Chapter 27

Everyone is sullen and quiet as we're seated around the big conference table at Uncle Joe's house.

Uncle Joe clears his throat. "Thank you all for coming again. First thing I want to say is that I'll start my treatment next week. It will be a combination of chemotherapy and radiation." He forces out a chuckle. "Always wanted to know what I'd look like bald, and now I have the chance."

Aunt Melanie breathes in deeply.

"My doctors say that otherwise I'm in excellent health. If anyone can beat this, I can. Although we know the prognosis is terrible, I'm choosing to look on the bright side. My physicians have also informed me of some experimental treatments, and as you know, money is no object for us, so I may be a good candidate for them."

"We've all got your back, Joe," Uncle Talon says.

Murmurs of ascent drift through the room.

"I don't want any of you worried about me. We've got some great things going on in our family." He scans the table, stopping for a moment on each of his children, nieces, and nephews. "We've got four weddings to look forward to. Brianna, Brock, Donny, Ava, you've all found wonderful partners to live the rest of your life with. I plan to be around for all of those weddings and for a grandchild or two, so stop the weeping. I want to be surrounded by love and happiness. That will help me more than anything."

Aunt Melanie grabs his hand, smiling. "I love you so much, Jonah."

Uncle Joe squeezes her hand and kisses it. "And I love you too, baby. We're going to get through this."

Aunt Melanie nods.

"I'm going to turn it over to Ruby, who I believe has the DNA results for Pat."

"Honestly, I haven't even looked at them yet." Ruby holds up a manila envelope. "Tucker delivered them to me late last night. "

"Please don't keep us in suspense," Lauren says. "I'd like to know who fathered my son."

Pat sits next to her. His face is pale, his lips trembling. He raises his hand. "Can I just say something?"

"Sure," Uncle Joe says.

Pat swallows. "I know I haven't been the best person in life. I'm truly sorry for what I put you through, Diana, and you too, Callie, as well as Rory."

I look at Brock. His jaw is clenched.

"I wouldn't blame you if none of you wanted to speak to me again," he says, "but I appreciate that you've opened your family to me. I will do what I can to make up for my past transgressions."

"We know you will, son," Uncle Joe says.

Son? He really just said son?

But then I look at Uncle Joe and realize what's happening. He's looking at his own life, considering it may be over sooner than he anticipated.

He's not here to hate anyone. He's here to extend love.

And perhaps the rest of us should do the same.

"I don't know you very well," I say to Pat, "but I want to be the first to welcome you to the Steel family. Your past may be spotted, and you may have hurt members of the family, but I believe in second chances."

I look around then, waiting for someone to offer agreement.

Brianna speaks. "I agree with Dave. We should give him a second chance. He's our cousin."

Brock takes a deep breath and then mumbles, keeping his gaze fixed on the table. "I saw a little bit of a different side of you when you were caring for your grandmother in the hospital. As much as I hate what you did to Diana, Callie, and Rory, I've been looking at things differently lately. At least, I've been trying to." He sighs. "I'll try harder."

More murmurs of agreement.

Pat swallows. "This means a lot to me. I know we may never find out why my parents changed their names and mine, or why they and my little sister died, but I'm glad to know I have another chance in life and a new family."

Lauren squeezes his hand.

"I'll get back to it, then." Aunt Ruby slides her thumb under the envelope and pulls out papers. "We took samples from Bryce, Talon, and me to see if Pat shares DNA with any of us." She scans the paper, and her eyes widen. Then she looks at Pat. "Seems you and I are half brother and sister, Pat."

Jaws drop.

"So Theodore Matthias is the father?" Uncle Joe says.

"Apparently," Ruby says.

Lauren closes her eyes. "So it was one of those three, which means…"

"Which means it is clear that our esteemed mother orchestrated it." Ryan clenches his teeth. "My God, I'm glad she's finally dead."

"Me too," Lauren agrees.

Uncle Ryan tents his fingers in front of his pale face. "All this time, I had a sister. I wish you had been able to grow up with us, Laur. None of this would've happened to you."

Uncle Talon shakes his head. "We sure as hell don't know that, Ry."

Lauren shakes her head. "Please. I don't want a bunch of people feeling sorry for me. I healed from that trauma long ago. Everything that happened brought me here, to this family. For that I'm truly grateful. And I'm grateful for both of my sons." She turns to Pat. "Pat, I'm sorry I couldn't keep you. It was too traumatic at the time. But you're here now, and I have a second chance to be a mother to you. I hope you'll let me."

Pat gives a weak smile. "Thank you for that. I was alone in the world for a while, and I got involved with some bad people. I'm not using that as an excuse. I own the bad things I did. And I don't know that I can ever make up for them, but I will try. That I promise you."

Uncle Ryan nods but then glances at Aunt Ruby. "Baby? Are you okay?"

Aunt Ruby's lips are turned down into a frown. Is she upset that Pat is her brother? Can't say I blame her, but?—

"I'm fine," she says, breathing in deeply. "It's just… This will sound ridiculous, but I have such feelings of ambivalence about my father. He was a despicable human being, but I thought he was trying to change at the end. He saved my life that day. And now… Now I see he was never really any different at all." She turns to Lauren. "I know it helps you and Pat to know, but I'm so sorry."

"You know I don't blame you for your father's actions, Ruby," Aunt Lauren says.

"Of course I know that. It's just… I was hoping there was some good in him."

"He saved your life, baby," Uncle Ryan says. "He didn't have to do that, but he did. It's okay to feel what you're feeling."

Aunt Ruby simply nods.

Brock frowns. "So let me get this straight. Theodore Matthias, Ruby's father, is also Pat's father."

Aunt Ruby nods, sniffling. "Yes."

"So you and Pat are half-siblings," Brock continues, "and Pat is the grandson of Brad Steel."

"That's the way it works," Aunt Ruby says.

"Is our family the most fucked-up family ever or what?" Brock then says.

That gets a laugh out of everyone. A laugh we all need.

"Son," Uncle Joe says, "when you're right you're right."

Pat is quiet as the rest of us talk among ourselves. Then he raises a hand again, as if he's in a classroom.

Uncle Joe nods to him.

"Do you think my grandmother, Wendy Madigan, knew who my father was?"

Uncle Ryan fields that one. "Most likely. She knew everything and didn't bother to tell us. Plus, she died before we were able to get all the information out of her. She probably knew what happened to your parents, Pat. Why they changed their names."

Pat looks to the floor. "When my parents had their own child, the one that was their own flesh and blood, I kind of became an afterthought."

Lauren pats his arm.

"It's no excuse for how I lived my life, though," Pat says. "No excuse for pulling the stunts I did back in high school, and no excuse for helping Brittany Sheraton pull the stunts she pulled. I honestly didn't know she was so mentally and emotionally compromised."

"None of us did," Uncle Ryan says. "But we do now. She's getting the help she needs. As far as we know anyway. As far as her father goes, I believe at heart he's a good man. He was angry at us for not bringing him in full-time on the Steel payroll as one of our veterinarians. But I honestly don't think he would've been helping Wendy if he'd known what he was actually doing. For all he knew, he was working for the Fleming Corporation."

Ava shakes her head. "The whole thing makes my skin crawl. All those liens, and I was the beneficiary. I don't want her dirty money. Gina, Jack, Pat—divide it among yourselves."

"No, Ava," Uncle Ryan says. "You take your share. Your grandmother put you through hell, and you deserve something for the trauma you suffered."

"But I don't want it, Daddy."

"Then give it away, sweetheart. Choose a charity."

Gina speaks up then. "I don't want mine either."

"Neither do I," Jack says.

Even Pat agrees. "If I'm going to turn over a new leaf, I can't take her dirty money either. Ava, since she left it to you, why don't you choose a charity?"

"I think that's a great idea, sweetheart," Uncle Ryan says.

Ava finally nods. "All right. I'll do that, but I'll make the donation in all four of our names, not just mine."

Uncle Ryan nods. "Good for you, sweetheart, and you too, Gina, Jack, Pat. You'll be well taken care of for the next several lifetimes without any help from my mother." He shakes his head. "My damned mother. I suppose, Lauren, we should at least be happy that she's now acknowledged you as her child. The quitclaim deed we found underneath Brendan's floorboard listed me as the sole beneficiary of all the Steel properties."

"She was something else," Lauren says dryly.

"I wish Dad had gotten to know you," Ryan says. "I honestly don't think he knew he had another child."

"No, he didn't," Lauren agrees. "I was always told that my father was Brad Steel's half brother."

"And I was the only one who knew about the half brother," Uncle Joe chimes in. "And now we come to find out he probably never existed in the first place."

"Was there anything that my mother couldn't pull off?" Lauren shakes her head. "How did one person become so powerful?"

"Through intelligence—genius-level intelligence—and shrewdness, money, and investigative knowledge," Uncle Ryan says.

"That's right," Uncle Talon says. "It's so easy to forget, given everything else, but she was a damned good investigative reporter in her day."

"True," Uncle Joe agrees. "She was the one, Tal, who covered your heroics when you came back from your military tour."

Uncle Talon nods. "She's the one Jade and I went to for answers before we knew who she truly was. Sometimes I wish we could go back to those days, but then I realize we needed to know everything." He frowns. "Though it irks me that some of the secrets still died with her."

Through all of this, I'm listening with one ear.

They continue speaking, but I stop listening. We know all we're going to know, because Wendy Madigan is dead. Now what we need to do is get the Steel holdings back into their proper hands. The deed that was recorded covers only real property, and the Steels own much more than that. I should know, as I've been Dad's right-hand man since I got out of college.

And it hits me then.

What I've been looking for.

I don't want to work with Dad anymore. I'm tired of the grind. I majored in business to please him, but working outside with Bree for a day made me realize I want to be working on the ranch. Helping that side of the business.

How will I tell him, though? He's about to lose his best friend and brother-in-law. I can't put any more on his plate.

I erase that thought only to think of Maddie and how much I'm going to miss her.

I wish she weren't leaving, but I understand why she has to. She needs to find herself.

I won't tell Dad today that I want to change my focus. He'll need me as we work with our attorneys getting all the property in order. But afterward…

As these thoughts are running through my head, Uncle Joe finally stands. "I think we can adjourn for now. Bryce and Dave will be working on the paperwork with our attorneys this coming week, and I… Well, I'll be in Grand Junction, starting my treatment."

"And I'll be with you," Uncle Talon says.

Uncle Joe shakes his head. "Tal, Melanie will be with me. You don't have to be there."

Uncle Talon places a hand on Joe's shoulder. "You're my big brother, Joe. I'm going to be there."

Uncle Joe looks at Uncle Talon, sadness and guilt in his eyes.

I've talked to Brock about it. Uncle Joe still feels some guilt from all those years ago for not being able to help protect Uncle Talon.

"Please, Tal," he says. "This is something I need to do alone. Just my wife at my side." Then he looks at Bradley and Brock. "And I don't want you two there either. I can't bear for you to see me that way."

"Dad…" Brock begins.

"Do me this favor," Joe says. "Please."

Those are the last words spoken at the meeting. We all rise and get on our way.