Page 111 of The Life We Left Behind

Trace wasn’t the only one who needed therapy to deal with this whole mess.

I didn’t want to downplay what he was going through, but in a way, it felt so much worse for me to know that my father had been involved. I’d always known Regina was an awful person. It was easy to believe that she was capable of something like this. I guessed that was why I was having such a hard time with my feelings for my father. It was almost impossible to rectify the person I thought my father had been and the things he’d done.

“And you must be Cade,” Jasper said, looking behind me at Cade.

He smiled widely as he held out his hand for Cade, and he stepped forward to shake.

“It’s nice to meet you, sir,” Cade said quietly.

Jasper’s smile stretched even bigger. “Such a polite kid. You don’t have to call me sir. I’d love for you to call me Grandpa, but if you’re not ready for that yet, Jasper will do just fine.”

My eyes flicked to Trace. Cade had yet to call him Dad, and I didn’t know how he’d feel if he started to call Jasper Grandpa first.

Thankfully, Cade just nodded and didn’t say anything.

“Now, shall we go inside for something to eat? I had the cook make us a fine spread for lunch. Tell me, Cade, what’s your favorite subject in school?” Jasper wrapped an arm around Cade’s shoulders and the two of them walked into the house while Cade launched into a detailed explanation of every subject he took at school, along with the pros and cons of each.

He might wish he hadn’t asked such an open question in about fifteen minutes. It did, however, buy us some time.

I turned to Trace to find him watching his father with a frown on his face.

“Are you okay?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t think I was ever going to come back to this place. Honestly, I’ve tried to stay away as much as I could ever since I moved away for college.” He paused for a moment,but I could tell he wasn’t quite finished. “Do you really think he didn’t know anything about it all?”

I shook my head. I knew the answer he was looking for, but I didn’t have it for him.

“I don’t know, Trace. I think that’s something you need to ask him.”

He sighed sadly and then held out his hand for me. I took it and squeezed gently.

“We can do it together,” I added.

Trace squeezed his eyes closed, and then, when he opened them again, he had his game face on.

“Let’s do this,” he said resolutely, stepping up the front steps to the door. “Time to face the things that happened in this house and finally put them behind me.”

This was going to be an interesting lunch.

There were painfully awkward situations that you had to suffer through in life, and then there was what we were currently going through right now.

I stared at the final piece of hot dog in my hand, wondering if trying to choke on it was justified.

Then Jasper cleared his throat for the ten millionth time, and I braced myself for the next awkward attempt at conversation.

I could do this. It was for Trace. We were trying to salvage what he had left of his family.

“So, your mother…”

The hot dog was really starting to look like the best option. But then Trace’s panicked eyes darted to mine and then over to Cade. I knew exactly what he was thinking. He didn’t want thisto happen in front of Cade, and I could have dropped to my knees to thank him for the way out he was giving to me.

“Why don’t you go and show Cade the swimming pool?” Trace interrupted.

I could hear the strain in his voice, and there was a part of me that wanted to say no. That wanted to stay at his side and see him through this.

“Swimming pool!” Cade jumped out of his seat and started to look around the back patio like it was hidden behind the strategically placed hydrangeas Regina had definitely not planted herself.

I slowly stood, still trying to figure out if I should stay despite my earlier need to run at any cost.

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