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“Dad,” Jared said in a joking manner, wrapping his father in a tight hug. I stayed seated not sure if I should really get up or not. Not sure if my legs would really carry me or not.
They walked through the entryway, and his dark eyes slid across the room until they landed on me. He looked very similar to John in many ways, which made sense because they were brothers. His eyes were dark, his face worn, and his eyes held a look of sadness in them. They brightened slightly upon landing on me, but otherwise, he looked like a man who was born on hard times.
His body was lean and large. He had to be close to six-foot-two, if not taller.
“Bree?” he said. My name was completely unnatural to his tongue. His words shook as if he was in a state of shock. Smiling softly, I stood, taking small steps to where he was standing. As I grew closer to him, I took notice of the color of his eyes, and how they matched my own. His nose was the same shape as mine, and like a small child, I had to stop myself from tracing the similarities on his face.
“That’s me,” I said almost shy like. I wasn’t ever shy, scared shitless maybe, but shy? No. That girl was long gone.
In a moment’s time, I was wrapped in his arms as he reached out, pulling me into his arms. His body encompassed my small frame as the smell of smoke and cologne hit me.
“I can’t believe it, I’m so sorry.” He sounded on the verge of tears, which was strange because he didn’t seem as if he were a man who often cried.
“Let’s go sit and talk,” Jared suggested ushering us into the living room. James released me with hesitation as if he thought I would skip away into the fog. He stared at me for a long moment, simply smiling. His eyes looked glassy, and as soon as he blinked, it disappeared. I turned around on my heels and headed for the same seat I had before.
“I can’t even believe this… I’m so flabbergasted,” James said shocked as if he couldn’t really believe I was here.
“Don’t worry, you weren’t the only one shocked as all hell,” I added, looking over at him as he took the seat next to me. The leather against my skin was the only thing keeping me in place. I was honestly scared to find out about the past.
Smiling, he cocked his head. “You look just like your mother—God, Samantha was beautiful.” I could hear the reminiscence in his voice.
“Thanks,” I said, unsure of what else there was to say. I was slightly angry he wasn’t there for her upon her death and hadn’t come for me.
“I’m so sorry about missing all these years. Your mother never told me about you. She just kind of disappeared, and then suddenly, she was sick, and…” He stopped midsentence seeing the sadness seep onto my face.
“It’s still kind of hard to talk about her.”
“Of course, of course,” he said running a hand through his dark brown hair. He shared the same hair color as Jared and me, which made me think back to what Jared had said about losing his own mother. Our father had lost two loves in his life. His heartache ran deep.
“Well, Dad, I’m glad you made it here in one piece. I wasn’t sure your beat up truck was going to make it through a two-hour trip,” Jared joked to break the silence. We all let out a laugh as I listened to the two of them make digs at each other about the mysterious truck Jared said made it through The Cold War, World War One and Two, and Vietnam. Basically, it was old.
“Zerro,” James greeted Zerro, seeing him before I did as he walked into the living room. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a white V-neck T. He looked fuckable. It had to be my emotions or something because I was contemplating taking him in the back room to blow off some of my nerves.
“James,” Zerro greeted back in typical male fashion. Men were weird. How was stating their first name to someone considered a greeting?
“I hope you’re treating my daughter well.” Darkness descended on us, and my insides screamed for me to say something. After all, it was the first time he had ever laid claim to me.
“As good as a Queen should be treated.” I didn’t have to look at Zerro to know there was a dark look on his face. He didn’t like people assuming he treated me like dirt. He didn’t like anyone thinking shit about him.
“Good. I came here to talk to Bree and it’s what I would like to do right now if it’s okay with all of you,” James said commanding all the attention. It was strange how the energy in the room changed. It didn’t feel as if it was filled with testosterone, but more so with respect.
Jared and Zerro nodded their heads at the same time. “Yeah, I was just going to get Jared to watch a movie,” Zerro said, his eyes zeroing in on Jared. There was a look exchanged between the two that had me wondering—were they actually watching a movie or doing recon to figure out what Mack was up to?
Even though I wanted to say something, I didn’t. Instead, I let them walk away leaving me with a man who I was supposed to call my father.
“Here,” James said, reaching into the front pocket of his jacket. He pulled out a white piece of paper folded many times. He extended his hand to give it to me, but I paused for a moment. What was he giving me?
“What is it?”
“A letter from your mother. She gave it to me on the rare occasion I ever saw you after her death. She told me you were okay and I wasn’t to go out looking for you. She said if you wanted to know about me, you would come to me.”
