hadley Jane.”
“That’s a lovely name. I’d love to see a picture of her.”
“I’ll show you one after this.”
“We know we have no right to ask this of you, but we’d like a chance to forge a new path forward with you, to be part of your lives away from work.
Mom would like to have you all up to Santa Barbara for the day next Sunday for swimming and dinner and…
Well, some time together that has nothing to do with work.
We hope you’ll be able to come and bring anyone you want. ”
“If you want to forge a new path,” Julian said, “no interviews about the reconciliation. No drumming up business by drawing any more attention to it than it’s already gotten.”
“That’s fair, and I hear you. We’ve declined hundreds of requests.”
“While I appreciate the overture,” Jackson said, “I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say I’d like to know why it happened in the first place. We went from one big, happy family to warring factions overnight, and we’ve never been told why.”
“I’d like to know that, too,” Ethan said.
“I understand the desire to know,” Corbin said tentatively, “but that’s something your mother and I will never speak of to anyone. You have to trust us when we tell you that it’d do much more harm than good for us to share that with you. It’s deep in the past now, and we’d like to keep it there.”
Silence had never been so loud.
“Is that a deal-breaker for you, Jackson?” Corbin asked.
“No, but I think you should reconsider sharing the truth with us after the ordeal we endured because of whatever broke you up in the first place.”
“It was a deeply personal misunderstanding, and if it makes any difference, it was a hundred percent my fault, not hers.”
That was more information than they’d ever gotten about what’d driven them apart, Carson thought, and it only made him more curious for the rest of the story than he’d already been.
“That’s all I’m willing to say about it, and I hope it’s enough.”
“It’s really not when you consider the nightmare it caused for us,” Griffin said. “That it continues to cause when the whole world is talking about our famously divorced parents miraculously being back together.”
“I’m sorry if that was embarrassing or upsetting for you. We’d intended to tell you—”
“We already knew,” Ethan said. “Jules saw you.”
“What?” Corbin asked. “When?”
“In Santa Barbara at Hendry’s.”
“We were there during the week… What were you doing there?”
“I took Isla to her husband’s wake and went to kill some time while she was there.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“What was there to say?”
“Hello? It’s me, your son?”
“Wait, you’re annoyed with me for not saying something when I saw you holding hands with my mother for the first time in twenty years?”
“I’m not annoyed.”
“You sound annoyed.”
Carson had never wished he could’ve attended one of his father’s meetings in person more than he did this one so he could have read the expressions on his brothers’ faces. Normally, he avoided more meetings than he attended.
“Well, I’m not. I’m just surprised that you saw us and didn’t say something.”
“Put yourself in his place, Dad,” Griffin said. “Imagine the shock he must’ve felt after the way you two tore each other apart for years. Now you’re holding hands, and you haven’t even told us you’re back together?”
“We were going to. We’d been discussing the best way to do that.”
“Kaidan already knew,” Ethan said. “She’d picked up the scent from living with Mom after she heard her giggling on the phone with you.”
“And none of you said anything?” Corbin asked, sounding shocked.
“We didn’t believe it until I saw it with my own eyes,” Julian said.
“Is there anything else?” Griffin asked.
“I don’t have anything else, unless any of you wish to say something.”
“I’d like to take a paternity leave to spend a few months with my daughter.”
The announcement was met with dead silence.
Then Ethan, his associate, said, “Uh, like, how would that work?”
“I’d need some help covering my clients, and before any of you say anything, I know that’s a huge ask, but I’m asking anyway.”
“How long are you thinking, son?”
“I’d like to take six months.”
“What?” Ethan said on a gasp. “And I’m supposed to cover that by myself?”
“I hope no one would expect that,” Griffin said.
“I’ll cover for you, son,” Corbin said. “Take the time you need to be with your little girl. You’ll never regret it.”
“Wait, what?” Julian asked. “When was the last time you actually practiced law, Dad?”
“Please, I’m as up-to-date as the rest of you and can easily step in for Griffin.”
Jackson cleared his throat. “Are we allowed to laugh? Asking for a friend.”
Carson had to choke back a laugh himself and so wished he was there to read the room. It had to be priceless.
“Who do you think did it all before you boys joined the firm?”
“Your team of associates?” Julian asked.
Carson coughed to hide his laughter. Good one, Jules.
“In spite of your doubts, I’m still a very capable attorney, and I will happily cover for you for as long as you need me, Griffin.”
“Wow, thanks, Dad. Truly. That means a lot.”
“Does that mean I have to be Dad’s associate?” Ethan asked. “Because I should get hazardous duty pay for that.”
The explosion of laughter took Carson out. He was wheezing from trying not to move while he laughed as hard as he had in ages.
“Now that you’ve all had your laughs,” Corbin said indignantly, “I’ll rely on Ethan and Jackson for help.”
“Wait a minute!” Jackson said. “I’ve got a full load already dealing with him.”
Carson could picture his brother using his thumb to point at Julian.
“I’m sure all of you can find a little time to help out as needed so your brother can have this time away, and I’m also sure that he’ll return the favor when the rest of you want to take paternity leaves.”
“I’m never doing that,” Ethan said.
“Me either,” Jackson replied. “We’ll never get paid back for this.”
“I’ll see that you two get some of my partner share for helping Dad,” Griffin said.
“Oh, well,” Ethan said, “now you’re talking my language.”
“Thought you might see it that way,” Griffin said drolly. “Are we done? I need to get back to work so I can leave on time. I’ve got plans tonight.”
“It would mean a lot to us to see you in Santa Barbara next Sunday,” Corbin said.
“Is it a command performance?” Ethan asked.
“Of course not. It’s a hopeful invitation. No strings attached. I was hoping one of you could bring your grandfather, too.”
“I will if I feel up to coming,” Carson said.
“Thank you, son.”
Carson could hear the others getting up and leaving the room.
“Are you still there, Carson?” Corbin asked.
“I am.”
“So that was excruciating. I’m sure it was for you guys, too.”
“That’s not the word I’d use. For me, it was somewhat refreshing to hear you take ownership for the mess you made of our lives.”
“Ouch.”
“Truth hurts, Dad.”
“Yes, it does, and I know I deserve the resentment you all feel toward us. If we had it to do over, everything would’ve been different.”
“You should say that to the others.”
“I thought I just did.”
“I mean exactly that—if we had it to do over, we would’ve done everything differently. Maybe add that while you can’t change the past, you hope that you might make the future better for all of us or some bullshit like that.”
“I’ll do that. Thank you for the advice, son.”
“No charge.”
Corbin chuckled. “How’re you feeling today?”
“A little less like roadkill than I did last night.”
“Well, that’s welcome news. You scared the hell out of us. Twice.”
“I’m sorry about that.”
“We’re thankful that Cresley’s ex is now in custody, and hopefully, she and her son can put this difficult time behind them.”
“They’re trying, but it won’t happen overnight.”
“You seem to care for them very much.”
“I do.”
“I’m happy for you and for Julian, too.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll let you get back to resting and recovering. Let me know if there’s anything I can do for you, and I hope you, Cresley and her son can come up next Sunday. We’d love to have you there.”
“I’ll let you know.”
“Take care, son.”
“Hey, Dad?”
“Yes?”
“I just wanted to say that I appreciate it took some cojones to address the elephant in the room in front of a hostile crowd, and I respect that you’re owning the mistakes of the past. Despite how it might seem at times, we want you and Mom to be happy, too.
We’re just not sure how we feel about you being happy together. ”
“That means a lot to me, Carson. Thank you for saying it. I love you, and I’m very happy you’re still here with us.”
“I’m happy to still be here. Love you, too.”
He and his father hadn’t said those words to each other in more than twenty years, and they felt rusty coming out of his mouth now, but as he said it, he discovered he meant it. He did love the guy, even if he often wanted to throttle him.