Page 113 of The Life We Left Behind

I could hear the shock in his voice. It might have been the only time I’d ever stood up to him like this.

“You made your choice, Father. And it was her. You don’t get to have it all. I understand that this will mean that our working relationship is over. To be honest, I doubt I could have continued with it, anyway. I can’t have this in my life anymore. Not after everything. I have no intention of ever forgiving her. So, this is how it’s going to go. Cade and Delaney want to stay in town. They want to build a life here, and I’m grateful that they’d even consider it. So, after today, you don’t talk to them. You see them in the street, you turn around and leave before they can even realize you’re there. If you or Regina even attempt to approach either of them, I will tell everyone absolutely everything. And I don’t just mean about the heinous thingsyou’ve done to me. I meanall of it. Every single piece of dirty laundry our family has tried to hide away will be out on display for the entire town to see.”

“Son, you don’t mean that. I know you’re angry, but she’s your mother.”

“Angry?Can you even hear yourself? Are you actually trying to persuade me to forgive her? Ten years! I lostten yearswith the woman I love. I missed her pregnancy. The birth of my child.His entire life. I want to say that I can’t believe you’d choose her over me, but that’s what you’ve always done. What could you have possibly done that makes you think that throwing away every single one of your sons was worth it?”

My father took a step back then. It was like every word had been a physical blow, and he went pale as he opened his mouth and found that he had absolutely no words to defend himself with.

“I don’t want to lose you all.” My father shook his head, almost like he hadn’t realized that was where this was all heading.

“It’s already done.”

And I left.

There was nothing to keep me here. This house was as cold and cruel as it had always been, and I was a fool to think that coming here would be any different from any other time I’d been dragged back into the fold.

All that mattered was Delaney and Cade. So, I was taking my family, and I wasn’t looking back.

My parents didn’t have anything I needed.

And there was a part of me that wasn’t even sad about that.

I was angry. Really fucking angry. But I wasn’t sad.

I wasn’t losing anything here. There had never been anything here to begin with. So, as I stepped out the front of the house to see Delaney and Cade already waiting by the car, I smiled.

And Iwashappy.

There was so much standing in front of me, and I couldn’t wait to see the life we’d built together.

“You okay?” Delaney asked as I slipped behind the wheel of the car.

I looked into her beautiful eyes, brushed her hair back behind her ear, and smiled again.

“Yes,” I said, and I meant it. “I think I needed this. I needed to see that there was nothing left here for me. I finally feel…whole.”

Delaney smiled and settled back in her seat as she watched me carefully.

“Can we go and get ice cream?” Cade asked happily from the back seat. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m glad we don’t live here.”

I turned to look at him sitting in the back seat, genuinely wondering what he thought. Most people were impressed by this awful monstrosity of a house.

“Yeah? Why’s that?”

Cade shrugged. “I dunno. It seems sad. I’m glad you live with us and not here. You can be happy with us, Dad.”

He surged forward, wrapping his arms around me, and I clung to him, burying my face in his neck as I did.

Even with the car seat between us, this was the best hug I’d ever had. Because my son had just called me Dad, and finally, everything in the world felt right for the very first time.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

DELANEY

“Cade! Get your butt down here! You’re going to be late!” I shouted up the stairs.

I heard the thunder of footsteps and shook my head at how one kid could make so much noise.

---