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“We both would have been racers for Grandpa Robert had your dad not been terrified to get behind the wheel of one of the cars,” he says, the corner of his lips lifting into a rueful grin.
“No way,” I exclaim, never having heard this before.
“Yes way. He was afraid of crashing. Saw it happen to a few guys during races and decided he’d rather sit behind a desk and run numbers. Eventually he took over the business side of things, and I continued racing.”
I always knew that Rob and I shared a love of racing, and I loved how close that made us. But now knowing what I do about him, it’s even better.
“Okay, so why would that make him bitter? Seems he got a pretty good deal out of it, running a business and all.”
He shifts his head from side to side as if in thought.
“I think it was jealousy over me getting to follow in our dad's footsteps and him not. Even though technically he is, just in a different way. He wasn’t always this bad,” Rob sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. A gesture I find myself doing often.
“But he is now…” I trail off, hoping for more of an explanation.
“How would you feel after finding out your wife and brother had an affair behind your back, and not only that, but that your youngest child is a result of said affair?” Rob asks, and I put myself in my dad’s shoes for once.
Tommy might not still be here, but had he and Keaton done something similar, I can’t say that I would have reacted any differently than my dad did.
“I’d be pretty pissed, too,” I admit, watching Rob’s expression closely.
“He had every right to be. Two of the people he trusted most in the world betrayed him.”
“Why did you?” I ask, wondering what would drive a man to do something like that to his own brother.
Rob sighs loudly.
“That, I’m afraid, is a story for another time. You still haven’t answered my initial question,” he says.
There are so many things I could tell him, but I don’t want to be here all night. I’m ready to get back to my princess and call it a night.
“He essentially guilt tripped be into it, saying that it was the only thing bring in money and how I wouldn’t want to be the cause of mom going without or some shit,” I tell his and watch his eyes take on a dark quality.
“He used your mom to threaten you?”
“Pretty much. Also said he would stop paying to support her parents if I didn’t cooperate,” I admit.
Rob clinched his teeth, glowering as the rage burned in his eyes.
“He said that?”
“Yeah.”
He nods his head as if to say that it was on. What was it? I don’t know, but I’m sure I’ll be hearing about it soon.
“So, what do you want to do?” he asks, eyes clouded and unfocused, like he’s lost, plotting his own form of payback for his brother.
“I don’t know, exactly. Just that I don’t want to work for him anymore. I want to get mom out of there and find a way to take care of Nana and Pops without dad interfering,” I say.
Rob scratches at the stubble forming on his jaw, nodding his head absentmindedly.
“I’ll come up with something, don’t worry,” he says, finally lifting his eyes to meet mine. “For now, go be with your girl. She’s gonna need you.”
“If she still wants me,” I say.
Rob stands up straight and faces me fully.
“If you love her, you do whatever it is you have to do to keep her. Trust me, letting her go and watching her find happiness with someone else will be the worst pain you ever go through in your life. And you’ve already had your fair share of pain, son.”
