Page 65 of His Bittersweet Regret

Our family had a lot to atone for, eventually. That started with me. Ryker made me promise to put any talk of Opal and me getting back together on the back burner for now.

“Just support Opal in any way she needs, Bro. Right now, she needs to know that you’re there for your son. She needs to know that she won’t be pressured to do something she isn’t comfortable with. After Mom’s very vocal decree that you should take your son and have her declared unfit – that had occurred on the very busy street outside of the twin’s condo – she’s probably afraid of what our family might try.”

It killed me to know that Ryker was right. The seventeen-year-old in the mix turned out to be wiser than all the adults he was supposed to look up to. It wasn’t the first time that I’d thought of my little brother that way, and probably wouldn’t be the last. The boy made me damn proud to call him family.

I stared at Opal’s door for the longest time, debating on whether or not she had enough time to decompress from the events the other day. Truthfully though, I missed my son. I missed Opal too, but I could stay away from her, if that’s what she wanted. The same wasn’t true of Austin. I’d already made the mistake of disappearing from his mother’s life. There was no way I’d disappear from his life as well. Even if it was just for a few days.

I took a deep breath, and then knocked softly on the door, in case he was asleep. It only took a moment for Opal to open up and stand aside to allow me in.

“Hey,” I said as I passed by her.

“Hi,” she offered back. Dark circles traced smudge marks under her eyes. It was obvious she hadn’t been getting much sleep.

“You doing okay?”

Her answer was a shrug before she turned away and moved into the sparse kitchen. “He should be up soon. I was about to make a bottle. If you want to feed him, I’m sure he’d love to have you do it.”

“Opal, what about you? Is there anything I can do for you? You look tired.” Her head shook in answer and I wasn’t sure if it was okay to push the point or not. Fuck, I hated walking on eggshells around her, but at the same time, there was no part of me that blamed her for being standoffish.

“If you want to take a nap,” I started to say, but she immediately crossed her arms over her chest and turned to face me.

“Why? So you can abscond with my baby once I fall asleep?”

“Abscond with your baby? What the hell?” It took a minute for her meaning to really settle in, and then it was my turn to shake my head. “If it would make you feel better, I will sign a custody or visitation agreement with you. What my mom said, she was so far out of line that she’s now in a rehab facility working on getting sober.”

“Getting sober?” She asked, her surprise evident by the physical step she took away from me, as if the shock of that revelation needed more space. “What do you mean?”

I sighed deeply and took a seat on the only free chair at her kitchen table. “Ever since my parents had that shit happen with Dad’s secretary, Mom has apparently been coping with a bottle.”

“And no one realized before now?”

“No. There’s been so much going on and everyone is always coming and going. No one really noticed that Mom was falling apart. Now, Dad blames himself for literally everything. He’s promised that the bottle and drugs aren’t his escape of choice. Unfortunately, he’s been spending just about every minute that he’s not at work in his shop. He might be able to retire and start a business selling whatever it is he’s been making out there.”

“I’m sorry to hear about your family’s troubles,” she offered politely. That was my Opal, always sweet, even to the people who hurt her so much.

“Don’t feel bad for any of them. There’s no excuse for all the bullshit that’s gone down. Not from my Mom, Dad, brothers, or me. No matter what, you never deserved to feel an ounce of pain or anguish because of our bullshit.”

“That’s life, Marsh. Every action triggers another one. Some are just less pleasant than others.”

I stood and moved toward her. She allowed me to pull her into an embrace. We stood there hugging and swaying back and forth for a few minutes before I heard Austin start to squirm around in his nursery. I leaned in and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll make it all up to you, if it’s the last thing I do, Opal.”

“Save your promises for your son, Marsh. If you want to do me any favors, I only ask for one.”

“What?” I asked before tacking on, “Anything.”

“Don’t break them. If you make a promise to him, follow through. He should never have to know the heartache that comes with a broken promise, and he needs to know that his words have power. One day, it’s going to be important for our son to know that his word means something. You need to help teach him that.”

I nodded and understood where she was coming from. It wasn’t even something I could disagree with, even if I had come here feeling contrary. She was right. My word didn’t mean shit to her because I’d promised her forever, to never hurt her, to never leave. I’d broken them all. The result had far more reaching consequences than I ever imagined.

She nodded again and then left the room to go retrieve our son. Considering the size of her apartment, it didn’t take her long to come back with him. “You might as well have a seat while I finish making his bottle. You two can catch up.”

I chuckled at her suggestion.

“I’m sure he has a lot to tell me.”

“He’s grown already,” she said so wistfully it almost took my breath away. Our son was meant to be a tiny thing a whole lot longer. What did she mean, he’d grown already? I soon found out. It was evident, at first glance, that his cheeks had filled out more and his eyes were wide open and seemed so much more alert.

“You weren’t kidding,” I huffed.

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