Page 96 of Wood Riddance
His eyes got glassy, and for a moment, I worried he would cry. I had never seen my father cry. Until this moment, I wasn’t sure the man had tear ducts. He had always taken a great deal of delight in making others cry. It was one of his specialties. He’d never, in all my life, been the one doing the crying. “I can’t do that, Jude,” he urged. “There are others. You boys and Merry, you’re all I care about.”
I snorted. Sure.Nowhe cared about us.
He tilted forward and lowered his voice. “There are powerful, ruthless people out there. And I will never, ever compromise your safety. I’ll rot in here forever before I let them hurt you.”
“Dad, what are you saying?”
“Stick together. Take care of one another. And your mother. And Cole. Please don’t punish him for my mistakes.”
“We never have,” I said, sitting up straight and crossing my arms over my chest.
“I know that, but you all need each other more than ever right now. I screwed up, and I took my brother down with me. Learn from my mistakes, boys. Take care of each other. Watch out for each other. You’re all you have on this earth.”
“But the business…” This from Gus.
“Sell it. Move on with your lives. Fuck the trees and fuck the bats.” I had no idea what bats had to do with anything, but the conviction in his voice was surprisingly moving.
“Dad,” Gus said.
He looked at his oldest son, the one he was closest to, the one who had bent over backward for him his whole life. “Son,” he said. “Don’t put that kind of pressure on yourself. I lost the business. I’m the one who tarnished the family legacy. I’m the one who failed my father and my grandfather and my great-grandfather. This is not your battle to fight.”
“It’s our legacy too.”
“It doesn’t have to be.” He ran his hand through his thin, white hair, his face deeply lined with worry. “So many of my choices were colored by my obligations to the business, to the legacy. It’s another thing that could hold you all back. Tie you down. So go live your lives. Forget about Hebert Timber. Forget about me and all this shit.”
My stomach twisted into knots at the unexpected warnings. My father was the king of lectures. We couldn’t hold a conversation with him without being scolded for falling short on every measure. Dad had lots of opinions about how each of us could do better. This was something else entirely. He was owning up to his actions and trying to steer us onto a better path. It was almost… fatherly?
Eventually, we said our goodbyes. Gus and Jude gave him long hugs while he apologized over and over again, wiping away tears.
When I held out my hand for a shake, he pulled me in close. “Finn,” he said, waiting for Gus and Jude to step out of the room. “I know I can count on you to keep everyone safe.”
“Is Merry in danger? Mom?”
He shook his head. “No. I don’t think so.”
“That’s not good enough, Dad,” I hissed. My heart lodged in my throat, and anger once again brewed in my gut. After everything he’d put us through, he was hinting that the trouble wasn’t over.
He held up a hand. “There is no reason to believe anyone is in danger. Just keep an eye out and live your lives. This goes far beyond me. There are people in Lovewell who are compromised.”
“Who?” I demanded. “Give me names. Dad, we can’t live like this.”
He closed his eyes and took a step back. “I can’t tell you. Promise me you’ll stay alert and keep an eye on things. You’re the practical one, the protector.”
I gaped, angry at having this burden placed on my shoulders, that he wouldn’t even give me a straight answer.
He grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me into a tight hug, shocking me with his strength despite his frail appearance.
“I love you, son.”
Chapter31
Finn
Icouldn’t fight the grin I was sporting as Adele sat beside me in my truck and made guesses about where we were going. It had taken some planning, and I’d had to pull a few strings, but I’d planned the perfect date weekend.
My head was a strange, chaotic place at the moment. Between seeing my father, playing mediator while my brothers went rounds over what to do with the business, and stressing over the hints Dad had dropped about the safety of our family, I’d barely slept, and I was more on edge than ever.
And there was only one person who could soothe me.
