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Diamond
“If you’re going to jump out of the car, at least tell me so I can slow down first,” Jesse teases as we pull into the restaurant’s parking lot shortly after five.
I release a nervous laugh, but the real joke is how close to the truth he is. I didn’t want to come today, a fact you can easily guess by looking at my face, and Jesse’s been making snarky comments since he picked me up at the apartment.
Little does he know…
All he’s doing is giving me ideas.
I’m not even sure why I’m nervous about this dinner.Is it the prospect of seeing Dave again? Learning the truth about my birth mother once and for all? The answer practically smacks me in the face when Jesse pulls into a parking spot and kills the engine.
This dinner will make it real.
It was easy to outrun the truth when Jesse and I weren’t speaking. I was okay with only knowing half the story because my ignorance allowed me to make up my own ending—one that preferably didn’t involve my big brother actually being my father. But after today, I’m going to know everything.
Every. Little. Detail.
No more running, no more lying to myself.
Just the truth.
“Come on, he’s waiting for us.” Jesse unbuckles his seat belt.
A pit of anxiety forming in my throat, I nod and shadow him to the restaurant’s entrance. Jesse says something to the woman at the front of the restaurant, but I can’t make out what, my loud, erratic heartbeat keeping me from focusing.
The woman gestures to follow her and leads us to a leather booth at the back of the restaurant. Dave’s already seated when we reach our table. Relief flashes in his gaze as soon as he sees my brother.
But then he sees me.
And his mouth falls open.
Is he… tearing up?
Dave and I haven’t seen each other in over a year. I haven’t picked up his calls or answered his messages since I left for college. Guilt flickers in my chest at the look on his face. I was so mad at him and Jesse for lying to me that I never stopped to think about how they felt.
It must’ve been hell for Dave. He lost his husband and his daughter in the span of months. Maybe I was too hard on him?
“Sorry we’re late,” Jesse says, and Dave rises to his feet, pulling him into a quick embrace.
“Don’t worry about it for a second.” Dave pats Jesse’s back. They separate a moment later, and Dave turns his attention over to me.
I’m not quite ready for a hug, but I also don’t want to treat him like a stranger, so I offer him a small smile and say, “Hey, Dad.”
“Hi, honey.” Dave’s voice cracks. “You look beautiful.”
I glance down at my outfit. I was in a rush and opted for a black, long-sleeve dress, which worked out well considering this place is on the fancy side. Jesse said I looked like I was going to a funeral when I first got into his car, to which I replied to shut up unless he wanted a funeral of his own. It’s crazy how easily we turned back into bickering siblings. And even crazier to think that we’re not siblings at all.
“Please sit.” Dave retakes his seat, gesturing for us to join him.
Jesse slides next to Dave in the booth, and I plop down on the opposite side, facing both my adoptive father and my biological father—yes, it’s as surreal as it sounds.
“Our waiter should be back with water soon, and I ordered us a few appetizers,” Dave says.
I thank him with a nod. Silence descends upon us, and I wonder if diving straight into it would seem rude.
“So, how’s school?” Dave makes small talk.
I play along. “Good. I love it.”
