by Autumn Marks
“I told him to let you come to him on your own terms but he didn’t want that. He feared that would never happen,” his mother explained.
Brandon needed a moment—away from this place. He stepped outside the restaurant and stood alongside the building under the cover of an awning.
“What difference does it make?” he asked when his mother caught up with him. “All those years I lived away and he never once tried to contact me. Why now?”
Linda looked away from him and fidgeted with her purse strap. “He told me not to tell you. He didn’t want this knowledge to sway your decision.”
Brandon huffed. “I wasn’t given a choice in the first place.”
She steadied her gaze on him. “He’s dying, Brandon. The doctors only gave him six months to live. Although, I think he knows it’ll be sooner than that.”
A war of emotions raged inside his mind. On one hand, this was his father, the same man who had kicked him out all those years ago when he’d been grappling with his own issues. He hadn’t given his father a moment’s thought over the years and now he was supposed to care just because the man was dying? What about what he had gone through? What about all those times when he could’ve used some fatherly advice and had no one to turn to?
Part of him felt no remorse over this news.
But then there was the other part of him that had a conscience.
This man was still his dad and it would mean losing one of his parents. What worried him the most was what this news meant for his mother. She’d be alone and he didn’t want that for her.
“He didn’t want to guilt you into coming here by telling you the news first. But he worried that if he waited on you to contact him, it would never happen. So he’d like the chance to at least talk to you.”
Brandon fisted his hands through his hair. “Why did he pick someplace so public? And asking Julie and Lilly to come along?” He had his suspicions as to why.
“I think you’re smart enough to know he was trying to avoid a scene. He really wants this to be a peaceful event. You don’t even have to talk to him if you don’t want to. It’s enough that you’re here.”
“And if I say no? Then what?”
“Then I’ll take you back, no questions asked. We can forget this ever happened and you can go on with your life.”
“You’re kidding yourself if you think I’m going to be able to forget about the bombshell you dropped on me. You just told me that my dad is dying. How am I supposed to forget that?”
His mother shrugged. “I know you won’t forget it. I’m hoping you’ll do the right thing here.”
“I don’t even know what that is anymore.”
Linda placed her hand on Brandon’s shoulder. “Do what’s best for you, not him. I can’t tell you what that is.” She turned away and said over her shoulder, “I’m going to go in and say hello to your sister and Lilly. Send me a text if you want to leave. I think you need a few minutes to yourself.”
He nodded in agreement. A few minutes wasn’t much considering he had about fourteen years’ worth of anger to sort out. He needed a lifetime to cope with that. But he was here and he would at least sit through this meal, then he could decide what his next course of action would be.
Brandon entered the restaurant and walked back to the booth where the rest of his family was seated. His mother slid over to give him room which placed him directly across from his father.
His father didn’t even look like the man he once was. He’d always been overweight with a bit of a paunch that had hung over his belt. But now? The man across from him looked more like a skeleton. With visible cheekbones and hollow, sunken eyes, Brandon wondered how long his father had been sick. This type of look didn’t happen overnight.
His father managed a smile when Brandon looked at him. Brandon didn’t know how to respond. He wasn’t thrilled to be here against his will, but he obliged him with a small smile.
“Uncle Brandon!” Lilly squealed. “I’m so glad you made it. Mommy wasn’t sure if you would come.”
“Once I heard you were going to be here, I couldn’t resist,” he replied.
Brandon looked over at his mother and saw the tension fade from her body. Her shoulders relaxed as she eased into the cushions of the booth. It was clear to her that he was going to stay for breakfast.
It had been over twelve hours since the last time Emily had seen Brandon.
And he’d been on her mind ever since.
She’d tried to wait as long as possible to see him, even expecting him to beat her to it, but it looked as though that wasn’t going to happen.
She walked across the yard dressed in a pair of pink shorts and a yellow tank top with some leather sandals. After deliberating for at least a half hour over what to wear, she’d chosen this outfit because it didn’t give any hints as to what she was up to. It looked like something she would be wearing on any given day, not something she’d worn to impress. Although she had to admit she looked pretty dang good in it.
She stepped up to Brandon’s front door and knocked. From inside, Ollie’s deep, throaty bark announced her arrival which brought a smile to her face. She expected Brandon to come to the door at any minute…but no one was coming.
She knocked again. Again, she heard Ollie barking from inside, but she couldn’t hear any footsteps approaching or Brandon’s voice telling Ollie to be quiet. Brandon’s car was here, but where was he?
Was something wrong?
Or maybe he was ignoring her.
No. She quickly dismissed that thought. Someone who kissed her like he had last night wouldn’t act like that.
Maybe he had to step out for something. The grocery store and The Neighborhood weren’t all that far away, so it was possible he could’ve walked there.
Feeling a little deflated, Emily walked back to her house and was about to enter her home when she saw a car pull into Brandon’s driveway. Brandon got out, leaned into the car and said goodbye to the driver. Once the car pulled away, he trudged up his driveway with his shoulders slumped, his lips turned down in a frown. It was a far cry from the mischievous, confident guy she was used to seeing.
She hesitated over whether or not to go over to him, but she couldn’t keep herself away. “Brandon, are you okay?”
He looked surprised to see her there, like he hadn’t seen that she’d been standing on her front porch. “Not really. I don’t want to discuss it here though.”
A few moments ago, Emily had been so excited to see Brandon. Now, it looked as though he didn’t want to be near her. Even though she had a hunch he was going through something tough, it was hard not to be disappointed. “Okay, I get it.” She turned to walk back to her house.
“I said I didn’t want to discuss it here, meaning out on the front lawn. You can come inside and we can discuss it there if you want.”
“I’d like that.”
Chapter 17
“So what happened?” Emily asked once they were inside. She was seated on the couch and Ollie had taken the space right next to her and placed his head in her lap. Absently, she stroked his velvety soft ears.
“My mom took me to breakfast this morning. She didn’t tell me where we were going or who we were going with. My dad was there. The whole thing was his idea.”
“But you said once you haven’t spoken to your dad since you left.”
“You mean since he kicked me out,” Brandon corrected.
“Right. Sorry.”
“That’s why I was pissed about it. He knew I wouldn’t have agreed to it.”
“I assume there’s a reason behind him wanting to have breakfast with you?”
Brandon leaned forward in his chair and fisted his hands through his hair. “My dad is dying. I’m told he only has six months to live.”
“Cancer?”
“Yeah, stage-four prostate cancer. He looks rough, really rough. My mom seems to think he won’t make it the full six months.”
This was territory Emily was all too familia
r with. She’d seen her mother go through the same thing with her cancer and it was hell watching someone wither away until they were practically skin and bones. The treatments, all the medications to manage the pain, wishing her mother could be in peace…and then feeling guilty for wanting her mother to pass away. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I don’t know how I should feel. There’s a part of me that feels sorry for him. Then there’s another part that feels angry that I’m forced to reconcile with him because he only has a short time to live. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t ready to talk to him yet. But I feel like I’m an asshole if I deny him because he’s dying.”
Emily wanted to reach over and hug him. He was hurting, that much was clear. But she didn’t know Brandon well enough to know how to comfort him—or if he’d even want to be comforted by her. “I think you should acknowledge your feelings and don’t deny them. You need to tell your dad what you’re feeling because you’ll never be able to forgive yourself if you don’t air everything out now while there’s still time. If you don’t tell him how you felt when he kicked you out, he’ll never know. And maybe he wants you to tell him these things so he has a chance to apologize to you.”
“I doubt he’s capable of admitting any wrongdoing,” Brandon said with a sneer.
“You’d be surprised the things people think about when the end is near. My mom was apologizing for all kinds of things when she was nearing the end stages of her cancer. But she’d needed to clear her conscience and I don’t think she would’ve passed away until we let her do it.”
Brandon leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. “I need some time to process all of this. It’s a lot to take in.”
Emily stood up to leave. She’d give him the time he needed, although she’d have a hard time staying away from him. Ollie looked up at her with his sad, brown eyes as though he was pleading with her to stay for a while longer. “I’ll give you some space to think. I know how hard this must be for you.”
Brandon snapped his head back and took her hand in his. Just the feel of his hand against hers was enough to warm her insides. “Wait a second,” he said, holding her in place with his firm grip. “I never said I needed time away from you.”
That brought a smile to her lips. She didn’t want time away from him either.
Brandon got up from his seat and stood face-to-face with Emily. Her heart beat faster and faster as he stared at her intently. She tried to stop her body from responding because it wasn’t the same Brandon from last night staring at her now. This Brandon was different, sad even, weighed down by his father’s news.
With her hand still in his, Brandon closed the distance between them and kissed her once, then again. Emily whimpered and clung onto his waist with her other, uncaptured hand which encouraged Brandon all the more. As he continued his kisses, his fingers threaded through her hair and she tilted her head back, unable to stop herself from opening her mouth wider. But these kisses were restrained, lacking the desire from last night’s. And even though her body objected, Emily broke away, planting the final kisses, knowing it was what she had to do.
“That’s better,” he said when he opened his eyes to look at her. “Enough sad news. Do you have plans for the rest of the day?”
“I don’t have anything going on.” There were things she should do around her house, but between housework and Brandon, she’d pick Brandon every time.
“I was thinking we could take Ollie out to the park this afternoon.”
Emily grinned. “I think that sounds great.”
What was he doing?
As Brandon packed a cooler full of drinks from his fridge for their outing, he knew he shouldn’t have kissed Emily this afternoon. He knew he shouldn’t have asked her into his house and asked her to the park. He knew that what he really needed was time to sort out his feelings…alone.
But he couldn’t rescind the invitation now. He didn’t want to disappoint Emily by canceling the outing that he’d suggested. He was going to put on a brave face and act as though nothing was the matter even though his mind was elsewhere.
Once the cooler was packed, Brandon hesitated before rejoining Emily in the family room. He didn’t want to interfere with what was happening. Emily sat in the chair petting Ollie, who lay on the floor right in front of her. Her face was full of smiles as she told him what a good boy he was. Ollie ate up every second of the attention. Such a difference from when she’d been ready to spit nails just a short time ago when he’d destroyed her flowers.
So much had changed since then, including the nature of their relationship. Brandon thought back to the night before, when he’d held her in the dark and kissed her for the first time. Her lips had tasted so sweet and she’d all but melted into his embrace. He’d never known it possible for a kiss to drive him wild. But it had. Emily had.
Brandon joined Emily in the family room. He reached his hand out to her and she used him to pull herself up off of the chair.
“Which would you rather take, the cooler or the dog?”
Emily looked down at Ollie and smiled. “I’ll take the dog.”
“His leash and harness are over there,” he said, pointing to a basket containing a variety of dog toys and other dog essentials.
“You have a basket for your dog’s stuff? But you’re a guy. Guys don’t think about that kind of stuff.”
“This guy does. I got tired of stepping on Ollie’s toys, so I got a basket for his things. He still hasn’t learned how to put his toys away though. Maybe one of these days.”
Emily pulled the leash and harness out of the basket and slipped them on Ollie. “Better keep you on the leash when we go outside. I don’t need you in my yard again,” she said, patting Ollie on the head.
“Do you need to grab anything from your house or lock up before we leave?”
“I’m going to dash next door and grab my purse.”
While Brandon waited on her to return, he locked the front door to his rental house and put Ollie in the back seat of the car. He placed the cooler back there with him. Once in the driver’s seat, he slipped on his sunglasses and watched for Emily.
With a few moments to himself, he couldn’t stop his mind from wandering to the events of this morning. It was too much to cope with. He was still angry at his dad and the way he’d been treated. All he’d wanted was someone to confide in and some understanding. Brandon had been through the kind of loss that no teenager should ever have to experience. And his father’s response? Be a man and get over it. Forget about counseling sessions and a visit to a doctor for treatment. Brandon had needed to buck up. Medication was for the weak, according to his father.
Look who needs medication now. He didn’t revel in his father’s illness, but he did find it an amusing turn of events that the man who had shunned medication was now being drugged up in order to get through the day.
Brandon was so far gone in his own thoughts, he almost missed Emily leaving her house. She was halfway across the yard before he saw her.
“Sorry for keeping you,” Emily said when she got into his car.
“No worries. We’re not in any hurry.”
When they arrived at the park located at the base of Mount Crescent, the parking lot contained a smattering of cars. The playground had a few families with their kids playing on the equipment, but the paved path encircling the park was empty.
Mount Crescent was a three-hundred-foot sandstone bluff that most people in town called The Mountain. A mountain it certainly wasn’t, but elevation was hard to come by in this part of the state.
“I was thinking we could leave the cooler in the car until we need it. I don’t want to have to carry it around the whole time.”
“That’s fine with me.”
The two of them began their walk at the entrance of the path which was also right next to the playground. As they walked, Ollie’s hobbling drew stares from the children that were playing. Brandon was used to this type of attention and didn’t mind the children’
s staring. If he were them, he would’ve done the same.
A young boy, about four years old, wearing a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, ran up to Emily and Brandon. A thin sheen of sweat covered the boy’s face and his bright blond hair was matted down. “Can I pet your dog?” he asked.
“Sure you can. His name is Ollie and he’s pretty friendly,” Brandon answered.
The child looked around to the backside of Ollie where his other leg should’ve been. “How did your dog lose his leg?”
Brandon knelt down and got at eye-level with the child. He made Ollie sit down next to him while the boy continued to pet Ollie’s head. “I was hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and a mountain lion came across our path. The mountain lion was looking like he was going to attack. Ollie ran up and growled at him, but the mountain lion got a hold of him and bit Ollie’s leg pretty good. We were able to escape, but I had to carry Ollie down the mountain and then rush him to a vet. Luckily, they were able to save Ollie, but they had to remove his leg because the infection had already started to set in.”
The boy’s eyes grew to almost the size of his head. “Wow! What a brave dog.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty lucky to have him.” Brandon looked over at the benches surrounding the playground. One of the mothers got up from her seat and was walking toward them. “Is that your mom?” he asked the kid.
The boy nodded. “I need to go. Bye, Ollie!”
After the boy was out of earshot, Emily bumped her elbow into Brandon’s side. “That’s a really good story.”
“I thought so.”
“Why didn’t you tell him the truth?” she asked.
“That’s not very exciting. Besides, it’ll make getting in the car easier for that kid. Now he won’t associate the car with Ollie’s missing leg.”
“I guess I wasn’t aware you were such a great storyteller.”
“That’s not even the best one. I once came across a kid wearing a shirt that had a dragon on it. So I told the kid that Ollie lost his leg saving some European village from a dragon.”
