Page 111 of Don't Call Me Daddy
“Do you think we didn’t know that? Honestly, son, how blind do you think I am? I knew the moment I called her by name in the hospital. The poor girl didn’t have the faintest idea who anyof us were, and I saw the panic in your eyes when we all walked in with her.”
She tilts her head side to side and gives me a little shrug. “I can’t say I expected you to keep the lie going. I only meant to ruffle your feathers after all.” She bursts into another fit of giggles, wiping a tear from her eye. “We even got Dr. Stone in on the joke. Everyone in town knew, and we were all having the best time, watching you pretend … especially at first.”
“You should’ve seen your face when you realized we’d packed you that child-sized tent,” Luka cuts in, and he and Roman high-five.
“That was all my idea,” Roman says, waggling his eyebrows.
I shake my head. “I can’t believe this. I feel like such an idiot.”
“Oh, honey, you’re far from an idiot by a long shot. We were going to tell you we knew, but we did hope you’d come clean and tell us yourself. We are so proud of you, despite all the lies; you really seem to have found yourself in all of this.”
My brothers join in, taking turns as they all share their own stories of how they knew I was lying. The noisy chatter and laughter fill the space, and I can’t help but notice Ivy isn’t sparkling as much as usual. She’s being awfully quiet and skipped out on several opportunities to share her own embarrassing stories about me, which isn’t like her at all.
Are you okay?I mouth, trying not to draw attention to us.
“Yeah, I think I’m just tired,” she responds in a whisper.
I know it’s a lie. Even when she’s exhausted, she’s never this quiet.
I try not to worry about it, but I can’t help myself. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to not worry when it comes to Ivy.
After we all finish eating and my brothers and I help clean up after dinner, I find my mother and Ivy in the sitting room. They’re laughing and talking, looking so comfortable, like oldfriends, as my mother shows her my baby pictures from our family photo album.
“Leo, why don’t you join me for a drink?” my dad’s voice calls from over my shoulder.
I spin around to find him holding two glasses of whiskey. He nods his head toward his study.
Feeling a whole new rush of nerves, I slowly follow him, taking a seat in an armchair in front of his massive shelf of books.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Carl sooner. I was just so worried about you, and I didn’t know how to get you to listen. Then, your mom came up with the idea, and I figured I didn’t have anything to lose.”
“It’s okay, Dad; you weren’t wrong. It was the reality check I needed. So, I guess Mom’s plan worked.”
He lets out a chuckle. “It always does. Don’t tell her I said that though.”
I take a sip of whiskey and laugh as he tells me about his plans for transitioning, filling me in on upcoming expansion plans and Roman’s rebrand that’s starting to take off.
“I know you’ve always put pressure on yourself to be perfect … especially after the explosion incident in Texas … but I want you to know it wasn’t entirely your fault, and you’ve never given me the chance to tell you?—”
I shake my head. “Dad, you don’t have to say that. I know what I did?—”
“Let me finish. I need you to listen, and I need you to hear this. Yes, your guy was a poor hire, and he was a drug addict who came to work under the influence, but the problem started before all of that. There was an issue with the machine; it’d been assembled improperly when it was built. That explosion would’ve happened one way or another regardless because it was a flaw in the actual machine. It was a ticking time bomb, andit just so happened to blow up when your guy was in charge. It wasn’t your fault, son, and nobody blames you. Even if it was your fault, you’ve done everything right to make up for it.”
I let this new realization wash over me, feel the knot in my stomach finally loosen. Hearing my father tell me he doesn’t blame me is everything I didn’t realize I needed, and I let myself drop the last bit of guilt once and for all.
“You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear that, but I don’t think I was ready to listen until now,” I finally say as my throat squeezes with emotion.
My dad claps me on the shoulder, looking so proud and relieved. “I’m glad you’re finally able to hear it. You’re going to need to be a little more flexible now that you’re CEO … which brings me to my next question …”
I sit back in my chair, not knowing where this is going. “What’s that?”
He nods to the other room, where my mother and Ivy are sitting. “When are you going to tell her?”
I furrow my brows, feeling confused. “Tell her what?”
His face breaks into a big grin. “When are you going to tell her you love her? Don’t you dare try to lie and tell me you don’t …”
My face falls as I lean forward, propping my elbows on my knees. “I really wish I could, Dad, but I love her too much for that …”
