“Bryce, why? Why would he…?”
“He had his reasons. Again. But the reasons no longer exist. He’ll tell you everything.”
“I don’t want to see him. I don’t want to…”
Didn’t want to what?
I had no idea what I wanted, other than to stay in Bryce’s arms for eternity.
“Sweetheart, I know this is a lot to take. Your brothers all gave him holy hell for this latest escapade, and he admitted to deserving all of it and more. He won’t be here for long.”
“Won’t be here for long?”
“No,” Bryce said. “He turned himself in. He self-surrenders tomorrow.”
I gulped down a sob. “What?”
“He’s ready to pay for his crimes, honey. He worked a deal so Dominic, Alex, and the others won’t be charged. He’s paying for everything he did to cover up the trafficking ring.”
“But he had reasons… He was just…” I stopped, shaking my head. Yeah, he’d tried to protect my mother, but there was no justification for the lengths he’d gone to. No justification for faking his death not once but twice.
Bryce kissed the top of my head. “He’s going to prison for the rest of his life.”
“But he’s sick…isn’t he?”
“No, Marj. He’s not.”
So he’d lied about his cancer. About his death. About so much.
But he was my father. The father I’d loved. What was I supposed to feel?
The door creaked open.
“You okay, baby girl?”
His voice. His soothing voice. The voice that taught me right from wrong. The voice that helped me when I needed it, the voice that told me when I didn’t need help and could figure it out on my own.
The voice that had made me strong.
The voice that would be so ashamed if he knew what I’d resorted to…
No. I wasn’t ready.
“Not yet,” I said into Bryce’s shoulder.
“Give her some time,” he said.
The door creaked gently shut.
Crying was for girls.
I didn’t cry.
Give her some time, Bryce had said.
If he was going to prison tomorrow, he didn’t have time. I’d have to suck it up. Talk to him. Yell at him. Tell him he’d fucked up. He’d violated our trust. He’d aided criminals in his attempt to keep our mother safe. Then I’d have to hug him. Tell him what he meant to me. Tell him that I loved him.
“Marjorie,” Bryce said, “listen to me.”