Graduation and Gifts (Untouchable Book 8)

by Heather Long

  He chuckled, and then glanced over at her. "A part of me would rather stay here."

  "Then stay," I gave him permission. "But you're not the guy who runs from his issues and you and your father are at least talking again." At his surprised look, I smirked. "What? You think you're the only one who listens when you wax on about the psychology you're always reading about?"

  "So, if you're listening, does that mean you're taking your own advice?"

  As much as I wanted to resent the question, I couldn't. Our fathers had one thing in common that I would prefer to have never known about. They'd both had affairs with Maddy Curtis. Maybe Coop's dad was a passing fancy and mine...? I glanced over at Edward. He and Muriel were actually speaking together in quiet tones where they sat together on a bench in the shade.

  Mine had been on the hook, quite literally, for years.

  Didn't make it any better.

  Then again, he told her off today. But how long would that last before she crooked her finger and he went running back?

  How much did I actually care?

  Except...

  "Arch," Coop said. "Talk to them. You have nothing to lose. You've already written them off. They owe you a lot. So, if they plan to make a payment, no matter how paltry the installment, listening is free."

  "Can you forgive him?" The question came out of nowhere, for me at least, but if it threw Coop, he didn't show it. "After everything that happened? He's trying to make amends. Can you forgive him?"

  "Forgiveness isn't for them," Coop said. "It's for you. I'll forgive him eventually when I'm not living on the anger. And I'm not—not as much as I was. I hate that he hurt Mom. I don't think that part will ever go away, but I also…I kind of feel sorry for him."

  "Because he got used." I didn't have to wonder at that.

  "Yeah, and not only did he get used, he lost a lot too. I don't think he realized how much he lost at first either."

  I glanced at Edward. "He never really valued his relationship with Muriel." Or me, but I didn't want to say that aloud. I wasn't that kid anymore, trying to find something, anything that would make his father happy. "If I ever have a kid..."

  "Same," Coop told me and gripped my shoulder. He had no idea what I was about to say, but there wasn't an ounce of hesitation or doubt in his voice. "I'm gonna tell Frankie I'm going to eat with them. I'll catch you guys back at the apartment. Text me if plans change?"

  "Done." Before he'd gone two steps, I said, "Coop?"

  "Yeah?" He squinted as he glanced back at me.

  "If you figure out how to not live on the anger at him, show me?"

  "Man, if I could, I would. But then...you can fix anything. Think about how you'd fix this for Frankie." With that, he winked and strode away. I shook my head. If Hank did to her what Maddy had done, I might fix it with a shovel. I wanted to know how the hell Maddy had even gotten a ticket to sit in that section.

  As it was, I still hadn't figured out exactly what we were going to do with her. I wasn't the only one worried about how much more dangerous she might get. Maybe we'd move our plans up to head on our summer vacation sooner, then just make the move to New York. The guys didn't need Frankie here to come back and see their families.

  The more distance I put between Maddy and Frankie, the better.

  Frankie caught my gaze as she gave Coop a hug. A tiny frown tightened her brow, but I shook my head at the question in her eyes. I didn't need her to come rescue me. As it was, I glanced over to Edward and Muriel again. Time to take care of this.

  Hands still in my pockets, I crossed to where they continued to speak. At my approach, Edward rose and Muriel even attempted a smile. I didn't reciprocate. Neither said anything as we all stared at each other in silence. After a few more seconds of that, I raised my brows.

  "You were the one who wanted to talk," I reminded him.

  Muriel let out a sigh, then to my surprise she put a hand on my arm and brushed a kiss to the air next to my cheek. "I'll leave you both to it. I don't suppose you will take me up on the offer, but you are welcome to stay at my place when you're in New York."

  "You're right—I won't take you up on it." I was never living with either of them again. Besides, I'd already made arrangements. "Are you flying back today?"

  "Tomorrow. Your grandfather invited me to dinner," she said, then glanced at Edward. "Unless either of you want to make me a counter offer?"

  "Pass," I stated. Unsurprisingly, Edward snorted.

  "Muriel, he's eating with the Graysons."

  "Of course he is," she said with a purely satisfied smile. "They will likely be discussing just how horrid their bitch of a daughter is. I will enjoy that."

  I didn't roll my eyes and Edward didn't rise to the bait.

  Look at that, maybe we were growing emotionally.

  Or maybe we were just that bored with the same old games. I didn't doubt Grandpa invited her to dinner. He'd very specifically invited Frankie and I to breakfast, so he'd make sure the field was clear for us.

  With a little bit of a huff, she paced away from us with a click of her heels. A dark car pulled up to the curb and just before the driver jumped out to open the back door, Edward said, "A hundred says her latest conquest is waiting for her inside."

  Ugh.

  I caught sight of a pant leg as the door opened and turned away to face Edward instead. "Pass."

  He gave me a faint smile and nodded. "Good plan." Even his sunglasses couldn't disguise the way he glanced to where Frankie and the others still gathered. Sara and Joe were speaking animatedly with Hank, and Frankie leaned into Bubba. She looked happy, content. But I caught her glancing at me and I shook my head when she raised her brows again.

  The wrinkle of her nose promised me a scolding later. I looked forward to getting out of trouble. After one last glance, I turned to face Edward again. "What did you need?"

  "Walk with me?"

  "Sure," I agreed and fell into step with him. Why not? Anything to get him farther away from Frankie. He'd mentioned speaking to both of us, but frankly, I'd rather vet anything he wanted to say to her through me first. We followed the sidewalk along the side of the event center. The place was bordered by a park and a greenbelt with shade trees. The heat rose off the pavement in waves.

  "I honestly don't know where to begin," Edward admitted after we'd walked in absolute silence for several yards.

  "If it's about the company, my answer hasn't changed. My shares will vote with Grandpa for now."

  "I expected that," Edward said. "Where you vote, Frankie will."

  I shrugged. Honestly, Frankie and I hadn't discussed what her shares meant. We were due for a meeting with the accountants in the next week or so, because I wanted her to understand the state of her finances. Particularly in light of the decisions the Graysons had made with regard to her trust and how much money was actually in it.

  That said, I wouldn't tell Frankie how to vote. She was more than capable of reading the reports just like I was, and after her brief internship and the light in her eyes when business came up? I had a feeling, she was going to be telling me how to vote and I was okay with that too. I liked the idea of having someone who could share the passion of the business.

  Such as it was.

  Edward sighed. "About Maddy..."

  I paused and faced him. "What about her?" The last thing I wanted to discuss was Maddy fucking Curtis unless it involved a restraining order or a psychiatric commitment. For now, putting several states between Frankie and that bitch would have to do.

  "You were right to bring up your concerns about her," Edward admitted. "I know she's troubled."

  "Is that a polite way of saying psychotic?"

  He exhaled a long sigh and tilted his head back. "Archie, you have every right to be pissed at me and to be dismissive. I deserve it. That said, if Frankie was the one who was troubled, would you want to call her psychotic or get her help?"

  "Then why aren't you getting her help?" Also, fuck that noise. "Frankie was in tr
ouble. She was isolated and alone. A manipulative bitch was using her to achieve her own ends and you fell for it hook, line, and sinker."

  "I did. And I hurt you in the process." He actually looked upset by the prospect.

  The snort escaped me before I could stop it. Not that I would have bothered. Not really. "Edward, you haven't given a solid damn about me ever. To be honest, the last time you hurt me, I was nine. I've long since gotten over it. You're you. I just lowered my expectations."

  Brows gathering together, Edward ducked his head. "Fair."

  "It is what it is." Except... "You know she threatened to kill Frankie once?"

  The reticence and unease fled Edward's expression as he focused on me. "She couldn't have meant that. She loves her."

  "Does she?" I challenged. "Or does she love how Frankie makes her look? For more than a year, she's neglected her. Vanished for days at a time on 'business' trips. Worse, when Frankie was hurt and in the hospital, no one could get ahold of her or you. Not really feeling the love there, Edward, what about you?"

  Because the fact it took me hours to even track down where they were had been irksome enough. That they hadn't responded to messages and chose to appear days later? Yeah. Fuck that.

  Edward sighed heavily, and he seemed much older. A part of me felt for him. A distant, uncynical part of me that wondered why I'd had to compete with the ghost of a woman he'd loved for attention. At the same time, I wasn’t willing to ask him for that explanation or anything really.

  Not anymore.

  "I will do what I can to keep her calm," Edward admitted. "Though today made it clear the fractures in our relationship may be irreparable."

  "Well, maybe next time don't bang your secretary. Fidelity seems to be a sticking point for her." That he'd continued getting his rocks off at the office hadn't been lost on me during my last visit. The fact he had the woman of his dreams back and still couldn't keep it in his pants? "You know, there's counseling for that."

  Edward laughed.

  It wasn't harsh or brittle or even empty. It was a genuine laugh that seemed to work its way up from his chest. He raked a hand through his hair and for a moment, the unruffled, undisturbed poise of Edward Archibald Standish Jr disappeared.

  Maybe for the first time, I saw "Eddie."

  "Counseling. That's never been my strong suit. Problems are not something we share with the world."

  "Weaknesses can be exploited," I said, repeating the advice both Edward and Grandpa had often repeated over the years. "Having a weakness isn't the problem. Revealing the weakness is."

  "When you say it like that, I sound like an asshole."

  It was my turn to chuckle. "You are an asshole. Doesn't make the advice any less useful, but it shouldn't be applied in all things. Flaws. Weaknesses. Imperfections. We all have them. It's the people who stick with you despite all of them, who have your back when others would have walked away or already had, they are worth keeping. More than worth it. In fact, you fight to keep them. I'm not afraid of my flaws."

  Edward studied me for a moment. "If I asked, would you tell me if you're in counseling?"

  "Yes," I admitted. "For the record, not regularly." Though I planned to attend the group sessions with Frankie as she'd asked. I'd been as skeptical as the next person about therapy to be frank, but in the weeks that followed Homecoming, as we'd all had to watch her struggle, my opinion changed.

  Therapy had helped her. It showed in her attitude. How she would confront issues directly. And how the nightmares faded. The smile on her face and the light in her eyes was no longer clouded under some dark shadow. Would it do me any good? Who the fuck knew? But I didn't discount it anymore.

  "And let's be blunt here, Edward, what do you have to lose? Your marriage is over. Your position in the company is nothing more than a glorified figurehead now, you have no negotiating power. You could spend your weeks golfing, and no one would notice your absence."

  He winced. "Ouch."

  "I'm calling it like I see it. The only major flaw in your life right now is your choice of companions."

  "After today, I sincerely doubt Maddy will want to see me. It could even be months before she deigns to acknowledge me again...and that is a good thing. The woman..." He looked to the distance and it hit me, there were lines of age around his eyes, a hint of gray in his hair and deeper grooves round his mouth.

  Edward was getting older.

  "Maddy has always been one of mercurial moods. But she never responds well to attacks."

  I said nothing as he spoke.

  "It might be a good time to take Frankie on a trip." He focused on where she continued to chat with Hank and Bubba's family. "Maybe take all of you on a trip. If you need some..."

  "I've got it," I said. "You said you could handle her." That was before the much clearer breakup. We'd discussed this very fact a few days prior.

  "I didn't expect her to drop by the office yesterday and got..."

  I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. If you wanted out of the relationship, why don't you man up and just end it. The drama play, the backstabbing, the cheating? All it does is make you both miserable. It made Muriel miserable. It definitely didn't do me any favors."

  "Because...she's a singular woman," Edward admitted. "While I know a lot of people think you're too young, I see the same look in your eye when you look at Frankie that I felt when I looked at Maddy."

  "Then or now?"

  "They run together, if I’m honest. She's still the girl who takes my breath away. The woman who pushes me and challenges me. She's the one I want to win, that I would pursue..." He grimaced then ran a hand over his face. "So maybe you're right, maybe I should just be direct with her and end things like adults. But when I'm with her, I’m not a rational man."

  She was toxic for him. That was what Grandpa had said. Defeat seemed to weigh down his shoulders.

  "I can't tell you what to do. I can tell you that I think she's unhinged and dangerous. I think she's already committed crimes." What Hank had said earlier, about waking up to find her in his bed and he'd been drunk and didn't remember it, that was definitely taking advantage of someone. The neglect she subjected Frankie to. Blatantly threatening her life if Maddy's parents tried to intervene... Those were just the things we knew about. "If she really thinks she's lost you," I said slowly, "there's a chance she could turn that anger on you."

  "Worried about me, Archie?" The pained smile Edward wore, he'd earned.

  "I don't wish you dead," I said flatly. "I don't have a high opinion of you..."

  "Clearly, a fact you detailed when you wanted to protect Frankie from the monster that is me."

  I shrugged. "She is my priority."

  "She's a remarkable young lady, and maybe this too little, too late, but what she said to me will not go away. I missed out on a lot with you, I'd like to miss out on less. I know you're not fond of golf but..."

  "Possibly," I said, raising a hand. "It's not my favorite game, but Frankie loves mini-golf and if she wants to come along to learn...we could test the waters. But Edward..." I leveled a stare at him. "Maddy shows up, and all bets are off. I don't want her anywhere near Frankie. And it may need to wait because we're heading out of town in a few days."

  "Have you decided on where?"

  "Yes. Jeremy will know how to reach me." Frankie's apartment would be packed and cleared out before we returned, but I wasn't going to provide him with that information. Edward was reeling on several fronts, give him time to get his bearings and his feet back under him and that might very well change.

  It wouldn't be the first time.

  Holding out a hand, he said, "You might not believe this, but I am proud of you."

  "I'm an epic son," I confirmed and clasped his hand for a brief handshake. "You'd be hard-pressed to deny that, regardless of what you'd heard or seen."

  He laughed again. Man, the first laugh had been strange. The second was downright bizarre. "Your wit is enjoyable when it's less point
ed and aimed at slicing me."

  Sliding my hand back into my pockets, I shrugged. "Not going to give you an apology."

  "Not asking for one. But I am asking for a second chance. Maybe not to be your father, I have a feeling that I have missed far too much to get there, but I'd like it if we could at least attempt to be friends. To get to know each other."

  Frankie's father flew thousands of miles and drove to her apartment on the slim chance he'd get to lay eyes on a daughter he'd never met. Edward wasn't really going that far out on a limb here, but...

  "Consider therapy. Look at getting some help and get your life sorted and we'll talk." It was the best I could do, and honestly, I didn't think he could do any of it. But my family came first and if he wanted to be around them, then I had to be able to trust him.

  Right now, I didn't.

  Did I want to?

  Eh… The jury was out on that one.

  He only nodded, then said, "Archie? Congratulations on graduating and on NYU. I know Senior would have preferred that you go to Harvard. Legacy is fine, but making your own path is something to be respected."

  Then he slipped his sunglasses back into place and walked away.

  I could say that was honestly the weirdest conversation I'd had with Edward in my entire life.

  It might also be the longest.

  Soft arms crept around me and gentle hands flattened against my chest as Frankie brushed her lips to my ear. "You good?"

  Twisting, I hooked an arm around her and pulled her close. "Always," I promised. "We ready to grab the other brother boyfriend and your dad and get some food?"

  Her eyes lit up. "Oh, no one's said that in front of Hank yet."

  Glee filled me. "You love me, right?"

  Her soft groan and laugh were all the permission I needed. But I did walk us back over to them. It was the least I could do and, so far, Hank had been taking all the challenges like a pro.

  I was looking forward to his expression on this one.

  What?

  Can't a guy have a little fun when testing out the worthiness of his girl's sperm donor?

  That's what I thought.

  Chapter Six