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“There’s something I need to do,” Floyd says. “Amends I need to make.”
“Amends?” I scoff. “Really?”
“Amends to your mother.”
“My mother has been dead for twenty-five years. You’re too fucking late. And you never gave a shit anyway.”
“Never gave a shit? Man, I gave her two kids. Too pretty decent specimens, if your brother looks anything like you. Can’t say I’m surprised. Cheri was one hot little number.”
“That’s it.” My curled fist makes contact with his jaw in a dull thud.
“Easy, Dale,” Dad says. “He’s already got a head injury.”
“Do I look like I care?”
Except I do care. I want to know why he’s looking for us. Why now? Why not when we truly needed him? When some derelict dragged my little brother and me out of our home, gagged us, blindfolded us, kidnapped us…and did the unthinkable? Where was Daddy Dearest then?
“I don’t care either, but I don’t want to see you brought up on an assault charge.”
“Battery, Dad.”
Dad smiles. “You’re right. Your mother and brother would have my ass for making that mistake.”
“Yeah, I’ll call the cops,” Floyd says.
“When they find out who you are and that you abandoned Dale, his brother, and their mother thirty years ago, no cop in the world would arrest my son.”
“Don’t you mean my son?” Floyd says with a snarl.
“Oh, it’s on now.” Anger roils up my spine. My muscles tense, my fingers curl into fists. I’m so ready to pummel this asshole.
“Easy,” Dad says again. “You lost the right to play the father card long ago, Floyd. I’m his father.”
“I can’t believe it. My sons were adopted by the Steels. My ship has come in!”
“Man, Dad, I’ve got to pound on him. Come on. Just a little bit.”
“Some things are a father’s prerogative.” My dad nails Floyd right in the nose.
“Fuck!” Floyd’s eyes water. “You broke my nose!”
“Consider that a preview,” Dad says.
“I’ll call the—”
“Call the cops. Yeah. Do it. After we tell them we rescued you from drowning in your own vomit, not to mention how you abandoned your kids, I think they’ll see it my way.”
So Dad isn’t worried about battery charges after all. He wants me to keep my hands clean, but he’s willing to dirty his.
That’s so much like my father. He’d do anything for me. For any of his children. All those years, Donny and I never felt “less than” for being adopted instead of natural, like Diana and Brianna. Dad was every bit as much ours as theirs.
I’ve often wondered how I got so lucky.
How Dad and Uncle Ry happened to rescue Donny and me that day.
Why he and Mom decided to take us in.
Because I could give you what you needed.
Is that all there is to it?
He said he’d tell me the whole story. That it’s time.
But first we have to deal with Floyd Jolly.
Dad takes the bathroom cloth I brought out earlier and hands it to Floyd to wipe his nose.
“Hurts like a mother,” Floyd says.
“You think I don’t know that?” Dad shakes his head. “My nose has been broken more times than I can count. Man up.”
Man up. Interesting words. Anyone who abandons two kids will never be able to man up.
At least he stops sulking.
“All right,” Dad says. “First things first. We’re going to get a DNA test to determine whether you’re Dale’s biological father for sure.”
“What about his brother?”
“I had their DNA analyzed years ago. They’re full blood brothers. If you turn out to be Dale’s father, you’re also Donny’s.”
“What’s the other one look like?”
“A lot like Dale. Darker hair. Green eyes.”
“Like mine. They have my eyes.”
I scoff. Except that he’s right. We do have the same eyes. I’ve always liked my eyes. Until now.
“It’s Sunday,” Dad says, “so we can’t get the DNA test until tomorrow. In the meantime, I guess we have to take him home with us to make sure he doesn’t skip out.”
“Bring him to the ranch? Are you kidding, Dad?”
“What other choice is there? This place is a sty.”
“We put him in a hotel room.”
“We could, but he could still run.”
“Where the hell do you think I have to go?” Floyd says.
Dad pulls out his phone. “I’m going to call your mother. Tell her we’re spending the night in the city.”
“I can’t,” I say. “I’m supposed to work with Ashley tomorrow.”
“Can’t Ryan take care of that?”
Yeah, he can. I never asked to have an intern, and I don’t want one.
But I want Ashley.
I won’t let her down.
God, is this me?
“I’ve already started her training. I took her to the office yesterday and—”
He gestures for me to stop. “It’s okay, Dale. Go home. I’ll order a ride and get him to a hotel and get him sobered up. You’ll have to come to town sometime tomorrow though to get your blood drawn. The earlier the better.”
I sigh. “I’ll just stay here with you tonight. We can hit a lab first thing in the morning, and then we’ll drive home. All I have to do is ask Mom to take care of Penny and tell Ashley we’ll be starting later in the morning.”
