Page 143 of Beautiful Revenge
Jett was a highly decorated soldier.
The key word ...was.
I’m not the only one who took life’s punches. The last few years have not been easy on Jett.
Our first hour together as siblings was ... tense. Putting it mildly, it was awkward and uncomfortable. We danced around subjects and questions that no one wanted to lead with.
Leave it to Devon to break the ice. And he didn’t do it gently.
No. In pure Devon Donnelly fashion, he threw a boulder into our strained meeting. He said, “I’ve had enough. Let’s skip over the pleasantries and get to the dirty shit that everyone in the room wants to talk about. Who the fuck kept you from your family?”
I was mortified for about two seconds. Then I wanted tothrow myself in gratitude at the man I can’t seem to quit, because that’s when history started unfolding.
It’s what we all wanted. Even Jett seemed at ease.
History, or more like other people’s choices that kept Jett from knowing his father’s identity, unfolded. It was heartbreaking. And even though there’s no one to be angry with, I was.
In the end, Jett was kept from his family, my father was deprived of a son, and I lost out on a brother.
Because after only three hours with Jett Parker Cross, I’m grieving the loss of not having him in my life since the moment I took my first breath.
My brother is thoughtful, discerning, and has a way about him that makes me want to sit and listen to him talk for hours. It’s no wonder Chrissie was mesmerized reading his emails. Once Devon did all of us the favor of breaking the figurative ice, Jett talked, the truth flowed, and we listened.
And, yes, I shed plenty of tears.
For him, for my dad, and for me. But really, just for him.
Our time is almost up. Jett has commitments, and we didn’t plan to stay long. I didn’t want to keep Devon from work, and I had no idea how this would go.
We’re about to say our goodbyes, but we’ve already made plans to meet again ... with our father.
But leaving is the last thing I want to do. I look up at Jett, who has my father’s height and his eyes. I see traces of Dad in his features, but he must have gotten his coloring from his mom. His eyes are darker than mine, and his hair is dark and wavy.
There’s no way I can leave here without knowing when I’ll see him again. “What’s keeping you in Iowa?”
He crosses his arms over his wide chest and lifts a shoulder. “Where else would I go?”
I look around the house that’s barely furnished with no pictures or décor. It’s not homey, welcoming, or warm. It’s bare bones. A roof, running water, and a place to eat. Not that it couldn’t be made into a home, but it screamsa man lives here who’s used to living in barracks and survival is his only instinct.
Jett has bigger problems in the world than making a homefor himself, but it still tugs at my heart because I want more for him.
I bite my lip and glance up at Devon. “How many rooms do you really have set aside?”
Devon shakes his head, but he does it with a smirk. “For your brother, I can work something out.”
“Work what out?” Jett asks.
Devon wraps an arm around my hip and pulls me to his side. “Your sister is starting over in Winslet and wants you to be a part of her small-town, picture-perfect life.”
Jett looks at me like I grew a second head. “There’s nothing about my life that’s perfect. I’d never fit into your vision.”
I lean my head against Devon’s shoulder and say what’s coursing through my heart. “Then that means you have to catch up on getting to know me, because I don’t have a vision of life without you in it. At least visit, please. I’ll send a plane. The trip will be fast and comfortable. You work from home, which means you can work from anywhere. I’ll see if Dad is ready to travel, and you can meet him there. All I know is, my family just grew by thirty percent, and I plan to make sure it flourishes. Please, Jett. I’m not asking you to pack up your pets just yet. But you can visit, right?”
Jett lets out an exasperated exhale. Exhausted might be more like it.
Devon supports me, just like he always has. “We’ll do everything to make sure you’re comfortable and have what you need. You have my word.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Jett says.
