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“I do. I love her, and I already love this baby.”
“I want you to succeed. I want Daphne to be happy.”
“That’s what I want as well.”
“Then there’s something about Daphne that you need to know.”
Epilogue
Brad
Present Day…
Thank God for that faulty condom, or I wouldn’t have my son Jonah. He was perfect, and as he grew, he became strong and determined. Of all my children, my firstborn resembles me the most, not only in looks but also in personality.
Today, he refuses to speak to me.
I’ve tried.
I’ve tried with all of them.
I thought for sure my baby girl would come around, but she hasn’t yet.
Oddly, the one who speaks to me now is the one I failed in the worst way. My second born. Talon.
He’s visited a few times, and we’ve had some deep conversations about guilt and blame. Wendy told Talon a fabricated story about Joe’s conception. She said I had a one-night stand with Daphne during one of our off-again periods, and that I was dating another woman at the time.
All lies, except for the fact that Wendy and I were off at the time.
I wasn’t seeing anyone else, and I loved Daphne from the moment I saw her. She was never a one-night stand.
Wendy told so many lies over the years. So many.
I may have a chance with Ryan and Marjorie. But my firstborn, the one whose conception led me down this path, will never forgive me. I know that now, and I must accept it. He’s quick to anger, quick to judge, and even quicker to draw his weapon.
I didn’t teach him to use a gun. I never wanted to—not after what teaching someone else had cost me.
I didn’t know until much later in life that Tom Simpson had taught him, and that Jonah had taught his younger brothers.
Now? After all they’ve been through? I’m glad they know how to handle weapons. I’m glad they can protect themselves and their families, even if Tom had something to do with it.
Tom…
That iciness I identified in those early years was colder than even I thought possible, though I didn’t know the extent until much later.
I spend a lot of time thinking. But I’ve stopped counting my regrets. Even I don’t have time enough for that—and all I have is time.
So I think. I think about the past, let myself fly backward in time and relive what I cannot change.
I remember the legacy I vowed to create after Daphne and I wed.
A legacy for my wife.
A legacy for my children.
A legacy for my grandchildren.
A legacy born in heaven.
And in hell.
