Page 70 of Long Hard Fall

“Ca—”

He cut her off with a wave of his hand. “And I’m still doing it. You’re old enough to drink. Old enough to join the military. Yet you’re constantly asking me to talk to Mom and Dad for you. And you two.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “I’m so sorry, Mom. You weren’t a shitty mom. But I’m the kid in the relationship. You and Dad need to deal with your own issues. I can’t do it anymore. Yeah, thirty might be on the horizon, but I want to think everything is hunky-dory between you two.”

Mom lifted her head to stare at him with red, puffy eyes. Dad planted his hands on his hips and remained silent. Sissy gaped at him.

“And what went wrong with Abbi? She was pissed and felt betrayed when I treated her the same way I treat you all. I protected her because I thought she couldn’t handle it.” He spun back to the window. “And it wasn’t something insignificant. I was the only one who knew her brother purposely stepped on an IED so she’d get his life insurance money. Was I wrong to keep that information from her?”

How’d he gone from bitching them out to asking for their opinion? But he had to know. Had he been wrong?

“Was I?” He sounded pathetic to his own ears. But that question robbed him of sleep, stole his peace. He’d only wanted to do right by Abbi.

“Oh…Cash…” Mom blew her nose. Sissy hit the floor, sitting cross-legged to watch him with wide eyes.

“You know that for sure. About her brother?” Dad asked.

“As sure as I can be without bringing him back from the dead to ask.” He massaged a temple. “She was so upset…so hurt.”

Dad shuffled across the floor to take a seat. “You kept it secret all this time? How’d she find out?”

Cash scowled. He spilled the story. How they’d met. Her ex. Why he’d never gotten serious with a girl. Abbi’s parents and their accusations. When he was done, his shoulders hung and he felt like twenty years had been piled on him.

He shouldn’t burden them with this, but he couldn’t do it by himself anymore.

Mom spoke first. “I have to agree with Dillon. That’s something only Abbi could decide, and like you found out, she wanted to know. Rather, it wasn’t so much that she wanted to know, it was that she felt it was important to know. Does that make sense?”

He’d managed her just like his family. Even worse, he’d failed to treat her like the capable adult she was, instead joining the ranks of Ellis and everyone else who thought they knew what was best for her.

After years of being smothered by her family and her boyfriend, Abbi had been fed up with others determining what she was fit to handle. She’d trusted him not to do that.

He let his head hang. So now he understood. And he’d still made his mom cry on Christmas.

“Just like you should’ve told us to handle our own problems.” Mom sucked in a deep breath. “You’re easy to talk to. I treasure your support, but I can see now how…” She teared up again.

“Aw, Mom. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

She shook her head, her brown hair flying. “No. You’re right.” She lifted her gaze to Dad’s. “You and I need to keep this between us.”

“I still want to know what’s going on,” Sissy piped up. “You guys have to include me, no matter how far away I am.”

“We’ll keep you updated.” Dad’s expression was troubled. But then he’d just been told his actions had fucked up not only his marriage but his son’s outlook on relationships. “Cash is right. This mess is between your mom and I. I… I know what I was like and why we’re getting divorced. I’ll…” He looked at each one of them. “Let’s just have a nice meal with all of us.” He stopped on his wife. “Patty, can you tolerate me hanging around for a little while?”

Her features were carefully void of emotion. “I think it’s important that we learn to enjoy family functions together. Not just for the kids, but for our own well-being. I don’t want either of us to miss out.”

“Me, either.” Dad cleared his throat, like he might be tearing up, too. The divorce was tearing at all of them. “Cash, think we can find something to grill?”

His family had hit a huge milestone. They’d communicated honestly together for the first time since…ever. Could this be a turning point for them? Were they on their way to a new normal that was healthier than their old ways?

The first person he wanted to tell about his family’s progress was out of his reach. But if it weren’t for her, this would’ve never happened. At least he had that.

Yeah.

That didn’t make him feel better.

Dishes were piled on the table. Only a few slices of roast beef remained. Cash’s family had decimated the vegetables he had left in the fridge. This was the lowest-key Christmas on record. When his family celebrated, they included everyone. And Cash missed his extended family and hanging out with his cousins, especially the ones he didn’t get to see often. But he wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.

There was still a heavy dose of awkwardness between Mom and Dad, but that’d decrease in time. Mom mentioned going to a divorce support group, and while the divorce was hitting Dad hard, at least he seemed to be owning his role and accepting that his life had changed.

They didn’t talk about Mom’s newest…boyfriend? Man-friend? Lover? Cash wanted to shudder. But they didn’t talk about Dad’s conquests, either. Cash, and probably Sissy, was just fine with that arrangement. If either parent’s special friend turned into a significant other, then he’d want details. Until then, ignorance was bliss.

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