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“Had a mole." Uncle Dan corrects as he looks at his watch, "My men picked him up four hours ago. One of the engineers was in debt and accepted an offer to spy. He tried to place spyware on our system, but we caught it. We connected him to this threat, and he’s currently being interrogated. It’s only a matter of days before we connect all the dots. I will catch who is behind this; however, you’ll be under my watch in the meantime. All your rehabilitation will be done at the gym or in the office. Sterling Defense headquarters is more secure than some black sites; your secretary needs to send me your current schedule so I can clear all the locations.” Uncle Dan leans forward, elbows on his thighs, “I know you just got home and probably want to run the town wild with Kent, but I need you to relax and go from work to your house until we get this covered.”
Wear a suit and live in a cage. Sounds like the perfect start to my new life.
“That’s fine,” I grunt.
“I know you can usually handle yourself, but I don’t want you to do anything stupid in your current position. Rest that shoulder and get better. We’re keeping this all under wraps; I don’t want the media getting wind of this for our sake and your dad’s. This would put some of the bigger contracts at risk.”
“What about Kent and Theo?”
“They will also have protection, and I’ll give Kent a stern talk about his antics. Theo rarely leaves his office,” Uncle Dan snorts, "He is the easier of you boys to watch."
“I want to be in the loop. I want to know everything as you get it,” I stress.
“I’ll keep you updated,” Uncle Dan nods and stands. “I’ll give you both a minute,” he adds as he grabs the knob and turns to leave.
An awkward silence fills the room, a sensation that never appeared when Mom was alive.
“I had a last-minute schedule change that delayed my trip to the Arlington office. If I hadn’t attended that last-minute meeting, I would have gotten the first package on time.” Dad admits. His guilt is evident.
He licks his lips. “I know I’ve been hard on you boys since your mom passed.”
My throat feels thick, and I sense my defenses rising.
“I just wanted to make sure you’d all be tough. I needed to know that if anything happened to you, I did the best I could to ensure you would have every tool available to survive.”
“Dad,” I voice, “Sometimes events are just accidents.”
He raises his chin, “Your shoulder wasn’t an accident.”
“It’s not your fault mom got cancer, and neither is what happened to me. Periodically you just get hit with shitty cards. The problem is you continue to keep playing, Dad. Stop worrying about the future and focus on the present. You’re so cold and distant; you only show us love when something happens to us. Theo, Kent, and I are still alive and want to spend time with you. It’s you who keeps pushing us away.”
“I was making you into men.”
“Even the strongest man needs a crutch sometimes. You used to be mine. We’re trying to be yours, but you keep swatting us away. We wanted to be there for you after mom, fuck we wanted you to be with us. You left,” I’ve been waiting for this conversation to happen for years. I never imagined it would happen now.
“I was grieving.” He snaps. His fist curls into the arm of the chair.
“So were we. Kent was young. He needed you.” I needed you. “You sent us away to a boarding school.”
“I kept you all together.”
“We were missing the most important person in our life.” I stand. “You.”
Chapter 18
Poppy
"Are you sure I shouldn't go with you? I can take a taxi back," I offer Harper. She’s leaving for the airport to head to France for a short vacation before returning to work.
I feel like a parent watching her leave for camp. My checklist has driven her half mad. She warned me that if I asked about her passport one more time, she might spontaneously combust.
We've successfully unpacked and organized my new place, and in just two days, I start my new job. There's still so much to do. Harper helped me transform a blank canvas into a house. Now, I need to make it a home. I want to discover who I am in this new space. What's my decor style—am I mid-century modern or vintage chic? What art and dishes speak to me?
I have a list of YouTube decorating videos lined up to help keep my mind off the loneliness. Who knows what I'll discover about myself?
"I can handle myself. It's you I'm worried about. You have the wasp spray I bought you, right?" Harper replies, placing one hand on her hip and tilting her head slightly.
"You've broken out your mom pose," I tease, nudging my head and giggling.
