Kane dropped the colander back in the sink and rounded the kitchen island to the door in a matter of seconds. The sound of his father's voice caused his heart to stutter. It was something he hadn't heard in thirty years. The man's voice was older, but still bellowed in his deeply Southern accent. Kane slowed as pain lanced his heart. He'd thought he was past this. He'd reconciled these feelings with these people who he had spent more time without than with. He hesitated at the kitchen door as his father came into view.
"He doesn't look like you at all," Autumn called out, but Kane ignored her. His eyes remained riveted to the television screen. In Kane's mind, his father hadn't changed. He was still the same man who had kicked him out of his house all those years ago.
In the most recent letter he had received from his family, they had written and asked for money, saying their father was in poor health, but the man on the screen was anything but sickly. He looked robustly healthy as he spewed his opinions at the reporter who seemed to cower under the older man's vengeance-filled words.
"Those children are an atrocity! That boy is No. Son. Of. Mine. Corinthians 6:9-11, do not be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God! The devil owns Kane Adams's soul and the State of Minnesota should be wiped off the planet for allowing those children to live in that den of debauchery."
Kane sat down on the edge of the sofa completely stunned. His heart pounded in his chest. He barely registered Kennedy removing Autumn from the living room. What had he truly expected from his family? How had he not better prepared for this day?
Did he honestly believe they had all worked out an agreeable solution, that he could give them money to help overcome his sins? Yes, he did believe that, and he had to sit down because his heart thundered in his chest and his knees grew weak. He could feel the heat climbing in his cheeks as horror and embarrassment took its grip on his body.
Kane stared at the television as the screen went dark a moment before Peter Jennings image took shape, and the reporter looked momentarily astounded. "Ladies and Gentleman, those are the views of Pastor Dalton, not of this station…" The news cut immediately to commercial. Kane sat there, staring at the screen. After a second more, he let out his pent-up breath, evaluated the pain in his heart as not a possible heart attack, and ran his shaking hands over his face. The home phone started ringing.
"Honey, it's Paulie. Paulie, hold on, call waiting's beeping in. Hello, yes, honey, he's here." Kennedy was apparently back in the living room and had answered the phone. Both children had been ushered upstairs but were sitting on the top step looking down at him with sad, concerned eyes. Kennedy always sent them to their room when things got rough, but they weren't those kind of kids. The four of them were a unit, a little team.
Kane waved them back down to him as he reached for the remote control, turning the television off. Autumn and Robert raced down the steps; Autumn almost knocked him over as she tackled him in a hug.
"I'm so sorry, Daddy. I wouldn't have told you if I knew he would say those things," she whispered in his ear as she kept a death-grip hug wrapped around his neck. Robert stood less than a foot away, until he bent in, too, wrapping himself around Kane and Autumn. Tears were in his eyes.
"Guys, it's okay. I know how they feel," Kane said, holding them both tightly in his arms.
"It's wrong. You're a good man, Daddy," Robert said, holding him tighter.
"Kane, here talk to Avery. He's worried. Paulie's on his way over," Kennedy said from behind him. He managed to take the phone, situate the kids beside him, and remove most of Autumn's long blonde hair from his face as he lifted the cordless to his ear. He didn't speak as he listened to Avery barking out orders on the other end.
"I hear you breathing," Avery finally said.
"Autumn heard it all," Kane replied.
"That's okay, baby. They have us to help process it all," Avery said.
"My grandfather thinks I'm an atrocity," Autumn yelled close to the phone for Avery to hear her.
"Tell her that's not her grandfather. He's a thief and bigot and you're better off without him." The venom was back in Avery's voice. Kane couldn't speak the words. He couldn't say anything. He just hugged the children closer and let Kennedy pat his shoulder. There had been enough said in front of the children tonight.
"You guys stay here, I need to talk to your dad alone. No more TV tonight," Kane said. After a moment more, he left them sitting there and made his way to the far reaches of the kitchen.
"Kane, please talk to me," Avery finally said.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled and dropped his head inside his hand as he took a seat at the kitchen table.
"Sorry for what?" Avery asked, his tone clear that Kane had nothing to be sorry for.
"That was national news. Everyone all over the country heard my father's hatred toward us. I can't believe he brought the kids into this," Kane said.
"Honey, I don't care about that. I'm worried about you. He didn't look like he was too much on his deathbed. That was an awful nice house they were standing in front of," Avery said, his tone turning harder.
"I send them money every month," Kane confessed.
"I know, and he sure cashes those checks. He didn't mention that, did he?" Avery asked.
"They've been lying to me this whole time," Kane whispered. How, after all this time, was his heart still completely broken over anything that concerned them?
"Baby, I'm coming home," Avery said.