I almost felt like she didn’t believe I had a woman in my life. “It’s only her and me at the store; otherwise, she would’ve loved to come and meet Charli and you. She absolutely adores Nicky. She would have loved to see the sights. This trip has made us realize we need another person to help out.”
“Charlotte loves books. Devours them. Besides Nick, it’s about the only other thing that can make her smile. She’ll be thrilled to know about your store. Although you wouldn’t be able to tell by her monotone reaction.”
“Yeah?”
“She hates digital books, but paperbacks are growing harder to find.”
“That’s my girl,” I said, smiling. “I can email her our inventory list. I’ll ship whatever she wants. No expense spared. Our bank accounts are swelling, and ’Chelle and I live simply. I might as well put it to good use.”
“That’s sweet. She would love that. At some point, I’d like to meet Michelle. She seems…nice.”
“I think you would like her. She’s very down to earth and keeps me grounded.”
“I’m happy for you. I mean that with all my heart.”
“Thanks. Nicky didn’t mention… Did you and Will have kids together?”
“No. We talked about it when Charlotte was about three or four, but we decided those two were plenty.” She laughed a little. “He knows I would’ve loved to have a baby with him, which was all he needed to know in order to feel settled.”
“That’s great.”
I didn’t know what else to say. Talking to Elaina made me realize how good I had it with Michelle. That was where I needed…wanted to be. But I wasn’t sure where my relationship with Elaina would go. Could we be civil and be friends?
“Where do we go from here?” I asked.
“I suppose we have a few options.” She ran her hand through her hair. “We could never see each other again, we could be secretive, or we could live our lives and accept each other’s significant others, remaining in contact, behaving like adults, and doing right by our children.”
“I’m willing to accept Will. My kids, regardless of time away, mean so much to me.”
She cocked her head to the side. “You would accept him?”
As much as I hated it… “Yes. He makes you happy. That’s all I ever wanted for you.”
“I am. I’m so happy with him.”
I smiled. “Good.”
“I still need to tell him you’re here.”
“Is he going to want to kick my ass? I’d hate to laugh in his face.”
Her laugh was melodic and joyous. “Still a little cocky, I see. I’m pretty sure he learned his lesson the first time.”
“Good.”
We stared at each other, waiting for the other to make a move.
“Why don’t you ride to the house with Nick? Your mother is such a wreck waiting to see you, and…and you need to go see Gunther.”
“I’ve got to ask something.”
“What’s that?”
“Nicky mentioned my mum has a husband.”
She drummed her fingers on the table. “A monumental and beautiful moment for her. I wish you could’ve seen her face. We have pictures.”
“What’s his name? How did she meet him?”
“Jeb Castlebery. He’s an old southern boy. He worked out at the gym. When she’d babysit the clients’ kids, they talked a bit.”
“He’s good? A good man to her?” I needed the reassurance.
“He’s a true gentleman. It was like watching two young lovebirds. Like teenagers with whimsical fantasies and dreams only two people so in love could imagine.”
“That’s brilliant. I love it. Nick also said he’s ill.”
Elaina nodded, blowing out a breath. “Yeah. Unfortunately, he’ll be stolen away from her too soon. The cancer is throughout his whole body. It’s awful.”
“Christ. Like she needs any more tragedies in her life.”
“No doubt.”
“Did she move out, then move back in when they found out he was sick?”
“No, she stayed. She couldn’t bear to be away from the kids. Jeb completely understood. After they wed, he moved in, too. It’s been nice having a house full of so much love.” She looked past me and waved the kids over.
“What’s up, my favorite momma?” Nick asked.
I chuckled. He was definitely a rare one.
“I want Luke to ride with you and Evie back to the house.”
He glanced at me, then Elaina. “Is that a good idea?”
“I’ll handle it,” she said.
“It could get ugly,” he mumbled.
“I’m sure Will’s going to be angry. But, as I said, I’ll handle it.”
“All right then. Let’s go.”
I stood and patted my lad on the shoulder, then wrapped my arm around him as we walked through the coffee shop and out to his Jeep.
Chapter 63
We drove up to the house and waited until Elaina parked her truck before pulling in behind her. I sweated bullets. To be honest, I feared a confrontation with Gunther more than anything else. I may be bigger than ever, but I had no desire to raise my fists to anyone again.
Nick turned to me. “You ready, Pops?”
“Fuck no, boy. Christ, I’m practically shitting my pants here.” Hearing a chuckle from the back seat, I looked over my shoulder at Evie. She had her hands covering her mouth, working hard to fight a full-on belly laugh. “Seriously? Am I the only one in this convoluted family of nutters who’s worried about Gunther’s reaction? He has always been a fucking beast.”
Evie dropped her hands and grabbed her stomach, laughing so hard, no noise came out. Then I looked over at my son, who was also laughing.
“Seriously—”
A scream interrupted, pulling my attention to the front porch. I threw the door of the Jeep open as my mum ran down the steps, across the lawn, and into my arms.
“My beautiful boy,” she said, sobbing. She grabbed my face and kissed my cheeks more times than I could count, then wrapped her arms around me again.
“I’m so sorry, Mum… I’m so sorry,” I whispered, crying with her.
She pulled back. “Are you real? Is this real?” She squeezed my arms and shoulders, then grabbed my hands.
The next thing I knew, she slapped me across the face. Shocked, I stumbled backward, Nick catching me before I fell. Of everyone, I never expected my mother to hit me.
“Yeah… I’m real,” I said, rubbing my jaw.
“He’s alive. You’re alive. My beautiful boy.”
“I’m kind an old man now, Mum, but I’m truly alive.”
“I have never been so angry in my entire life!” she shouted, beating her fists on my chest. “Of all the things I have been put through, this is such bullshit!”
“Granny! Stop!” Nick grabbed her arms. She turned and looked at him, her lip quivering as more tears trickled from her eyes.
“Mum…” I reached out and placed my hands on her shoulders. As she turned and gazed at me, she startled, eyes wide. “Are you okay?”
“His eyes… Roger’s eyes.”
“I know. I wish I could change them. I always thought they were blue like yours, but it had been so long since they were proper—”
“What the fuck?!”
We all turned to see Will standing on the porch. He jogged down the steps and strode right up to me. I shoved my mother off to the side, still hoping things didn’t get physical with him, but I wasn’t about to let her be stuck between us.
Will stopped inches in front of me. We locked gazes, fire burning wild in his eyes. He wanted to punch me, gut me, take me out, avenge all the pain he had to nurse away.
I didn’t smile, didn’t talk, didn’t twitch a single muscle. I waited for him to make the first move.
He jabbed his finger into my chest, tilting his head as he rolled his upper lip into a snarl. “You motherfucker,” he growled, pointing to Elaina. “Do you have any idea what you did to her?” He pointed at my m
other, then waved a hand toward my kids. “Or them? Do you even care?” He shoved me into the side of Nick’s Jeep. “Start explaining before I wipe your face all over this fucking driveway.”
Nick started to step between us.
“It’s okay, mate,” I said, touching his arm. “Just hang back.”
Will’s temper flared. “You are in no position to give him any advice.”
“Will…stop,” Elaina said, grabbing his arm.
Shaking her off, he looked over his shoulder at her. “Are you fucking for real? You’re going to stand here and defend this…this piece of shit after everything he put you and your family through?”
“I’m not defending him. He knows how angry I am.”
He threw his arms in the air. “How? How does he know?”
“I just had coffee with him.”
He turned and glared at her. If he raised a hand to her, I was prepared to get physical. Until then, I would stay cool.
“You had coffee with him?” His voice raised in volume as each word flowed from his lips. “All of you?”
“Not me…,” my mum whispered as she walked over to Charlotte, who stared at Will. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s go inside. Let the men work this out. You don’t need to witness it.” Mum took her hand and turned her around to head inside.
“You knew he was alive and didn’t even think maybe I…” He pointed to himself, “your husband, should know?”
“This is you knowing!” Elaina yelled back, tears in her eyes. “I brought him here to tell you and so he could see his mother and her ailing husband. Maybe I approached the situation wrong, but I had to hear all of it on my own first. All the whys, hows, ifs. I’m owed that much. I needed to be able to get a grasp of the situation before I talked to anyone else about it. I needed to know if seeing him again would be the worse decision of my life.”
“How did you find out he was even alive, Elaina?”
“Ahhh… That’s where I come in,” Nick said, raising his hand. “After a little research, I went to London, found him, and… Yay, here we are.” He threw his arms into the air in fake celebration. “Happy Richards/Daniels/Jarvis/Castlebery family reunion.”
I let out chuckle. That boy of mine was a good egg.
Will turned and stared at Nick, eyes narrowing in anger. “You lied about where you were going?”
“Well, I’m old enough and don’t need anyone’s permission.”
“What if something had happened to you?”
“I’ve already laid into him about it, Will.” Elaina tugged on his arm again. “Let’s just talk about this.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you people? It’s like what he did was okay. Am I stuck in some weird, fucking warped dimension where a faked suicide is the norm?”
“I didn’t say that. I never said I was okay with what he did. If you would allow me to explain the situation thoroughly, maybe you’d be able to understand the reasoning behind his piss-poor decisions. Even though his actions were beyond stupid, his heart was in the right place.”
He glanced at me, then Elaina. “Fine.”
“Let’s go inside and sit,” Elaina said. She turned to me. “I would like for you to stay outside so my husband and I can have privacy to discuss this situation. In the meantime, you have a friend…a brother whom you need to talk to.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Thanks.”
“We’ll talk in a bit.” She followed Will into the house.
“Okay.” I gazed at my son, feeling my chest constrict. While it was difficult to face Elaina, it would be impossible to face Gunther. “Want to come with me?”
“Sure. Maybe we can keep the situation low-key.”
“If things get ugly, you are to leave.”
“No prob, Pops,” he said, smirking, patting me on the back. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 64
Nick, Evie, and I walked across the yard, my anxiety kicking me in the chest. I stopped at the bottom of the porch steps, then paced along the front of the house, dread seeping into my thoughts. I couldn’t wait to get the moment over with.
“Just stay out here. I’ll go get him,” Evie said, ascending the steps. She cracked opened the front door. “Daddy?”
“Yeah, love?”
Part of his massive body lingered in the doorway. There were mumblings I couldn’t understand, then the door swung all the way open and my heart leapt into my throat.
Nick laid a hand on my shoulder. “It’s going to be okay, Pops,” he murmured.
“Have you ever been on the receiving end of his anger?”
“No, not really.”
Gunther and Evie walked out onto the porch, him staring me down. I whispered a slew of obscenities my son shouldn’t have heard. One step at a time, he closed the distance, fists and jaw clenched. I could feel the vibration in the air, the tension growing thicker the closer he got. There was no question in my mind. It was about to get ugly.
“Nick, back up,” I warned.
“No. It’s cool, Pops. I’m here for you.”
I’d only known my adult son for a week. He was a cool, calm, everything was going to be all right person. He didn’t understand the fire that just lit in Gunther’s belly, taking control of his every thought and action.
“Nick, back the fuck up right now. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“It’s fine—”
He stopped when he saw Gunther’s hardened stare. His nostrils flared, his lips twitching into a snarl.
Gunther stopped in front of me. My return had awoken the beast.
I looked at Nick. “Go… Take Evie and go to your mum’s.”
“Nope. I’m all in.”
“Nick… I think you should listen to your father,” Evie said.
“Go inside, Evie!” Nick shouted. She dashed back in the house and slammed the door. “Waiting on your move, Pops.”
“This is not your fight,” Gunther growled before grabbing me by the shirt. “You motherfucking…cock-sucking…slag-faced…son of a bitch! I swear to God, if you say a goddamn word, I will cut your bollocks off and shove them down your bloody throat, you manky cunt!”
He slammed me into the side of the house so hard, it knocked the wind out of me. I thought I felt a rib or two crack, but there was no time to dwell. He reached out and wrapped his monstrous hand around my throat, his powerful grip making my vision flicker. I was certain it would be my last day on earth.
“I cannot fucking believe you! Do you have any idea what your wife, your son, your daughter, your mum…what we went through? All of us? We fucking had a memorial for you! People came in droves, sobbing over you! What the fuck is wrong with you?!” he raged, slamming me into the house multiple times.
Out of nowhere, I saw a wall of muscle reaching for Gunther. I didn’t know who they were because I was too busy struggling to stay afloat. I heard voices, people yelling, but all I could focus on was the hand clamped around my throat.
“Dad! Stop!” someone yelled.
Finally, Gunther let go. I bent over at the waist, coughing.
“I can’t fucking believe this! After all this time, you have the bollocks to show back up like it’s no big fucking deal? Did you think you would have a warm welcome? A party? Everyone so excited to see your pathetic face? Pat you on the back and ask how your twenty-motherfucking-year vacation was? Maybe we should bow to the almighty Henry for gracing us with his presence.” I stood straight and braced myself for another round as he charged at me. “Say something!”
“Hey… Let’s chill a bit, G-Man,” Nick said, putting himself between us.
“Nick, go to your mum’s,” I whispered, straining through my raw throat. When I coughed, the pain in my ribs was knee buckling. “Fuck…” I slid down the siding, my ass planting on a bed of pink and purple pansies.
Story of my life.
Nick turned around. “Come on. Up you go.” He helped me stand, the blinding pain nearly making me piss my pants and pass out. He turned and glared at Gunther. “What the fu
ck is wrong with you? You don’t know what happened. You don’t even know why he came back. You don’t know a goddamn thing!”
“Easy, lad,” Gunther growled, getting close again.
“You think he was coming back all ‘Honey, I’m home’? How about you just take a timeout like a five-year-old and step back. In case you can’t tell, he’s injured.”
My son, the peacemaker.
I leaned back against the house, clutching my ribs. “It’s fine. This is us. We’ll kiss and make up in about an hour.” I let out a groan. “Fuck…”
“Come on. Let’s get you sitting,” Nick said, grabbing my arm and guiding me to the steps.
I looked at the crowd surrounding us. The one holding Gunther’s shoulders was bulkier than he was. The other bloke off to the side looked thin, but muscular.
Gunther followed Nick and me. “Do you have any idea how long it took me to get your wife out of bed?”
“G-Man, how about you just stay back a little. Give him some breathing space.”
I shook my head. “Nick, it’s fine. Let him rage.” I sat on the porch steps, leaning back against the rail. “Oh, fucking hell…”
Pointing his finger down at me, he yelled, “Two fucking months! Until Will came around and took over caring for her, your mum, and your kids, I had to care for everyone at her house, my house, our extended family, and Edge. Thank you for fucking me on that, by the way!” He spun around and let out a loud sigh, repeatedly muttering, “I can’t fucking believe this.”
“I’m sorry,” I said.
He turned back around and pointed. “Shut your filthy pig hole. I don’t want to hear a goddamn word come out of your trap until I’m ready to listen.”
“Dad… Just chill.” I realized the giant version of Gunther was Grey. I couldn’t believe how big the kid was. I looked at the other one again and knew it had to be Silas.
Gunther paced back and forth, grumbling. Nick considered my twisted expression, seeing me starting to sweat from the pain.
“I’m going to go get Mom.”
“No…” I reached out. “Fuck.”
He ran toward the house.
Gunther stormed up to me. When he stared into my eyes for the first time, he flinched back. “What the fuck…?”
Full Circle (Shattered Lives, Book Five) Page 44