“I’ll leave you boys to talk,” Mom says after we finish the pie. My puzzlement must register on my face because she adds, “You always request pie when you want to talk to your dad.”
“I do?” The things parents notice will never cease to amaze me.
“Yes,” she confirms, leaving the room with a smile.
“Spit it out, son,” Dad says.
I tell him everything about the situation with Nadine and Archer. That I discovered Archer’s a bastard, and that Nadine asked me not to get involved, but it’s hard for me not to step in and flat-out ruin that son of a bitch.
“Son, you were always overprotective. When you were young and were watching Blake and Daniel learning to walk, you were hovering around them, catching them every time they were about to fall.”
I raise my eyebrows. My memories don’t go that far back. The only memories of Daniel and Blake I have from our childhood are that Sebastian and I pranked them to no end. When they grew up, the twins pranked our asses off as revenge. They got much better at it than Sebastian and I. But I trust my dad to have a more extensive memory of those early days.
“You know what happened?” he continues. “It took them a lot longer to learn how to rise back up on their tiny feet after falling because you were constantly keeping them from doing so. You’ve always been protective, and it’s commendable. Sometimes, though, it’s good to let people make mistakes so they can learn from them. ”
“Are you suggesting I let Archer scam Nadine?” My words come out harsher than I intended.
“No, of course not. Not in this case. What I meant was that you always try to solve everyone’s problems, and it’s not always for the best. Sometimes, all you have to do is be by their side while they solve their problems, giving them your counsel. What I suggest is you tell her what you know and let her handle it. The secret to a happy marriage is honesty.”
I open my mouth to say Nadine and I are not married, and then it hits me. I want to marry this woman. I’ve never been more certain of anything. While I digest this epiphany, my dad goes on and on about him being honest with Mom.
“Dad,” I interrupt. “Drop the act. You went behind her back when you covered for Blake and Daniel at school.”
“Well,” Dad says. “Your mother can be very stubborn sometimes, and a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do.”
I chuckle. “So, the secret to a happy marriage is to be honest, except those times when you’re not honest.”
“You’re twisting my words, son.”
“I believe I’m just summing everything up. Did you ever tell Mom about covering for the twins?”
“No. And I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t either.”
“Don’t worry, Dad, I wouldn’t want to incur Mom’s wrath. But I did understand your point.”
“You love this woman.”
“I do,” I affirm.
He pats my shoulder. “We’re happy for you, son. After everything that happened with Sylvia, we feared you were going to swear on being a bachelor.”
The mention of Sylvia no longer brings the sour taste it used to. Nadine wiped that away too.
“We want you to be happy.”
“I know. Thanks, the talk helped. Now I have a plan.”
Like Dad said, a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do.
***
The pre-Nadine Logan would have done things the following way: I would’ve ruined the bastard’s business with a few phone calls, and stormed into his office to tell him to stay away from Nadine.
The current Logan will wait until after the show to talk to Nadine, and then decide together what the best punishment for this asshole is. I still hope to convince her that wiping his business out is the best thing.
But I am still going to his office to warn the moron to stay away from Nadine. I walk into his office the day before the show. His office is in a slimy neighborhood. Fits him, I guess. His secretary inspects me in surprise. No shit. My suit is more expensive than everything in this room.
“Logan Bennett,” I say before she opens her mouth. “I’m here to see Archer Daring.”