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“Now that’s a grand gesture.”
“Second to the best.”
“What’s the first?”
“You coming back.”
He smiles as if he likes what I said. “It took me some time to get my head out of my ass, but I wasn’t going to let you go.”
“I hate that you have to leave again.”
“Me too, but we’ll be together soon.”
His leaving tomorrow will be rough, and long-distance will suck, but knowing we’ll be seeing each other in a few weeks makes it all better.
“Is it going to be okay when you go home?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. Let’s just say Dad and I had a come-to-Jesus moment before I left.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, worry settling in my stomach.
“I visited my brother before I came here.”
I snap my head toward him. The last thing I expected him to do was to visit Steve. Dalton was more reluctant to visit his living brother than I was going to the cemetery. “How did seeing him go?”
“Surprisingly, the visit went well. Steve told me about his reasons for stealing. It turns out his reasoning had nothing to do with me.”
“That had to be a relief.” That night in Bellow Bay, when his dad blamed Dalton, I wanted to confront the awful man myself.
“Yeah, but I asked him why Dad treated me like shit.”
I remain quiet as he unfolds the story. My heart breaks a little more for him. Everyone has a dysfunctional family, but some are worse than others. “Is that what brought on the argument with your dad?”
He nods. “I confronted him. Much to my surprise, Mom had an affair nine months before I was born.”
“Oh, Dalton.” I halt, tears pricking my eyes. How much more can this man take before he reaches his breaking point? “Is he for sure your dad?”
He takes a stuttering breath. “I don’t know, but the results are in.”
“You took a paternity test?”
He nods. “Dad was passed out when I got back from visiting Steve. It was easy to obtain the swabs. I got the email notification this morning.”
“You haven’t looked?” I watch the glide of his Adam’s apple as he shakes his head. I seek out the closest bench and drag him to it. “Sit down. If you want to look, fine. If not, we’ll rest here for a few minutes.”
He pulls out his phone and opens the email app. His finger hovers over the email that determines his identity. I can’t begin to imagine what’s going through his mind. I don’t even know what scenario to wish for. Either choice is unfortunate.
“Fuck it,” he says and opens the email. He doesn’t hesitate and hits the link. When I read the words 99.99% match, I breathe and take a peek at Dalton. He looks bewildered.
“Huh, I kind of thought it wouldn’t be a match.”
“Is this good or bad?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. At least I don’t have to worry about finding some random guy.” He puts his phone away and waves my concern away. He stands, and I follow suit. He starts talking when we resume walking. “It’s okay. I took your advice and sought professional help. There’s a call-a-shrink service at the school open to athletes. I contacted them to set an appointment. I have my first session scheduled for when I get there.”
“I’m glad you’re seeking help.”
“When I return home tomorrow, that’ll be the last time I set foot in Bellow Bay. After this summer, I’m never going back.”
