Page 80 of Nathan

“No, he shouldn’t, but we’re all flawed in our own ways, Nate. We all have the capability to lash out when someone hurts us. My dad shouldn’t have had a relationship with your mom, either, especially knowing she was married with three children. Then again, if he hadn’t, well, you wouldn’t be here, and that would be a tragedy.”

A rush of blood heats my cheeks, and I dip my chin to my chest. “Not sure about that,” I mumble.

“I’m sure Dex would agree with me.” A trace of a smile touches her lips. “You know, when Dad died, and then Phil, well…” She drifts off, staring into middle distance before locking eyes with me once more. “I thought I was alone in this world. I mean, I’ve got Declan, of course, but no blood relatives that I’m aware of. And now I have. I’ve got a brother.”

“Half-brother,” I correct, then immediately want to kick myself for being a dick.

Indie doesn’t break stride, though. She breaks into a broad smile. “Half-brother… who’s an ass.” She throws back her head and laughs. It’s impossible not to join in. “I know we’ve never been close, Nate, and I don’t expect us to all of a sudden start texting or speaking on the phone every day, but maybe, over time, we could build some sort of a relationship that’s deeper than just me being married to your brother.”

“I’d like that,” I find myself saying. “I never told you, but you made a really beautiful bride, Indie. I’m so glad I was there to share in your special day.”

She hugs me. “You’re different, Nate, and I don’t mean because of all this stuff with Dad. You’ve been different this whole visit. Your face isn’t quite as hard and bitter.”

A grin breaks free. “You can probably thank Dex, although if you tell her I said that, I will disown you.”

Indie makes a cross against her heart. “Your secret is safe with me.” She lifts her wineglass to her lips and takes a sip. “I’m not sure whether you care or not, but before Dad lost everything, he was a wonderful father. The man in those letters, that’s the man I prefer to remember: loving, kind, funny. Maybe it was losing your mom that made him so angry and bitter, and what your dad did was the icing on the cake that pushed him over the edge. But please don’t think badly of him, or your mom. They were human, just like the rest of us.”

I’m not sure whether I have it within me to be so magnanimous or forgiving, but one thing is certain: the pain and anger Laurence Monroe carried around had, in the end, destroyed those he loved. I refuse to be that man.

“Nor of Phil,” Indie continues. “He was your half-brother, too, and despite what you might think, especially after what he tried to do to Declan, he wasn’t a bad person, just misguided.”

I nod but remain silent. Working on forgiving my mom and my birth father is one thing. Showing any kind of charity to the guy who almost got Declan killed is quite another.

“If you want to know anything about Dad or Phil at any time, please just ask me.”

“Thanks. I will,” I say.

She gives my hand a squeeze. “There’s no rush.”

“I am sorry about what my dad did to your dad. Our dad.” I chuckle. “Shit, this is gonna get real confusing.”

She smiles with me. “I’ve always believed the true father is the one who brings up a child, cares for them when they’re sick, reads them stories at night, and cleans their scraped knees when they fall. That’s what your dad did for you. And as for what went on between our fathers, well…” She shrugs. “There’s nothing to be done about the past. I don’t think Dad deserved what your father did to him. It takes two people to have an affair, but I’m guessing he loved your mom so much, he was consumed with hatred and jealousy.”

“Yeah, and I was a permanent reminder of her betrayal.”

“Yet he chose to stay with her and bring you up as his own. That shows the strength of his love. We all make mistakes, Nate. Christ knows, I’ve made tons, not to mention one that almost got Declan killed and resulted in Phil’s death. I’m just glad the bad shit stopped with our parents, and we can find a way to move into the future together.”

I get to my feet and stick out my elbow. “Come on, sis. Let’s go put Declan and Dex out of their misery.”

I text him to find out where he is, and he replies with the name of a coffee shop down the street from his building. When we arrive, Callum and Ciaran are there, too. Declan must have called them after Indie asked him to leave us alone.

I sit next to Dex, sliding my arm around her shoulder and tucking her into my side as I kiss her temple.

“You okay?” Declan asks, tucking Indie into his side.

“Yeah, we’re good.” I turn to the twins. “Declan caught you up?”

“Yep,” Callum says. “Do me a favor, bro. Don’t ever ask me to draw your family tree.”

“You’re such an ass,” Ciaran says, rolling his eyes at his twin.

“I’m sorry,” I say, looking at each of my brothers in turn. “I wish I’d had the courage to tell you years ago, but I was so damned hurt, so angry at Dad, furious with Mom, and so scared of losing you, even though I kept pushing you away.”

“It’s in the past, Nate,” Declan says. “Don’t keep beating yourself up over something that wasn’t your fault.”

I bite down on my lip. “I hope I haven’t ruined your memory of Mom.”

“Mom was human,” Ciaran says. “That’s all. You haven’t ruined anything. She just happened to love two different men. She put all of us first, and that makes her pretty damn special in my book.”

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