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“They did!” he roars, flinging his arms in the air. “That’s exactly what they did!”
“Consider this scenario,” I say gently. “Jamie was scared. At your house, she felt safe, cared for, and loved. She had a confidant in your father and someone who viciously wanted to protect her. But she also had a loving boyfriend who was an appropriate match for her. Falling for your father would have been forbidden and wrong. It would have jeopardized everything for her and landed her back on her ass at her house with those horrible people.”
I continue with a sigh, “You were a good boyfriend until you weren’t.”
He glowers at me.
“I’m just saying that when the going got tough, you used life as an excuse to avoid her and her problems. Am I right?”
A one-shouldered shrug is all I get.
“It was easier to let your dad comfort her and deal with the hard stuff. And, in the end, you weren’t even interested in pursuing an intimate relationship with her.”
“But she cheated on me,” he croaks, voice soft and broken. “With my dad.”
“Which is terrible, Callum. It’s a horrible betrayal. I’m not saying what they did wasn’t wrong. I’m just saying things aren’t so cut and dry. How did you find out?”
Disgust tugs his lips down into a cruel curve. “I had a feeling something strange was going on, so I stayed up one night to listen.”
“I bet what you discovered was heartbreaking.”
He closes his eyes and grits his teeth. “She was in her bed in the guest room.” He pauses and then lets a rush of breath escape. “But so was Dad. They were…”
“Having sex.”
He nods. “It blew up after that.”
“How?”
“I told them they were both dead to me, slammed the door shut on them, and spent the night at Grandpa’s house.” He scowls. “Mom heard all my screaming, I guess, or Dad just decided to confess to her because after that night, he moved out with Jamie and filed for divorce.”
“I bet that was stressful for you knowing his marriage was breaking apart too.”
“I mean, it was dead already,” Callum says with a grunt. “Getting caught with my girlfriend just made it official. Jamie and Dad were staying together no matter what anyone around them thought. They apologized about how it came to be but not for the love between them.”
“And you’ve had to live with their choices ever since.”
“I have. Worse is she ended up pregnant. For a moment, I’d hoped it was with my baby. But the math didn’t add up. I knew we hadn’t had sex in a while. She was having Dad’s baby. Dempsey and Gemma are a daily reminder of that shit.”
I let silence fill the air as we both digest what all we’ve discussed. Finally, I speak up. “Do you think you and Jamie would have truly made it past high school?”
His gaze settles on mine, and he gives me a small shake of his head. “Honestly, no. College was…”
“Your escape,” I finish for him. “You had no plans on taking her and her problems along with you.”
He frowns and studies his shoe for a beat. “I guess that makes me the bad guy then, huh?”
“No,” I say softly. “It makes you human. Besides, look what that shitty turn of events led to.”
A wide grin spreads over his face. “Willa is the love of my life, Tate. We’re having a baby and I…I can’t imagine my life any other way. I’m happy now. For the first time, I’m fucking happy.”
Callum’s shoulders relax. The anger is gone and I can feel his gratitude for Willa shining through. I think I just had a breakthrough with a Park. Wrong Park, but it feels victorious nonetheless.
“You don’t have to forgive them,” I tell him. “I know it hurts still. But I think working on your anger from the situation while appreciating your current relationship will help you feel a lot better. Carrying all that has to be heavy. It’s been a long time.”
He nods and then smirks. “I can see why Dad picked you. You’re pretty damn good at your job.” Then his smile turns evil. “I can’t wait to see you unravel my brother.”
If only it were as simple as a direct conversation in the library.
