29. Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Lane
I understand being disappointed by your parents.
My father disappointed me every day of my life.
Thankfully, though, I had my mother to make up for it.
It shouldn’t have been only her responsibility, though.
A child has two parents, and I firmly believe they should both parent, but my father had different ideas about it.
My mother not only ignored those ideas, but she stepped up where my father lacked.
There is no one in this world that I am more grateful for than her.
Tage got stuck with two parents who were always caught in the limelight.
No, maybe not even caught, but chose to be in it.
We all hear enough and know enough about celebrity families that I can guess what he’s gone through, but I’ll never know what it feels like because I didn’t live his life.
I can listen. I can support. But I can’t relate; not entirely.
Him running away from his life makes sense now.
His father, Briar Anthony Ridge, is a famous actor. It’s why he looked so familiar to me, but I couldn’t quite place him. Actors always look different in person without all the makeup.
His mother, Heidi Lynn March, is a bestselling novelist. Two of her books have been turned into films, both of which Briar acted in. Only small parts, because his career was focused on dramas rather than the romance stuff his wife writes.
Tage’s name never stuck out to me because both his parents use a pseudonym. His mother using her maiden name, while his father rearranged his name, using the last for the first and making up the rest as some actors do.
They may not be the best parents, and Tage may not want anything to do with them, but I think allowing them into the room could give him some sort of closure.
I don’t want to push him and make him do something he doesn’t want to do, but I do think there is a part of him that wants his parents there.
Every child wants their parents, even when those parents are intolerable or awful. A child doesn’t know any better.
Tage wants loving parents. Isn’t that what we all want from them?
The kind that come because they care and not because they’re worried about what the papers will say.
The kind that will stay all day and night because they’re worried, and not the ones that pop in over obligation.
I get it because that’s the right thing to do. That’s what I would do as a father.
But this isn’t about me. It’s Tage’s choice. He’s the only one who can make this decision. I won’t push this.
“If you don’t want them in here, I’ll tell them to leave,” I say. “Just tell me what you want to do.”
“I want normal parents,” he mutters.
My heart breaks for him. I can’t imagine how hard this is.
Knowing they’re right outside just to show face.
I understand his hatred for money and for people throwing it around and making it the most important thing in their life.
Thankfully, I was taught better. My mother’s kindness was passed down to me.
“Yeah, I get that. Unfortunately, that’s not an option.” I wait a beat. “I’ll tell them they can only stay for five minutes.”
When he doesn’t say anything, I let go of his hand. I don’t get a verbal response, but I think if he truly didn’t want them here, he’d say no. So, I walk out of the room and turn to the right where the waiting chairs are.
They both look up at me with neutral expressions on their face like they don’t care either way what I’m about to tell them.
“He’s awake,” I say. “Doing okay. He’s tired though. He said you can go in and see him, but you get five minutes.”
The father gives me a look like how dare I give him a time limit on seeing his son, but I’ve already made it clear with both of them that I’m not one to be pushed around.
We had some time to chat while waiting for him to wake up, and I didn’t hold anything back.
His father tried to intimidate me, but it was useless.
I’m protective of Tage, and though I’d love to help him mend this relationship with his parents, I can only do that if he wants it.
Forgiving my father on his death bed was the best thing I ever did.
I’d held onto so much hate for him for years, despite my mother asking me not to.
Deciding to let it go allowed me to move on with my life.
Only after that did I climb up to where I am today.
I owe most of my success to my mother and the morals she instilled in me as a child.
If it weren’t for her, I’d have grown to be a bitter man like my father. I’m sure of that.
She’s the reason I chose to design pools and spas. My mother loved the water. She loved laying beneath the sun and dipping into a pool when it became too hot. We’d lay out in the sun for hours when I was little. Losing her was so hard, but I think about her every day because of what she did for me.
His parents share a look, and they get up at the same time.
I move out of the way so they can head into the room, but I follow after them.
I am not a man who prays, but I am praying that they behave themselves and act like decent human beings.
If not, I’ll boot their asses right out of here. I don’t care who they are.
Tage’s eyes are closed and he looks as if he’s sleeping, even though I know he’s not.
The staples are obvious on the side of his head, and there is a ton of bruising around the area and his face. I bet his body looks the same, most of it on his left side since that’s where the impact was. I cringe just thinking about it.
His parents move to the side of the bed and look down on him like caring parents would.
I don’t know these people to know how deep that really goes, but I only hope it’s deep enough for them to actually care about him.
Tage deserves a relationship with his parents—he deserves parents that are good people.
“I’m going to get some coffee. I’ll be right back,” I say carefully.
They ignore me, holding onto each other as they look down at Tage. I glance at him but see no sign of argument, so I leave the room and head to the small refreshment room down the hall that is for visitors. I make myself a coffee and grab a water.
The moment I step out of the room, I hear the most devastating cry that I’ve ever heard in my entire life. My head swivels to the right, to see the couple from earlier. The mother has fallen to her knees, the father staring at the doctor in shock. I can only assume what that means.
My heart sinks and I grit my teeth.
That boy didn’t deserve to die over this, and it’s truly sad that he lost his life over a stupid decision. He’s responsible for this, and he’s paid the ultimate price. Life is fragile and you never know when it’s going to end. I only hope no one else from this accident suffers his same fate.
When I get back to the room, I stand in the doorway and look in. Tage’s eyes are open and he’s looking at his parents, who are talking to him in quiet voices. It’s a sweet moment, at least from this side of things. I sip my coffee as I watch them interact with each other.
Tage has a long road to recovery, but I’m going to be there every moment of it.
Because he was right.
When they walk out of the room, we don’t hear from them again.