I was grateful I always had her love—no matter what. Not everyone could say the same thing about their mothers.
She hugged Carter the same way, showering him with love like he was her son too.
“We just wanted to say goodbye,” I said. “Carter and I are heading back home. We’ve got work to do.” A part of me wanted to leave without saying goodbye to my father. I didn’t want to see him, and I suspected he didn’t want to see me either.
“I understand,” Mom said. “I’ll be right back.”
Carter and I stood together in the entryway, waiting for this all to end so we could get back to our lives.
Uncle Cane came first and walked with Carter outside for privacy. Maybe he was going to scold his son and didn’t want me to overhear it. I was about to have the same conversation with my father, so I didn’t see why it mattered.
My father arrived a few minutes later but without my mother. He slowly walked toward me, wearing black jeans and a black t-shirt. He would normally be at the winery right now, but work seemed to be put on hold in light of everything that had happened.
He didn’t look at me as he approached, his powerful arms hanging by his sides. His gaze was indecipherable, but his mood was loud as a bell. Still disappointed and still ticked, he was exactly the same as he was yesterday…and the day before.
He stopped in front of me and crossed his arms over his chest. He finally looked at me, his dark eyes like bullets.
I held his gaze, refusing to be intimidated—even by my father. “I’m heading back to work. Just wanted to say goodbye.”
Silence.
I was usually on my father’s good side, so I wasn’t used to this kind of shunning. It made me realize that no one wanted to be my father’s enemy. Even without a gun, he was terrifying. How did my mom, so full of warmth and affection, put up with him?
It didn’t seem like he was going to say anything, so I wasn’t going to wait around. “I guess I’ll talk to you later, then.” I turned away, finished with his coldness.
“Con.” Like a blade, his word sliced through the air.
I stopped mid-turn, then slowly came back to him.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, son. And I kept it that way for a reason.”
I stared into his eyes, waiting for him to elaborate.
“I’ve changed my life and have become a good man. I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of. When I was your age, I was reckless and stupid because I had nothing to lose. I didn’t have a wife or children. And I had the ridiculous notion that I was invincible. It’s hard to believe I’m standing here today, a healthy man with a beautiful family.”
“If you’ve done terrible things, how can you stand there and judge me?”
“I’ve never judged you, Con.”
“Seems like it.”
“I just don’t want you to make the mistakes that I’ve made. You are…” His voice trailed off, and he took a deep breath. He stared at the ground before he lifted his gaze to meet mine once again. “There are no words to describe how I feel about you…my only son. I love you more than myself. I even love you more than your mother, as unbelievable as that is. I’m only hard on you because I love you. You may be a grown man, but I’m never going to stop protecting you.”
My anger dimmed slightly, but only a fraction. “I saved that woman. How can you not be proud of me?”
He sighed. “She’s not your responsibility to save, Conway. You have an illustrious career and a woman who loves you. Just live your life and be happy.”
“You never answered the question.”
His eyes narrowed, accompanied by a sigh. “You have no idea how proud I am of you. But I’m proud of you no matter what you do. I’ve always wanted you to take over the winery, but I knew you had your own ambitions. Not only did I respect it, but I supported them. But this…I do not…cannot support. Don’t get involved with these people. It’s not worth it.”
I bowed my head slightly. “What kind of man did you used to be?” When the silence stretched, I wondered if he would answer. I knew bits and pieces about his past, but not a lot. I lifted my gaze to look at him again.
His expression was just as hard. “When I was young, all I cared about was money. My father was an arms dealer, and naturally, Cane and I inherited it. The blood war raged, and we made a lot of money selling weapons to all kinds of people. I’ve murdered men because they made the mistake of getting in my way. I didn’t care if they had a wife or children. I didn’t care about anything. I was cruel. Evil.”