“This is almost as bad as the birds and the bees speech from the sixth grade,” Gabe mutters with a pained look on his face.
I try but I can’t hold back my laugh. My mom glares at me and I smother it with the palm of my hand. No matter how old I get, my mom’s death glare is still effective.
“Now, I know you think you’re protecting her, Gabe. I know that. And it’s sweet that you want to do that. But we’ve always known that Josie had a sweet spot for Zack.”
Gabe looks at his mom in surprise, then glances over at me. “You did?”
Debbie grins. “Oh yes. The little thing was always spying on him and following him around asking him questions. I know it annoyed him at first but I think after a while he liked it.”
“Yeah, I did. I still do,” I admit.
Gabe doesn’t look quite as mutinous now but looks back and forth between all of us like he’s considering everything.
“I’m not trying to treat her like a doll or whatever. Maybe I’ve just been trying to protect her for so long that I don’t know when to stop.”
I know the admission has to be hard for him. “You don’t need to protect her from me. I love her, too. And I always will.”
He nods to that. It’s slight but I get the message. No more fighting. Our family is more important than either of our pride.
“I’m sorry,” Gabe grumbles.
“Me, too. Not for falling in love with Josie but for keeping it from you. I wouldn’t have liked to be shut out either.”
Debbie beams. “See, that’s so much better, isn’t it?”
I laugh at her obvious relief. “Yeah it is. And while we’re having our little “come to Jesus” meeting, there’s something else I want to say. I’m going to get in touch with Max. He’s made a lot of mistakes, huge ones that have hurt a lot of people. But I want to talk to him one last time. I think I’ll regret it if I don’t.”
Gabe clenches his jaw. “I guess that’s fair.”
Debbie pats my arm. “If that’s what you need to do honey, I think you should do it.”
My mom hasn’t said anything which I know means she doesn’t like the idea. She’s been the most vocal over the years about her hatred for the man who left them both pregnant and alone. But then she surprises the hell out of me by nodding her head.
“I think you should do it, too.”
Even Debbie looks shocked.
“Oh don’t y’all look so surprised. I can evolve!” She rolls her eyes when we all burst into laughter. “Seriously, I’m starting to think the old bastard actually did us a favor.”
“You don’t mean that,” Debbie scolds.
“Actually I do,” Paula replies. She holds out her hands to Gabe and I and we both take them. “After all, it’s hard to be mad at the rascal when he left his most priceless possessions here with us.”
†
Getting closure from Max turns out to be way more complicated than just making the decision. Tank mentioned he’d gone back to Ireland after Gabe’s stabbing but I’d assumed he would be back at some point. He has so many business interests here that it never occurred to me he might not ever come back.
After almost a week of messages back and forth from his lawyer, I’m standing outside his usual suite at the StarCrest hotel, one of the many luxury hotels he owns. I’m not sure how to act around him now that I know the truth. He's a guy who left his kids but he did it for a good reason.
Although I have to shake my head at the idea of Max deliberately knocking up a bunch of women. It’s such a twisted sort of logic but I can't deny that his plan worked. He has five sons who all grew up relatively normal and away from the long arm of his criminal family. Which wouldn't have happened if Max had stayed in our lives.
Now that I know more about what he was running away from, I’m not so sure I wouldn't have made the same choice.
When I finally knock, Max answers the door himself. “Come in, Zachary. I’m glad you’re here.”
“Hey, Max. Thanks for seeing me.”
I step inside and follow him into the hotel suite, trying to keep my shock at his appearance under control. Max has been sick the entire time I’ve known him but he looks like he’s aged twenty years in the last few months. He’s walking with his cane though instead of using the wheelchair so he must not be doing that badly.