dad.”
“I like that seeing him makes you happy,” Harris observes.
Eddie: I’m good right now. Actually with Harris. Looking forward to speaking to you this weekend.
“Him being here was a wonderful surprise,” I acknowledge.
It would be easy to talk about Dad, avoid addressing the remaining issue blocking the path toward our reconciliation, but I won’t be scared.
“Saturday was pretty horrendous for me.”
He ignores his own meal, capturing my gaze. “I wish you hadn’t run out.”
I frown at his words. There was no other choice.
“What did you expect me to do? It was at the very least two against one. But what really hurt was you knew the truth, and you kept your mouth shut. In my eyes, you were choosing your sister over me. In that moment, it felt like you gave up on us.”
Harris instantly jumps in. “Oh, baby, how could I give up on someone I can’t go an hour without thinking about? How could I give up on the woman that brought me back to life?”
“Why didn’t you stand up for me then?” I burst out, the question gnawing at me since Saturday.
His eyes are still fixed on mine intently, the expression burning with urgency for me to understand. “I was thrown off my axis when you knew about Cooper. You’re incredibly intelligent; I don’t know why I thought I could hide it. Either way, when we got into my apartment, I was about to apologize to you and explain that I wasn’t ready to talk about Cooper at that moment. Which, I know, was not the right course of action. Then all of a sudden Claire and Amanda are screeching. Instead of taking care of you, I froze. As soon as I snapped out of it, you were gone.”
A slow breath escapes my lips and I shake my head. “More than anything, I wanted you to show me that we were on the same team, that you…”
Harris abruptly stands up, and moves to my side of the bench, collecting me into his arms. My cheeks lands on his chest and he runs a hand through my hair, smoothing it to the nape of my neck.
“With Claire screaming nonsense and Cooper, I wasn’t thinking clearly. I fucked up royally. Baby, I know you felt like I was picking Claire over you, but I wasn’t. Frankly, I was figuring out what the hell to do. And I decided.”
“Decided what?” I ask against the soft cotton of his T-shirt.
“This weekend Claire’s taking an extended leave of absence from work. She’s going back to an inpatient therapy program outside of the state.”
At his words, I gently extract myself from his embrace. “And why would she agree to do that?” I’m reluctant to believe she’d relent to his wishes, but Harris appears confident that she’ll respect his orders.
“Because my sister, for all her faults, realizes she needs me. She doesn’t contribute much at work, but stays there because I cover for her ass. Her finances would be a complete mess if it wasn’t for my help. Claire knows that I’m ultimately all she has left.”
That reminds me of another topic I’m curious about. “Will you explain what happened with your parents? What happened after Cooper died?”
“They blame Claire more for Cooper’s death than they ever did me.”
“Why would they blame her?” I ask incredulously.
“Claire and Cooper were incredibly close, two halves of one whole. After he died, she refused to tell us anything. We asked her so many damn questions and she shut us out. The night he died, Cooper told me about a journal he kept. I don’t know, I always thought it was his way of telling me he wanted me to read it. After his death, I tore the house apart trying to find it. My parents and I weren’t able to, so we asked Claire. Of course she hid it. Refused to share it with me or my parents. Needless to say, my mother couldn’t handle her grief, and my father would do anything to take care of her. They decided Australia was the best place for them because we have family there.”
I nod, but I can’t comprehend it. “You needed
“I like that seeing him makes you happy,” Harris observes.
Eddie: I’m good right now. Actually with Harris. Looking forward to speaking to you this weekend.
“Him being here was a wonderful surprise,” I acknowledge.
It would be easy to talk about Dad, avoid addressing the remaining issue blocking the path toward our reconciliation, but I won’t be scared.
“Saturday was pretty horrendous for me.”
He ignores his own meal, capturing my gaze. “I wish you hadn’t run out.”
I frown at his words. There was no other choice.
“What did you expect me to do? It was at the very least two against one. But what really hurt was you knew the truth, and you kept your mouth shut. In my eyes, you were choosing your sister over me. In that moment, it felt like you gave up on us.”
Harris instantly jumps in. “Oh, baby, how could I give up on someone I can’t go an hour without thinking about? How could I give up on the woman that brought me back to life?”
“Why didn’t you stand up for me then?” I burst out, the question gnawing at me since Saturday.
His eyes are still fixed on mine intently, the expression burning with urgency for me to understand. “I was thrown off my axis when you knew about Cooper. You’re incredibly intelligent; I don’t know why I thought I could hide it. Either way, when we got into my apartment, I was about to apologize to you and explain that I wasn’t ready to talk about Cooper at that moment. Which, I know, was not the right course of action. Then all of a sudden Claire and Amanda are screeching. Instead of taking care of you, I froze. As soon as I snapped out of it, you were gone.”
A slow breath escapes my lips and I shake my head. “More than anything, I wanted you to show me that we were on the same team, that you…”
Harris abruptly stands up, and moves to my side of the bench, collecting me into his arms. My cheeks lands on his chest and he runs a hand through my hair, smoothing it to the nape of my neck.
“With Claire screaming nonsense and Cooper, I wasn’t thinking clearly. I fucked up royally. Baby, I know you felt like I was picking Claire over you, but I wasn’t. Frankly, I was figuring out what the hell to do. And I decided.”
“Decided what?” I ask against the soft cotton of his T-shirt.
“This weekend Claire’s taking an extended leave of absence from work. She’s going back to an inpatient therapy program outside of the state.”
At his words, I gently extract myself from his embrace. “And why would she agree to do that?” I’m reluctant to believe she’d relent to his wishes, but Harris appears confident that she’ll respect his orders.
“Because my sister, for all her faults, realizes she needs me. She doesn’t contribute much at work, but stays there because I cover for her ass. Her finances would be a complete mess if it wasn’t for my help. Claire knows that I’m ultimately all she has left.”
That reminds me of another topic I’m curious about. “Will you explain what happened with your parents? What happened after Cooper died?”
“They blame Claire more for Cooper’s death than they ever did me.”
“Why would they blame her?” I ask incredulously.
“Claire and Cooper were incredibly close, two halves of one whole. After he died, she refused to tell us anything. We asked her so many damn questions and she shut us out. The night he died, Cooper told me about a journal he kept. I don’t know, I always thought it was his way of telling me he wanted me to read it. After his death, I tore the house apart trying to find it. My parents and I weren’t able to, so we asked Claire. Of course she hid it. Refused to share it with me or my parents. Needless to say, my mother couldn’t handle her grief, and my father would do anything to take care of her. They decided Australia was the best place for them because we have family there.”
I nod, but I can’t comprehend it. “You needed
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