Collide (The Barker Triplets 2)

The space was drenched in shadows and when his father stepped into the circle of light where Shane stood, his disappointment was obvious.

“I’m guessing, I’m not who you were expecting?”

“Don’t take it personally.”

James Gallagher attempted a smile. “I won’t.”

Shane wiped his hands and stretched, the muscles across his shoulders were killing him and his legs were stiff. He’d been standing in front of the easel for hours, not really doing much, spending most of that time thinking.

Planning on what to do and what to say and how to fix something that was obviously broken.

He moved toward his father and paused a few feet away, not really knowing what to say to him. He’d met with James Gallagher a few times over the last few weeks. Lunch had been first—in the city at Twisted Lemon—The Grill wasn’t exactly his father’s style.

Shane wasn’t sure what he’d expected, but he had been blown away when in fact, all his father was interested in was lunch.

The two of them had kept things on the safe side. They’d discussed things that didn’t matter. Hockey. Baseball. They’d even discussed the weather. He’d left their lunch, not feeling as if he knew his father any better, but thinking that maybe the man wasn’t as much of a bastard as he had thought.

“So I was in the neighborhood…” James said slowly, a hint of a grin toying with his mouth.

Shane arched an eyebrow, at his father’s attempt at humor.

“Thought I would stop in.”

“Good to know,” Shane said casually, noticing for the first time his father was still dressed in the clothes he had worn to dinner at the Barker’s. “Is everything alright?”

James shrugged. “I don’t know. You tell me.”

Shane rubbed his chin, running his fingers along the thick stubble that was now nearly two days old. He didn’t think he could do the buddy thing with his father. Not yet. Maybe never.

When in doubt. Change the subject.

“How’s Celia? I’m sorry I didn’t ask about her earlier. Eden said she started another round of chemo yesterday.”

James nodded, his hands in his front pockets. “She’s hanging in.” He paused. “So, this Barker girl…she means a lot to you.”

Shane nodded, unsure where this was headed.

“You know I was never a big fan of the two of you.”

No shit.

“You both just seemed so,” James shook his head and shuffled his feet. “You both did everything at warp speed and I thought she was bad for you. I thought that the two of you together would combust. I thought that you would crash and burn. You both lived without boundaries. You lived like you were dying, as if you needed to experience everything that there was to experience right then, in that moment. It scared me, Shane. You and her together scared the crap out of me.”

Huh. He hadn’t known that his father cared so much.

“Not that this gives me any sort of pleasure, but it seems as if you were right.”

“You love her.”

Shane exhaled, his chest tightening painfully. “Yeah, I do.”

His father’s eyes glittered. Even through the dim lighting Shane saw the tears and he glanced away, not able to deal with a father who was flesh and blood. This wasn’t the father he remembered. Who the hell was this guy?

“You’re so like her,” James said eventually, looking away and for that Shane was glad. He didn’t know how to handle the man who stood a few feet from him.

“I need you to know, Shane,” he stammered and then swore. “Hell, I need you to accept my apology.”

“Dad, I really don’t want to get into all this crap right now.”