Page 32 of Wanting a Family Man

“Who?” The way he shot the word at her was both accusation and insult. How dare she suggest such an abominable thing?

“Are you not?” She blinked, genuinely surprised and feeling like she was overstepping again. “You’re pretty ruthless with your jokes, but they are jokes, aren’t they?”

“Yes. Mostly. I don’t know.” He pointed at the path so she would lead the way from the shoreline into the woods.

She had a feeling he was doing the deflecting this time.

“Have I touched a nerve?” she asked over her shoulder. “I’m really sorry.” Why couldn’t she keep her foot out of her mouth? They weren’tfriends. “Tiffany made it sound like you were all estranged from Wilf so I thought it was nice to see that you actually have fun when you’re with your brothers. But it’s none of my business. I’ll shut up now.” She kept her nose forward and trudged into the lush undergrowth.

“It’s not a secret,” Trystan grumbled after a few minutes of dense silence while they climbed the winding path through the trees. “Everyone here knows our history. I’ve never had to explain it to anyone.”

“You don’t have to now.” Cloe was dying of curiosity, though.

“What did Tiffany tell you?”

“Not much. She said Wilf had three grown sons by three different wives and none of you really talked to him or wanted the resort. She thought that was short-sighted since she saw nothing but potential in it.”

“Dad was never married to my mom so…not a wife,” he said behind her.

“Does that bother you?” She glanced over her shoulder.

“No. I’m just clarifying. Frankly, I’m relieved. He didn’t treat his wives all that well. He bought Raven’s Cove with money that Reid’s mom inherited and brought her here shortly after Reid was born. The isolation can be hard at the best of times, but Miriam had an undiagnosed bipolar disorder.”

“And a newborn?” Cloe looked back again, this time with concern. “Did she develop postpartum depression?”

“Probably? She definitely struggled, but rather than get her help, Dad went to the pub, where Glenda provided a sympathetic ear to his marital issues.”

The Glenda that Emma and Sophie spoke of so highly?

“Glenda freely admits she made a mistake,” Trystan said. “If Dad were here, he would say that mistake’s name is Logan. I’m trying to keep it classy by not repeating that.”

“Clearly.” She couldn’t help smirking.

“Miriam found out about the affair, divorced Dad, and moved to Victoria with Reid. She’s been trying to pry her money out of the resort ever since, but Dad refused to sell it. He paid support, Glenda made sure he did, but Miriam is still fixated on how her inheritance was stolen. I can’t blame her.”

“Then he married Glenda?”

“Because she was pregnant with Logan, yeah. Dad marryingherwas the smartest thing he ever did. In a lot of ways, I guess they were happy, but she wound up having some miscarriages so Dad needed comfort again.”

“Really?” Cloe had to stop and turn sideways to look at him, genuinely appalled.

He had said his father had flaws. Emma had said he was a player, but Wilf had also been her sister’s fiancé. He was Storm’s father. If she, Cloe, felt this disappointed in his behavior against people she didn’t even know, how must his sons feel?

“My mom was a marine biology major doing summer contract work for the DFO, Department of Fisheries and Oceans.” He paused beside her and made a small adjustment with his backpack that had Storm picking up her drowsy head. “The mistake he made withheris called ‘Trystan.’”

“He didn’t really call you guys mistakes, did he?”

“Not in a mean-spirited way. Dad didn’t think he made mistakes. Only jokes.”

“They still sting.”

“I honestly don’t care what he called me.” He sounded truthful but tired. “Mom was an adult, and she has always said the affair was consensual. She says she doesn’t regret it because she got me, but she was twenty-two. He was ten years older and married. He took advantage of a naïve young woman and that’s definitely a shitty thing to do.” His brows bunched heavily over a dark brown gaze that looked into the distance.

His father’s behavior was unforgivable, Cloe was realizing. At least where Trystan was concerned.

“Yet, you lived with him here for your whole childhood?” she probed gently.

“Mom took a couple of years off from school to have me. When she decided to go back, Glenda asked if I could live with them. I knew all my relatives on Mom’s side. Anyone would have taken me in to help her, but she and Glenda were on good terms. Glenda was making sure Dad was paying support. They thought it would be good for me to know my brother and father.”

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