Page 71 of Unraveled

Dad lifted the last suitcase to slide it in and reached up to push the button, closing the back before looking at me. “I agree. And I can’t wait for you to introduce me to this Izzy. Any girl that can break through that ice wall you had up is worth meeting. You know, Son, you never did explain how that happened. Is there more to this young lady than you’re sharing? She must be something special if she could convince you to open up.”

“Don’t,” I snapped with my glare. “Izzy isonlya friend. A good friend. Someone I know I can trust. That’s it,” I stressed as we climbed into the front of the van.

“Honestly,” I said at my father’s expression. “She’s engaged. To Jet’s best mate. I told you when I first met everyone that she was dating Tucker.” I met Dad’s gaze as I turned the ignition. “It’s nothing more. I swear. And we’ll never have to worry about one another, either. Believe me. I don’t want Tucker, andhypothetically, assuming that one day I do find someone that can ever break through or fix the fucked up mess that I am now, I doubt Izzy will change her preferences.”

Dad smirked as he shook his head. “You’ve always overanalyzed things. I’ve missed it.”

“It’s hard not to consider that.” I groaned, beginning to feel like a lab specimen as Dad looked me over again, and avoiding his stare, I focused on the line of cars trying to pull out of the car park.

“You’re nowhere near being able to let go of what Enzo and Anna did, are you?” Dad asked sadly.

My expression hardened. “No.”

“I see Enzo at the office sometimes, Son. He regrets hurting you. I think it really pains him to know he hurt you enough that you needed to leave the entire continent. It hurts him to know that he’s lost his best mate. You two have been through so much together over the years, and he’s going through a confusing time right now.”

“Stop,” I grated. Enzo was the last thing I wanted to talk about. But my warning was ignored.

“I know you’ve been ignoring his calls, Nic, and I’m not saying your relationship with Enzo can ever be what it was before, but when you weredrowningin grief after Mum passed, he was there for you. He was the only one that could pick you back up.”

“And what’s so awful in Enzo’s life that the only one who can pick him up now is the person he betrayed? Eh? Who died that Enzo loved?” I practically snarled, finally pulling out to join the traffic on the main road.

“Not whom, but what. Your friendship, Nicolas. He and Anna are dealing with all this guilt they feel for hurting you, and with a baby on the way, it puts a lot of strain on a new marriage.”

I gaped. The floor had just been ripped out from under me. Enzo and Anna were having a baby? They were havingproblems? I almost smiled at the last part, but the little that karma had delivered against their favor didn’t change what had happened. Even if they found things stressful now, Enzo was a lucky fucking sod to be having a child with Anna.

I felt Dad staring, like he was watching the emotions process over my face.

“You didn’t know, did you?”

“No.” And now that I did, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to. Anna was supposed to havemychildren one day, not Enzo’s. The image alone made me sick.

Dad sighed. “Enzo needs his friend, Son. You should talk to him. Maybe if you heard how deeply he regrets it, it would help.”

“He regrets that I can’t forgive them, not what he did. Let him deal with his mess on his own,” I snapped. Dad shook his head, and I kept my focus on the road to avoid the disappointment in my father’s eyes. I could handle it from most but not him.

“You’re so bitter. When will you realize that holding onto all that anger hurtsyoumore than anyone else?”

“When the world stops making me angry.”

The disappointment coming from my father was palpable, my stomach only growing sick with tension as he sighed. “This angry, bitter person is not the son I raised. I barely see the real you in there anymore.” He shook his head, looking out the window. “Your mum would be so disappointed to see how much like my father you’ve become. So am I.”

“What doeshehave to do with any of this?” I ignored the sting of that comment to ask, unable to avoid the temptation of unraveling more of the mystery fromGreece. Curious to know if this related at all to what Aunt Helen had done.

“Because themomentmy father felt betrayed, he held onto that anger like a crutch. He changed, just like you have, and after more than twenty years have passed, he is still so angry and bitter that he barely allowed my mother to let your uncle and I return home to see her on herdeathbed. And after all of that pushing people away, afterrefusingto let things go, he has no one now that she’s gone. He’sempty, Nic, and I donotwant that for you.”

“Let what go, Dad?” I waited, my breath bated for the answer. Wondering if it would finally fill in the gaps of my family’s past.

“His anger. Now, how about we find someplace to eat and catch up? The occasional video chat just isn’t enough.”

“Sure. Sounds good,” I replied, choosing to ignore the obvious diversion. Some way or another, I would find out the truth.

Chapter 23

JET

“Jet! Tucker! Go get those card tables and chairs out of the Donovan’s shed and set them up back here. I’m still not sure we have enough yet,” Jenna called out from the back door.

“On it, Mom!” Tucker hollered back as he kicked the legs open on the last set we’d already dragged outside. He shot me a look. “You could feed an army back here with what we’ve set up already.”

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