Page 112 of Broken Strings

“Four-of-a-damn-kind. Well, fuck me, son. I didnotsee that coming!”

I roll my eyes, moving to scoop up the deck and deal a fresh hand. “As if Mum would have let you near my damn bike anyway.”

He shoots out a stalling hand, and I instantly stop what I’m doing. “What?”

“Game’s not over until you’ve seen my hand.”

I tilt my head to the side, about to launch into the fact that there’s onlyonehand that can beat mine, when my sneaky-ass father drops the King and Queen of Hearts onto the table.

“Royal Flush. Looks like I live to see another day–andyou owe me one on top of the Ducati, which I look forward to selling so that I can donate the proceeds to Katherine’s House.”

He sits back and folds his arms with a triumphant look on his face. There’s a cheesy-as-fuck grin front and centre on his rightly smug face.

My mouth drops open in disbelief before a chuckle vibrates within my chest.

“What is stopping you from being happy, Cade?”

My laughter dies in my throat. I swallow harshly and frown. “I beg your pardon?”

Dad unfolds his arms, leans forward, and grips my hands in his much older ones. “I’m cashing in on my ‘winner’s choice’ now, son. And I want you to tell me—and be a hundred percent honest too—why have you never allowed yourself to be truly happy since your brother’s death?”

I blink a handful of times, trying to gather my thoughts, but I only have one. “I spent so many years believing it was my fault he’d drowned. I tried sofuckinghard to live the life he would have…but it all felt worthless without her….”

My words trail off as emotion overcomes me. Fifteen years of pent-up feelings come rushing to the surface. Anger, betrayal, disappointment, grief, love, loss, and everything in between.

My father stands, lifting the table between us and sending the deck of cards flying with little care to kneel before me and grasp my face in his palms. “Caden Atticus North. You are the most loving and caring soul I’ve ever had the fortune to know. A hopeless romantic. You are a man who never asks for anything, but gives his whole self in return. Even to those who are undeserving…”

My brow knits tight, knowing what, or who, he’s referring to. “Layla.” Her name is a whisper from my lips.

“Being with Layla was vastly different from being with Summer. Yes, you have some issues to work through with Summer, but I have no doubt youwillwork it out. Because when it’s the great love of your life, nothing is impossible.”

A tear falls from my lashes, and Dad catches it with his thumb, brushing it away as he frowns. I can feel the passion in his words as he wills me to understand.

“Son, it’s about time you started living life foryou. Follow your own dreams. Grab life by the balls. Go for what you want. Quit the fucking band—”

He breaks off when I suck in a surprised breath.

“You think your old man didn’t realise your heart’s never been in it? What kind of fool do you take me for, hmm? When I formed Jupiter’s Fallen with Cole Gardiner, we lived and breathed the music. The lifestyle. The parties. The women. We lived it up, whether we were on tour, in the studio, or just down the corner pub on a random Tuesday.”

His eyes glaze over slightly when he pauses, and a small smile tugs at the edges of his mouth. “Everything changed for me when I met a little-known lingerie model with an ass you could bounce—”

“Dad!”

He snorts as I shake my head. He drops his hands from my face, instead gripping my hands tightly in my lap. “My wife is still shit hot, son. A blind man could see it. Forgive me for knowing I’m one hell of a lucky man.”

I roll my eyes as a hint of a smile lifts my lips.

“My dreams shifted when I fell in love with your mother, Cade. Everything I’d wanted before her meant nothing. Yeah…I still enjoyed the music, but I preferred being home with you guys to spending months abroad or recording. And that’s something I recognise in you, son.”

My mouth opens to ask what he means, but he just talks over me.

“We’re the same in that sense. In knowing when our hearts have met their other halves.Imet the love of my life when I was in my late thirties after I’d lived the craziest damn life possible.Youmet Summer when you were only eight. You’re not supposed to meet your soulmate at that age, but you did, son. You fell in love, only to fall apart, and I’ve watched you stumble through life without her in the years since. Honestly, I don’t know how you’ve survived being parted from her for as long, so I need to say my bit, and I’ll leave it at that, okay? You can keep your Ducati, I only want your happiness.”

I nod, afraid if I open my mouth that I’ll sob like a goddamn baby.

“Forgiveness takes strength. Acceptance takes bravery. And love takes work, son.”

He stops, spearing me right through the gut with the fervour in his eyes.

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