Page 82 of The Prodigal Son

And second, everyone in the Goode family has a personal vendetta against Truett Goode. All the more reason for this breakfast to be a little tense.

Finally, after Adam’s breakfast is eaten, he sits back in his seat and stares at me with his arms crossed.

“I’ve given thought to your offer,” he says with hesitation.

My offerfeels like a conversation we had two years ago, not two months ago. Things have gotten a good deal more complicated since I last had breakfast with Adam. He just doesn’t know it yet.

“Yeah?” I ask.

“I’m sure you’ve heard by now that my father was released early.”

I nod, glancing back and forth between Adam and his wife, Sage. I haven’t told Isaac yet about Truett’s visit to my church because I don’t want to stress him out, which means I’m certainly not going to tell his brother.

“I have,” I reply.

“Mr. Miles, I just want to know that you’re on our side. I know we haven’t been exactly warm with each other, but I can’t bear the thought of Truett ending up back at that pulpit.”

Suddenly, I’m upright with my elbows on the table. “He is not coming for my job. That ismycongregation.”

Sage smirks at me. “I like you.”

“Is that what you think? That we’re going to let him back in just because he’s out of prison?”

“I’ve seen worse,” Adam replies with narrowed eyes.

“So have I,” I reply. “But I can assure you, I have your side on this.”

Forcing myself to calm down before I let anything slip, I lean back in the booth and let out a sigh. He has no idea just why I am so loyal to the Goode brothers instead of the patriarch. And it has nothing to do with him or the church and everything to do with the man I love.

“Adam, I know you think I’m cut from the same cloth as Truett, but I promise you, I’m not. Icareabout my congregation.I care about their faith and this community. I’m not here to pat another man’s back in order to put me in a place of power. I am in that position at Redemption Point for a reason. Truett can try to take it from me, but I won’t give it up without a fight.”

Adam regards me from across the table. In the middle of our stare down, the baby in the high chair starts squealing impatiently, so he turns toward her with another bite of his breakfast on his fork. As he feeds it to her, there is a sudden softness apparent in him.

I see the dichotomy of fatherhood in one subtle flash of a moment. Softness and ferocity in the blink of an eye. The willingness to be present and vulnerable one moment while also protective and impenetrable the next.

“You’ve changed, Jensen,” Adam says, looking up from his daughter. “Something happened to you since we met last.”

You could say that.

“Maybe so,” I reply. “But this will never change for me. I want to be good at my job. I don’t need to be revered or remembered. I just want to make a difference. And I don’t need Truett Goode to do it.”

Sage is smiling brightly over her coffee cup now. “I like you a lot.”

“Easy,” Adam grumbles, making me snicker to myself.

“I’m relieved,” Adam says as he hands the baby a small cup with handles that she clumsily drinks out of. “I hope you understand that I can’t make an appearance at your church right now. It’s just not the time. And without getting into our family drama too much, I just can’t betray my brothers like that. Either we all come together, or we don’t come at all.”

Staring at Adam across the table, I think about Isaac. There’s an opaque layer of sadness behind Adam’s eyes when he says that, and I wonder how it must feel for him to miss out on so much of Isaac’s life.

Isaac has mentioned how rough it’s been for them to be without contact. I’ve supported his decision to stay without that contact, but now that I’m sitting across from Adam, I wonder if the pain for his brother is worse than Isaac realizes.

I see the resemblance between the two, more so than any of the other brothers. The same almond eyes. The same parentheses when they smile. Same sharp cheekbones and strong jawline.

It makes my heart ache with missing Isaac.

“I understand,” I say softly.

Just then, the baby squeals again. She launches her cup at me, and I catch it before it topples to the floor.

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