I ended the call and sat there, feeling relieved. Feelingnumb.
The door was pushed open, and Jenn walked in with tear tracks on her face. Silently, she crossed to me and pulled me against herself, and just held me close.
She cried, I could both hear it and feel the tremors through her body. When a couple of minutes later, Mike peeked into the office, he took one look at us, then joined the hug. He wrapped his arms mostly around her, but put one hand on the back of my neck and squeezed.
Eventually, Jenn hiccupped and said, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to listen to your call, but—”
“I get it. You heard a snippet of a story of a kid being abused.” Anyone who cared would stop to listen.
She gasped. “Not just a kid, Ville.You.”
“No, I know.”
“I don’t know what she heard or what happened to you, but you didn’t deserve whatever it was,” Mike said in a stern, loving dad voice I had never, ever heard from my own so-called father.
I gave him a tremulous smile. “I know that, too.”
“I just think you need to hear it from a dad,” he said firmly. “It wasn’t your fault. You did nothing wrong. You should’ve been protected.”
I nodded and wiped my eyes. “Thank you.” Then, “Your kids are so fucking lucky.”
Jenn immediately shook her head. “No. Absolutely not. There’s nothing ‘lucky’ about having decent parents. That should be the norm, the bare minimum.”
“Jenn?” Nick called out. “Why the hell wouldn’t you put nutmeg in the lasagna? I’m doing it!”
I snorted. What a way to release the tension and slight awkwardness.
“Don’t you dare! I’ll be right there and so help me if you mess with my recipe!” she called back, then hugged me extra tight. “You’re a good man, Ville. You’re part of this family now.” Then she stepped around Mike and went to see a man about a recipe.
Mike leaned against the wall and looked at me thoughtfully. “What she said is right. All of it. I don’t know what will or won’t come of you and Emery, but you’re part of the family now.”
I made a face. I didn’t want to say that nothing would come of me and Emery, but I also didn’t see a way for there to be anything in the long run.
“I know,” Mike said gently. “It’s complicated. But you’re stuck with us now. People need family.” He pushed away from the wall, clapped my shoulder with his big hand, and then followed his wife to the kitchen.
I rubbed my hand over my face and wondered how I’d gotten so damn lucky. I didn’t quite feel as if I was part of them, the Harringtons, but I also knew Jenn and Mike wouldn’t say something like this just because they were sorry for me.
I was folded into the family like every other close friend or partner of their kids was. Hell, Wren had been an honorary Harrington since elementary school. He’d always said these were the best people, and I now understood even better.
I texted Janne to let him know mom had called, and that I would be going no contact. I also told him she now knew he’d seen things when we were kids, just to give him a heads up if she acted weird around him.
By lunchtime, I was done watching the screens, and went to eat with everyone else in the kitchen.
As there was a lull in the usual conversation around the table, I cleared my throat. “If anyone has anything for me to do, let me know. I can only stare at the screens for so long.”
Hawk grinned. “I can use you. I’m doing some jumping practice with one of the horses I’m training, and I’ll need someone to move the poles around.”
“Sounds good. I’m in.”
An hour later, I was slathering myself with sunscreen as I walked to the outdoor arena.
“You know, I thought it was only western riding you do,” I told Hawk who was already there with a big, bay mare.
She looked frustrated as he kept a treat just out of her reach to one side, so that she needed to really stretch her neck.
“I do plenty of that, sure, but I’ve done pretty much all the things so I also train jumpers and even some low level dressage. Hell, I spent a week at a stable with race horses a couple of years back, just to see that side of the business, too.” He made a face as he let the mare have the treat.
“Not your scene?” I made an educated guess.
