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“Aunt Ruby is strong. She escaped him and lived on her own for three years as a minor, and then when she turned eighteen, she supported herself waiting tables until she could enroll in the police academy at twenty-one. Anyway, she agreed with me. If she had known who her father was from day one, she would have been prepared.”
“Maybe there was no way for her to know.”
“That was her point. There wasn’t. But therewasa way for you kids to know the obstacles that might flare up.”
“Obstacles, Mom? Really?”
“Not the best word, I know, but in the family’s defense, we all thought it was over. The three men in question were dead, and so was Wendy Madigan.”
“Uncle Ryan’s birth mother.”
“Yes. And your cousins Ava and Gina don’t know that yet, so you’re going to need to keep it to yourself. It’s up to Uncle Ryan and Aunt Ruby to tell them or not to tell them.”
“Of course. I would never…”
“Not on purpose, you wouldn’t. But you have your father’s hot streak, Brock, and if you got angry enough…”
“Mom, if I got angry enough, I would still think of my cousins and what’s best for them.”
“All right, Brock.”
I’m not sure if my mother believes me or if she just thinks it best not to press this particular point. It doesn’t matter in the end.
“Dad told me what they did to you.”
“Dredging up those old memories wasn’t pleasant,” she says.
“Maybe that’s what the rest of the family wanted, then. To never have to relive all this.” I shake my head. “But they were wrong. It’s not fair to us now.”
She nods. “Things are never better left buried, Brock. If there’s something there, it will always rise to the surface eventually, and it’s best if we’re prepared for it.”
My mom isn’t just brilliant, she also has common sense. Why didn’t they listen to her all those years ago? Why didn’t they listen to Aunt Ruby? She was a cop, for God’s sake. She and Mom are best friends. They have been forever. They were each other’s maids of honor.
“Your father will figure out how to handle this current situation,” Mom says. “You’re going to have to trust him.”
“That’s just it, Mom. I hate to say this, but Idon’ttrust him. He has lied by omission all these years.”
“We all have,” she says, “and he’s still your father, Brock.”
“And you’re still my mother. So what? I’m a grown man, and I have to take responsibility for myself. For my own actions.”
She smiles then. That big broad smile that makes her so beautiful. “You were such a strong baby,” she says. “You were nearly ten pounds. You are my miracle baby, Brock. I didn’t think I could have another child. I was forty-two when you were born. You fought to come into this world. I shouldn’t have been able to get pregnant, but you made it happen.”
I’ve heard this all before. Yes, I was a miracle. Yes, I was huge and I almost ripped my mom a new one. It’s one of those family stories we hear at Christmas every year.
But my mom isn’t done speaking.
“Even then, I knew how strong you would be. I love both of you, both of my sons, but you have a gift your brother doesn’t. His personality is so much like mine. He’s very in touch with his feelings, he’s a hard worker, and he knows how to listen to people. But you? You’re like both your fatherandme. You have all my good qualities and all his, without much of the bad. You have your father’s hot streak, but you’re able to control it much better than he can, and believe me, that will come in handy. Nothing can stop you, Brock. Not when you’ve made up your mind about something.”
I can’t help smiling. “I was talking to Rory about this. About how Brad was always the brain and I was the brawn.”
“If we made you feel that way, I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t. Not really. I mean, I know we were equally loved and all that.”
“You’re the brawnandthe brain, Brock. Don’t ever forget that. You aced your way through every class you ever took. You’re strong, you have a good heart, and you have an amazing sense of justice and morality. That’s why all of this is bothering you so much.”
“I suppose so,” I agree, “but that’s not the whole of it. It’s also bothering me because I don’t feel like I know my family anymore.”
