“By stealing?” Robert says harshly, offended. “How dare you.”
“At first, you’re right. But later, by using what he taught me for the good guys. By being one of the good guys. The agent I work with? We’ve taken down businessmen who think the rules don’t apply to them, black-market masterminds who use their funds to bankroll terrorist groups, and caught scammers who steal thousands of dollars in fake auctions and insurance claims each year. So yeah, I think Granddad would be proud of what I do with what he taught me.”
“An undercover FBI agent that steals art?” Robert asks, and I can tell he’s starting to believe Connor too.
“Not quite, I never went to Quantico to become a special agent . . . and I’m retired,” Connor points out, “but basically, yeah.” He takes my hand, much like his mother took his father’s, and holds it tightly. “As for us, I met Poppy on a job recently, and she changed everything.”
Debra still looks confused. “What about Scarlett?”
Connor shrugs one shoulder, not ashamed and simply admitting the truth. “Another lie. I don’t date, Mom. Relationships are impossible when I can’t exactly explain why I’m gone or what I’m doing. My work is all-consuming, but I didn’t want you to worry.”
Debra smiles sadly. “I . . . I’m sorry.”
“Look, I know this is a lot, and you’re not going to understand everything all at once. You’re going to have questions, but I wanted you to know that I’m not still the black sheep of the family you’ve made me out to be. Once upon a time, yeah, that was true. But not anymore. And now that things are changing, I want to fix this.” He moves a hand from his chest to his parents and then to Caylee and Evan. “If you want to.”
Debra speaks for her and Robert, saying. “Of course, we do.”
Robert is still holding Debra’s hand, though, and also nods, so he seems on board too. “It’ll take some time.”
Connor presses his lips together, looking stern and stronger than ever, but I think . . . is he fighting off a smile? “I know it will. But we can do it. Poppy’s taught me that anything is possible.” His lips do tilt up slightly at that, and I can see how pleased and relieved he is at his parents’ reactions.
He looks at me with love in his eyes. I might’ve pushed him to talk to his parents, and he wasn’t sure it was such a good idea, but now, I can feel that he’s glad I made him. They have a chance at a relationship again. A happily ever after for their family.
Debra gets up and approaches Connor slowly. He stands too, and when Debra wraps her arms around his middle, hugging him like he’s the baby boy she’s known and loved all along, he relaxes into her. He’s a foot taller than Debra, but make no mistake, in this moment, he’s a boy getting hugged by his mom, something he needed more than he would’ve ever admitted to.
When they’re done, she turns to hug me. She whispers in my ear, “Thank you for bringing him back to us. I didn’t know how much we’d lost him and how much of it was our own doing.”
Robert, who needs a little more time to unleash the tears, it seems, still searches for a good step forward. Clearing his throat, he says, “How about we eat some dinner? Debra made a roast chicken and vegetables that have smelled good all day.”
The compliment from him is unexpected, and Debra smiles at her husband in appreciation. Caylee and Connor lock eyes, their brows raised as they silently question, ‘What just happened?’
“Sounds good . . . Dad.”
Robert clears his throat at the term of affection, and we make our way into the dining room. Debra brings in the serving platters from the kitchen, setting them on the table, as Evan opens the wine for us all.
We’re just about to raise a glass in toast when the phone rings. Debra pauses to look at it, a plate of dinner rolls in her hands. But instead of answering, she rolls her eyes and says, “It’s Audrey. I’m not letting her interrupt our family dinner with her narcissistic bullshit.”
As Debra rearranges a few plates to make room for the rolls, Robert, Caylee, and Connor all look at each other in shock.
“Uh, Mom?” Caylee asks as she sets down her wine glass, “Where did you learn about narcissism?”
Debra blushes slightly. “Well, things have been rough lately. Like you said, the wedding was a lot of stress, and there’s been . . ." She trails off, looking at Robert and Connor before the words rush out in one breath, “I started going to therapy. It’s only been a couple of sessions, but I’m learning a lot.”