14

“Hungry?” Gabriel slid a sideways glance at Slade and bit back a grin. It felt so darn good to have his son’s collarbone healed and his behavior on a positive path. It had been a month-long learning experience for both of them. With each passing week, Slade regained more use of his right arm and required less assistance. Gabriel feared the return of Slade’s independence would ignite another round of rebellion, but he was starting to understand that something happened in the woods, when Slade fell from the tree, that jostled his faith as well. He’d broken his collarbone, but also the ties that held him in bondage.

“Huh?” Slade stared dreamily out the truck window.

He seemed different somehow…more at peace, less on edge. Something. Whatever it was, Gabriel liked it. “Burgers? Steak? Mexican? You want something to eat before we head to the house?”

They’d spent the morning tearing down an old barn that had been on the verge of collapse and salvaging the wood. His truck bed looked like a lumberyard delivery service.

“I don’t want to go home yet.” The dreamy expression slipped away as an excited grin broke out across the kid’s face. “I’d like to grab some lunch and then start working at the dairy.”

Sudden understanding for his son’s enthusiasm lifted his spirits and re-energized him for the task at hand. “It’s Saturday, but I’m sure there’s something we can do there. I like that we’ll get to work together, son, but I also want to go hunting sometime.”

“OK. And you’ll come to my games?”

“Yep. And we can go fishing.”

“How about movies?”

“I guess I could sit through a movie at a theater.” He grimaced, and Slade chuckled. Gabriel’s dislike of movie theatres was no secret. “I could get you a four-wheeler so you could ride with me.”

“Yeah!” Leaning forward, Slade drummed on the dashboard with his fingers, his feet tapping out a rhythm on the floorboard. “We should’ve been doing all these things already. That’s why I wanted to live with Uncle Holden. Whenever MeMaw and Papaw would take me to visit him, he would take me everywhere and do all kinds of things with me. I always wished it was you instead of him.”

“I can’t change the past, son. But things will be different now. I’m gonna try to be a better father and spend more time with you.”

“Let’s eat at the Sweet Homemade Cafe. I could really go for some country food.”

They sat at a corner booth inside the Sweet Homemade Cafe and reminisced over the pictures of people they knew attached to every surface until the waitress brought their chicken-fried steak platters. They’d even splurged on dessert.

Gabriel looked around for Robin, but she wasn’t working today. The diner was empty of customers and only one cook and one waitress were on duty. Good. He wanted to talk about something with Slade. Plus, he was too full to work just yet. “I want to talk to you about everything that’s been going on.”

Slade scowled. “Please, not another conversation about my behavior.”

“Just the opposite. I want to talk about my behavior.” He tapped his fingers on his chest. His mood was reflective as Slade looked out the window and watched a crew framing a house across the street. Those going up in this new, planned community were large and luxurious, unlike anything Sweet Home had ever seen. Hoping to attract wealthier residents, this neighborhood would feature mini-mansions on large lots with attractive amenities, such as a golf course, country club, and a private water park. Unbelievable. Such a waste of good land. Gabriel shook his head in disgust. But back to the problem at hand.

“I don’t want to dwell on the past, Slade. I just want you to know how much you mean to me. We’re a family.” He paused to muster up courage. “Speaking of which, we’ve never talked about MeMaw and Papaw since they died. I know you considered them your parents and that you miss them a lot.”

Slade’s eyes reddened. He nodded stiffly. Heavy breaths escaped his nose, and his nostrils flared several times. He was trying not to cry.

Gabriel kept his voice even. “They were my parents, too. I miss them every day. I was their oldest child, and they had a lot of expectations for me. My world was very different from the one my siblings enjoyed. In some ways, I was very grounded, very responsible. But in other ways, I was the exact opposite. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life.”

“Me.”

Slade’s harsh statement took Gabriel’s breath. His eyes widened. Had his son thought of himself as a mistake all this time? “No, Slade. You were not a mistake. You just arrived a little ahead of schedule. You’re an amazing kid, and I would have taken you at any age, under any circumstances. My only regret is that I wasn’t ready, and I let my parents take over.” He cleared his throat and fought to maintain control of his emotions. “At some point, I knew I’d lost you. You were about two or three, and anyone could see you were MeMaw’s baby. You were so attached to her. I tried here and there to take control, but you saw me more like a big brother than a father. Finally, I just…moved on.” He shook his head, still unhappy with the decision. “You know, son, I never thought my parents would die so young. I thought you would be grown before that happened.” He choked up.

Slade looked him in the eyes for the first time during the whole conversation.

“I was grieving, but I had to take care of you. My life was turned upside down. I felt alone—so alone that I thought settling down and getting married should be my first step. That’s when Lyra came into the picture. She was such a confident, take-charge kind of person. At a point when I was completely at sea in my own life, her certainty about everything was like a breath of fresh air.”

Lyra had come along at a time when he needed a gorgeous distraction to take his mind off the reality of his parents’ deaths. Lyra was a whirlwind who fancied herself a wealthy landowner’s wife. A city girl at heart, she liked being around country folks she could awe with her sophisticated ways. She’d convinced him that, with her city flare and his wealthy influence, they would be the envy of Sweet Home. Gabriel was happy to go along. He liked the way she fluffed his feathers and made him believe he was the most powerful, respected man in Sweet Home.

“Lyra.” The name lashed out of Slade’s mouth.

His son’s opinion of Lyra had never been a secret. She’d had big plans for him as well, but Slade hadn’t been so easy to convince.

Now the tragic end to their relationship made perfect sense. Lyra was with a hollow, grieving man who went through the motions because it kept him from dealing with the loss of his parents and his new parenting responsibilities. He couldn’t give himself completely to her. Their relationship had been doomed from the beginning. He’d just been too blind to see it. And too blind to see his own son. “Can you forgive me, Slade?”

The boy didn’t hesitate. He nodded vigorously “I forgive you, Dad.”

Gabriel’s eyes stung. He rubbed at them and leaned back.

After a few moments, Slade stood. “Let’s go to work.” Spoken like a true businessman.

Gabriel jumped to his feet, grinning, and placed a hand on Slade’s shoulder. “I love you, son.” He’d never said those three important words to Lyra because his feelings for her weren’t real. But his feelings for Slade were genuine, and he wasn’t letting another moment go by without telling his son how he really felt. The words propelled him forward. He wrapped his arms around Slade’s neck and gave him a squeeze.

Slade accepted the embrace awkwardly. “What’s this all about?”

“You heard me. I want you to know that I love you. You need to hear it.” He should have told Slade he loved him long ago. But, until now, he’d never said those words to anyone, not even his parents. He held Slade at arm’s length and met his gaze full on. For the first time, he saw himself through Slade’s eyes. This young man was his son, his only child.

“I love you, too, Dad.” Slade ducked his head, obviously a little embarrassed…but also clearly pleased. “I thought I was a disappointment.”

“No, Slade. You’re wonderful. I’m a blessed man to have you for a son.” Gabriel draped an arm over the kid’s shoulders and smiled. “This is the way things should have always been. It’s how they will always be from now on. So…” Time to move on. “You want to work at the dairy, eh?”

“Yep.”

“Good. The cow stalls are a mess. You can start there.”

“But...”

Gabriel matched Slade’s look of horror with a huge grin. “That’s where I started, but don’t worry about it too much. You’ll be running the place soon enough.” A movement drew his attention, two feminine forms in sweats and running shoes.

Sparrow and Robin looked out of breath.

Robin leaned on the counter. “Water,” she panted to the waitress. “Please.”

Gabriel’s gaze met Sparrow’s. He hurried over and gave her a quick kiss. “Y’all been running?”

“Just started. Since we live so close now, we can be running buddies. I didn’t expect to see you and Slade today.”

“We just had a bite to eat and were about to head up to the dairy.”

His son was taking in the scene.

With his own confession about Lyra still fresh, there was no telling what the boy might say. Slade and Sparrow hadn’t really talked since his apology for the window incident. And Gabriel hadn’t spoken to Slade about how he would feel having Sparrow in their lives. Right now, he looked surprised but not angry.

“You two got a thing now?”

Gabriel wrinkled his brow and looked at Sparrow. “What?”

“That’s teen talk for ‘are we together’ or ‘are we a couple?’”

“I see. Thanks for the translation.” None of his previous girlfriends had ever met Slade’s approval so this moment could get touchy. He looked at Sparrow, and then back at Slade.

Robin and her glass of water disappeared around the counter.

“If we did have a thing, how would you feel about it?”

“If you pushed me away, I wouldn’t like it.”

“I’m not pushing you away again, ever. We got a good thing going now. Sparrow wants us to spend time together and have a great relationship, so you don’t have to worry about her coming between us.”

Slade nodded but still didn’t look convinced. “Can we go now?”

Sparrow gently pushed Gabriel away. “Don’t let me keep you guys from your plans.”

Slade was already out the door and heading for the truck, so Gabriel followed. “I’ll call you later.”

“Go spend time with your son, Mr. Hearth. You’ve worked hard for this.”

~*~

Sparrow only read three pages in the thriller novel she was reading when she heard knocking at the door. Gabriel, good grief! He always found some excuse to see her before she went to sleep each night. Not that she minded. She flung the door open and froze solid. Her stomach flip-flopped, and her heart skipped a beat. Miraculously, she found her voice. “Dad, what are you doing here?”

His lips were drawn into a tight pucker, his eyes incandescent with anger. He carried a small box in his hands, one she recognized. Just as her heart recovered a steady rhythm, it sank. Of all the boxes to find a way into her father’s possession. “I can explain.” She felt like she was fifteen and caught sneaking back in through her bedroom window.

“I told you not to contact Phoenix. How could you go behind my back like this?”

He thrust the box of cards and letters representing years of communication with her brother into her arms. Her eyes brimmed with tears. “He made mistakes but he’s still my brother. I love him very much.”

“He put our family through a lot, young lady. Now he needs to learn his lesson.”

“Dad, I’ve always tried to be respectful to you, but I can’t just disown my brother. I know a man who changed everything in his life for his son. Phoenix deserves no less.” She jerked the box from his hands and slammed it onto the counter. “You can be angry with me if you insist, but I believe in fighting for the ones you love.” She crossed her arms and braced herself for his tirade.

He shook his head and stepped back into the darkness. The porch light illuminated the deep creases in his forehead. “Whatever comes of this, I put the responsibility entirely on your shoulders.”

She flinched but refused to back down. “I accept that responsibility. And you’ll see. Things will be different when he comes home.” Her words ricocheted off his emotional bullet-proof vest. She slammed the door quick to ward off any shrapnel. She so did not need this right now.

Once he’d gone, Sparrow went to her knees in the living room and opened the box. She took her time going through its contents. Of course, there were letters from her brother. There were also family photographs that she’d rescued from the garbage and several of his favorite t-shirts. Knickknacks, awards, and trophies spanning almost two decades nestled in the very bottom. She carefully put everything back inside and closed it up. Then she wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and returned the box to the closet for safekeeping. Phoenix’s belongings. She cried every time she looked through them.

Stop, tears. Stop.

Emotion ignited an urge from within to clean. Furiously, she gathered supplies and began her attack. Countertops, floors, windows—nothing was a match for her determination. As she cleaned, she prayed. For her dad, for Phoenix, and their broken relationship. She prayed for past mistakes and second chances. But most of all, she prayed for renewed love and awakenings of the heart. She wiped away the pain, dusted the disappointment, and scrubbed the despair. When she was done, she stood back and admired her now spotless, perfectly organized house. Her head and heart weren’t looking too shabby either.

There. Now she could relax and finish the book she’d been reading.

She’d managed another page and a half when there was another knock at the door. After marking her place, she laid the book on the end table and went to the door, wondering who could be here this time. Only a couple more pages, and she’d have been cozily ensconced in bed. With a sigh, she turned the knob and pulled the door.

Gabriel.

Earlier, she would have been excited for his nightly visit. Now she was still upset and emotionally drained.

He stood with his hands in his pockets and his head down. He wore a pair of athletic pants and a t-shirt with sneakers.

Sparrow blinked. She’d never seen him wear any footwear except boots. “Gabriel?” She sensed this wasn’t his usual trip to say good night and steal a kiss. “Is everything OK?”

The porch light illuminated his shocking blue eyes. They drew her like a moth to a flame. Instead of inviting him in, she stepped onto the porch and shut the door to prevent a fleet of moths, June bugs, and mosquitos from getting into the house.

“I’m having a get-together for Slade and his friends tomorrow evening. We’re gonna watch baseball, and I’m cooking hamburgers and mushrooms. I’d like it if you’d come.”

She looked at her feet and fidgeted with the hem of her t-shirt. “I don’t know, Gabriel. I’ve got a few things to wrap up at work before I take the month of June off.”

“Are you avoiding me?” His point-blank question took her aback.

“Of course not. Why would you think that?”

“Then what’s going on? We’ve been together every day for weeks, and I really enjoy your company.”

“I enjoy your company too. Nothing is wrong. Really.”

He shook his head. “I know there’s something. I know...you. What is it?”

She nervously crossed her arms and braced for his reaction. “OK, so there’s…something. But at the same time, it’s nothing. I don’t know.”

“What is it? You can tell me.”

“I know Slade is coming around and you don’t wanna rock the boat. And, well, we never really talked about the status of our relationship. Ahhh!” She groaned and rolled her eyes, frustrated. “Why is this so hard?”

“Sparrow, what is it?” His eyes searched hers in question.

“My brain knows why you avoided Slade’s question about us yesterday at the diner, but my heart wishes you would have just told him.”