“We’re all here, right? Our family?”
“Right.”
“And it’s pretty big news that babies are coming, right?”
“Right.”
“Then how come Dominic isn’t here? He’s part of us too. Is he working or something? I can’t wait to tell him I’m going to be a big brother.”
Silence. Except for the high-pitched buzzing in my ears.
Anna looks embarrassed. “JJ, I—”
“You guys still see him?” I ask.
The only one who’ll look at me is Creed. “Sure, Kid,” he says. “Why wouldn’t we?” There’s a bit of a challenge in his voice. “We have him over for dinner once a week. Like JJ said, he’s family.”
I swallow thickly. “That’s… nice of you.”
“People mess up, Kid,” he says. “Everyone in this room knows that. Sometimes people mess up too much and there’s no coming back from it. Other times, it’s something mishandled, but it’s in the past and needs to be forgiven. You, of all people, should know the difference between the two.”
“Creed,” Otter warns. “Not now. This isn’t—”
“No,” I interrupt. “Let him talk.”
“Creed,” Anna says, but he ignores her.
“Hasn’t this gone on long enough?” he asks.
“You don’t know everything,” I tell him. “Not about him. Not about me.”
“Don’t I? I was there when it was about Bear and Otter. I might not have seen it right at the time, but I can see it now.”
“It’s not the same. I’m not like them. This is different.”
“Really? You left, Kid. Doesn’t get much more the same than that.”
“Creed,” Bear says. “That’s enough.” His voice is hard. “I told you not to talk about this.”
“You did?” I ask, unable to keep the surprise from my voice. “When?”
Bear sighs. “Before we left New Hampshire.”
“Why?”
“Because it needed to be said.”
I’m pissed, though I can’t quite figure out why. “So you just thought that I shouldn’t be aware of this? Poor, fragile Tyson couldn’t possibly handle it?”
“Panic attack,” Bear snaps. “Two hours ago. On the beach.”
“That’s not fair!”
He shakes his head. “It’s not. But that is how it is. I was just trying to do what’s best for you. As I’ve always done.”
“Maybe I don’t need you to do that,” I say coldly. “I’m not a kid anymore.”
“You better believe I’m going to do it. As long as you live under my roof, I’m going to do everything I can to make sure you—”