Her eyes widened and a smile spread across her face. “That’s the best news I’ve heard for a long time!”
Nodding, I said, “Yeah…I’m concerned, though.”
“Why?”
I sat on her couch and rested my elbows on my knees. My muscles had knotted in my shoulders and back, and I dropped my head forward to stretch my neck. Looking back up at her, I laid out my fears. “Harlow told me she didn’t want to try for a baby again just yet. I’m worried this is too soon for her when she’s still trying to work through her grief. She’s come so far and I don’t want her to ever go back to where she was.”
Mum sat next to me and placed her hand on my shoulder. “Scott, sometimes what we think will be the worst thing for us, turns out to be exactly what we need. I’ve been keeping an eye on Harlow and I think things have changed for her. I think she’s stronger now and has the mental tools to cope with whatever happens. Amongst other things she’s been doing that helped, you going away was good for her.”
“Why?”
“It forced her to take some responsibility on again, and it also gave her something besides herself to think about. She was busy looking after Lisa and Michelle, as well as the café with her mum, and trying to help Wilder out.”
I thought I’d noticed a change in Harlow, but I figured I’d been seeing something that perhaps wasn’t there. What I wanted to see. But maybe Mum was right.
Pressing my back against the couch, I said, “I hope you’re right. And I hope to fuck we don’t lose this baby.” I drummed my fingers on my leg and did my best to ignore the tightness in my chest. We can’t lose this one.
“If you lose another child, you’ll face that together. You’re an amazing man and I’m so proud of the way you’ve stood by Harlow. Even though your father set the worst example of how to be a man and a husband, you’ve figured out how to do it right, and Harlow is very lucky to have you.” Her eyes misted over as she took a breath. When she spoke again, her voice cracked as she felt her way through her words. “I’m so sorry for allowing your father to remain a part of our family while you were growing up. I wish I’d done better and given you and Madison the kind of father you both deserved. But I can’t go back; all I can do is be there for you now, whenever and however you need me.”
I took all her words in, hearing her for what felt like the first time in a long time. I’d shut her out over the last year, but it was time to let her back in. Mum had suffered at the hands of my father for so long; she didn’t need to keep hurting.
It’s time to put our family back together.
Reaching for her hand, I murmured, “When you know better, you do better, right?”
Tears slid down her face as she nodded. “Yes,” she whispered.
We sat in silence for a while, lost in our own thoughts. A man who only cared about himself had screwed up our family from the beginning. I would build us back up and give us the opportunity to be the strong family we always should have been.
Mum eventually wiped her tears and squeezed my hand. Smiling, she said softly, “I’ve got someone who wants to see you.”
I frowned as she stood and left the room. When she returned a minute later with a red-headed man, I stood and jerked my chin at him. “Blue.” Uncle Dan. The key to understanding so damn much that we’d struggled with for so long.
He nodded. “Scott.”
“You’re finally coming home? Or, just visiting?”
Blue smiled at Mum before turning back to me. “I’m moving back to Brisbane. Finally.”
I watched their interaction closely, and anger at my father roared through me again. He’d done this – he’d broken a brother and sister apart, all for his own gain. Not that I knew the full story, but I knew enough to know that.
Regret, nostalgia and hope circled the three of us as the significance of this day was acknowledged. “What happened all those years ago, Blue? How the hell did my father force you to agree to leave town?”
His chest rose and fell hard before he exhaled a long breath. Nodding at the couch, he suggested, “Take a seat, son, this is a long story.”
Son.
I had good memories of Blue. He’d always been a strong male presence in my life. Dad hadn’t wanted us to spend a lot of time with him, but Mum had snuck visits in when she could. Looking back now, I realised it was thanks to Blue that I’d learnt how to treat a woman right. He’d had a long-time girlfriend who he’d cherished, and I’d watched them for years, taking in the way he showed his love for her.
“Your father and I always had a hard relationship. I chose not to join Storm even though our family had a long history of membership with my father and his father before him. Dad supported my decision not to join, but Marcus belittled me for it. I had little respect for Marcus, but Sharon wanted him in her life, so I stood by her choice and watched out for her. Then I met Miranda and I knew she’d be the woman I would spend the rest of my life with. We never married, but we didn’t need that. What we did need, though, was for Marcus to leave her alone…” He stopped talking and swallowed hard as his hands clenched.
My gut churned. I sensed he was about to tell me something ugly about my father. As if there weren’t enough ugly truths about him already.
I was right.
Blue’s eyes met mine and the pain I saw there hit me in the chest. When I flicked my gaze to Mum, I took in her ashen face. This wasn’t going to be easy to hear, but it had to be said. I wasn’t sure how I knew, but the understanding sat deep in my soul that we needed this out on the table in order for us all to move forward.
Blue cleared his throat. “I’ve already told your mother, so she already knows this.” He paused and I nodded. Tell me. “Marcus wanted a relationship with Miranda, but she said no. She never told me because she didn’t want to hurt your mother or me with the revelation. He tried to sleep with her a few times and she continued to say no, but one night when I was out of town, he forced himself on her. He raped her and then threatened her so she wouldn’t ever tell anyone.”