Page 69 of The Corner of Heartbreak and Forever
Ella winced. “Oh, honey.”
Roy’s brows knitted, but he said nothing.
Reed told them about the contents of the shoe box, how upset he’d been when he’d arrived at the hotel, and finally, about Frank’s illness. “He’s not who I thought he was. Well, heis. He left me behind, but after talking with him, I’m conflicted, because I can see how losing my mother was too much for him.”
Roy’s chin fell to his chest, his eyes trained on Reed. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I seem to remember you taking off after you lost the love of your life, too.”
Reed glanced at Grace, the truth in Roy’s words hitting him hard.
“Love’s a powerful thing,” Roy said. “I admit, when Frank came here looking for you the other day, my first thought was to give him a world of grief. I was madder than a mouse in a hornet’s nest about him leaving you behind and showing up just that once. But then I saw him, and he looked like all his gumption had bled out.”
Reed waited for him to say more, and when he didn’t, he said, “What did you do?”
“We invited him in for tea,” Ella said carefully. “He’s punished himself for years, and he’s nearing the end of a very hard, very lonely life. What good would it have done for us to beat him down further? He knows…Instead, we gave him something to brighten the days he has left. We talked about you, Reed, and the incredible little boy you were, the inquisitive, smart young man you were, and the honorable man you’ve become. We talked about your mother, how much she loved him and how much she was looking forward to raising you. And then we thanked him for trusting us with his son.”
For the millionth time that day, Reed struggled against emotions clogging his throat. He looked at Roy and said, “You didn’t think to tell me that when you saw me after he stopped by my house?”
“Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.” Roy tossed another wink as he threw Reed’s words back at him.
“We didn’t want to influence the way you handled the situation,” Ella explained. “It wouldn’t have been fair. He gave us a chance at parenthood, but he took something bigger than that from you.”
Not telling them the truth about his father felt like a betrayal to the people who had always offered him unconditional love and support. But telling them felt like a betrayal to the mother he never knew and to Frank, a man who had given him clarity, honesty, andhistoryhe would probably never have learned otherwise.
He took a moment to simply breathe, which wasn’t something he felt like he’d done enough of since Frank had shown up at his house. He was adrift in a sea of emotions and truths he hadn’t been prepared for, and it seemed there were lifelines everywhere if he looked hard enough. All Frank had wanted was to tell Reed the truth before he died. But maybe Reed needed more of a relationship with him, even if Frank wasn’t his real father. He had a feeling Frank wouldn’t fight that and might even welcome it. Roy and Ella would stand by him no matter what. Even if he kept this secret, he knew they’d forgive him for it, because that’s what parents did.
Roy watched him expectantly, the ever-present father who would worry about him until the day he was no longer able. Ella had lost her sister and gained a son, and she was an incredible mother. He’d hurt for a long time over choices other people had made, and he didn’t want to hurt either of them. He was sick of hurting. For the first time ever, he no longer wondered why his father had given him up. It was time to start healing. Whathealingactually meant, he wasn’t sure, but he knew that he couldn’t—that Roy and Ella couldn’t—even begin to heal if he opened a new wound.
He felt the pull of Grace’s loving gaze.The brightest lifeline of all.His sweet Gracie offered everything the others did—unconditional love, support, honesty, history, clarity—and so much more. She was his past, his present, and hopefully his future.
He took her hand in his and said, “If Frank’s visit taught me one thing, it’s that life is too short to dwell on the past or on what-ifs. I don’t know what will happen with Frank, oranything, for that matter. But I know we have tonight, the four of us, and tomorrow our families are getting together, and those are things I’ve waited a long darn time to enjoy.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
GRACE WAS MESMERIZED by Tuck Wilder, the twenty-six-year-old guitarist in Sable’s band who was auditioning for the lead role in the community play,I Ain’t No Cinderella. She’d known Tuck since they were kids. He’d had a rough life, and it showed in his cold, dark eyes as he strutted across the auditorium of No Limitz, nailing the attitude and badboy vibe for the role perfectly. They’d been holding auditions all afternoon and had already cast several of the supporting roles. If only off-Broadway plays were this easy to produce. She’d been battling with Keagen all week, and his threats to walk away from the play had the investors up in arms.
As Tuck finished his audition, Grace scribbled a few notes. He was the last audition of the day. Grace thanked him and said they’d send out email notifications for the roles as they made decisions. They had auditions booked through next Saturday evening, and she was leaving the day after that. She had a feeling they just might get the casting set by then.
“His voice inflection is perfect,” Janie said. “What does he look like?”
After Tuck left the auditorium Lauryn said, “He’sbeautiful, with rich cocoa skin and soulful eyes, but he gives off a tough, edgy vibe.”
“He’s our bad boy,” Phoenix said. “No doubt about it.”
“You got that right,” Hellie agreed. “The poor young man has had it hard. I think that band is about all that holds him together. I want to bring him home and start all over. Give him the parental love he never had.”
Good luck with that.Tuck’s parents were as gruff as could be, and there was no doubt his grit was as much a part of him as the blood that ran through his veins. The perfect male lead for the play.
“I say we cast him, but that might mean Sable’s band won’t be able to help with the music,” Grace said. “All for it?”
Everyone chimed in with affirmations.
“Oh goodness, I have to run!” Nana said as she began gathering her notes. “I didn’t realize it was so late. Poppi and I are going to the Jerichos’ jam session. Tonight’s the night Phoenix and Lauryn are playing their instruments. You know Poppi; he’ll want to dance to every song.” She sighed dreamily. “I’m a lucky lady. Grace, don’t you have your family barbecue tonight? I don’t want your parents getting upset with us for monopolizing you. They get so little time with you.”
Grace had been to so many jam sessions at the Jerichos’ barn when she was younger she wouldn’t typically feel a desire to go. But now that she was getting more involved in the community, she was excited to spend time with the people who had reached out to help with the play. And knowing how Phoenix and Lauryn had supported each other to finally get up the courage to play in front of everyone, she felt a pang of disappointment about missing it. At least she didn’t feel guilty about not spending time with her family as she had in the past.
“I’m sorry I’ll miss your debut,” Grace said to Phoenix and Lauryn. “Maybe someone can video it for me?”
“My mom’s videoing it for our family’s Facebook group,” Lauryn said. “I’ll send it to you. I’m so nervous I’ll mess up.”
