Chapter Twenty-Eight

Perry

We decide I'm the one who is going to pick Dad up at the hospital and take him to the hotel. His wife, Marie, is flying out soon. Once we knew he would be okay, she didn't rush—to give him time with us, I think. I have to admit, I'm nervous as fuck. My stomach is twisting, and I've almost vomited three times on the way over. Maybe it should have been Ty and me together? I'd made the suggestion but hadn't pushed when he said he was busy and it should be just me. That's Ty's way of giving me and our dad time together, and I'm thankful for that and also scared as fuck.

For a lot of reasons. We don't even know each other, for one, and…I look at my vehicle. On the whole, I'm not the kind of guy who's embarrassed of the things I have or don't have, but the thought of Montgomery Langley in my small, beat-up car is slightly horrifying.

Or maybe it's more that I'm nervous I'm going to have a real conversation with my father for the first time. I'm going to be open and honest and work toward having a relationship with him the way Ty does. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it and wish I'd kidnapped my puppy so he could be here with me. Things are a lot easier with him by my side.

Still, I tough it out and finish my drive to the hospital, taking in the palm tree–lined streets and the ocean in the distance. When I get there, Dad is already outside in a wheelchair, a nurse behind him.

"He tried to make a prison break, so I had to come down with him early," the nurse says.

"I don't need this chair. It's ridiculous. I can walk," Dad grumbles, sounding like a spoiled brat. I think no matter what happens, there are definitely going to be some differences between us.

"It's her job, Dad. Don't take it out on her," I scold, and maybe that's not going to get the two of us off to the best start, but if we're going to do this, if we're going to have a relationship, then I have to be who I am. I refuse to pretend to be someone else.

"I wasn't… I didn't mean… Oh hell. I'm sorry."

She pushes the wheelchair up to my passenger door. I open it, and Dad pauses for a moment, then gets in.

I thank the nurse, and she goes back inside. Dad has all his discharge paperwork on his lap, so I just go over to the driver's side and get in.

"I can get you a car," is the first thing he says to me.

"I don't need you to get me a car. This one works fine. If we're gonna do this, you can't just try and throw your money at me all the time."

"That's not… Okay, that's what I'm doing, but I do it because I care. I want you to have nice things. I want to help. It's how I…"

"How you show you care?" I finish for him. "I'd rather see it in other ways. That's not me."

He sighs, and I can tell he doesn't understand it, but he says, "I'll try. I don't know how good I'll be at it. I'm not the best at giving up control or not trying to fix things with…well, with money, but I do love you, Perry, and I want to make this work. I want a relationship with you."

Throat full, I nod. "I want that too. And I can try and make sacrifices with some things as well."

"Deal."

He gives me the name of his hotel, and I type the address into navigation. It's in the wealthiest area of San Luco. The hotel is white with an orange-tiled roof and turquoise accents on the building. It looks like a Spanish-styled palace.

The valet up front does a double take when I pull up. Yeah, buddy. I don't belong here. I get it.

I try to help Dad out, but he waves it off. When I give the valet my keys, Dad tries to tip him, but one look from me has him pausing, which I have to admit, is nice to see. I told him I would try too, and he can probably afford to tip this guy more than me, so I nod and let him hand the money over.

"Thank you," he says.

"You're welcome."

We don't say anything else to each other until we're upstairs in his suite that is probably bigger than the house I share with Ty and Brax.

"Are you thirsty? I can—"

"I'm fine," I cut him off. The two of us stand about five feet away, staring at each other, both of us probably lost and unsure what to say.

"I—" We both start at the same time, then chuckle.

"Can I go first?" Dad says. "There are some things I need to say to you." He wrings his hands.

"Only if you sit down. You have to rest too."

He nods. I can tell he's not happy about it, but he takes a seat on the couch.

"I am…not the best man, Perry. Never have been. I've made a lot of mistakes. I've hurt a lot of people. I'm controlling, and quite frankly, I like attention and to feel important. I wasn't good to Ty's mom, to your mom, to my children. I can't change the past. If I could, I would, but we both know that's impossible. All I can do is try to be better, and I'm doing that every day. I'm going to therapy—by myself and with Ty through telehealth. I'm more active in your little sister's life, with my new wife. Life is…too short. I've realized that recently, and even more so after my heart scare. I don't want to waste any more time, and I don't want to hurt the people I love. I've always and will always love you, son, and if you give me a chance, I'd like to prove it to you. I would like to have a real relationship with you."

My eyes sting again. This is getting ridiculous. I've never cried so much in my life, but they're good tears, cleansing tears, ones that start trying to wash away the past. His words don't fix anything, but they do put us on the right path to changing the future. There's still a long way to go, but this is a good beginning.

"I want that too. I'm not gonna lie to you—you hurt me. A lot. I don't…I don't let people in easily. I'm afraid of being left, that there's nothing to love about me. For years I've told myself I hate you. Hell, I'm really damn good at coding and tech, I love it, but I wouldn't even let myself follow my dreams because it hurt that I share them with you. But I'm tired of fighting it. I want to go into tech, go to college. I want to know what it's like to have a dad. But I'm learning my worth, and I won't accept less than I deserve."

Dad's head is tilted down, gaze in his lap. It's not until he lifts his hand to wipe his face that I see he's shed a tear of his own. When our gazes meet, the moisture there is obvious. "I'm sorry, Perry. I'm so damn sorry, and if you'll let me, I'll work to make up for the pain I've caused you. Every day for the rest of my life."

"Just be good to me…to us, all of us."

Dad pushes to his feet. He doesn't seem like a touchy-feely guy, but before I realize what's happening, I'm in his arms and he's hugging me, holding me, telling me he loves me, that he can't wait to get to know me.

He orders room service, and we talk for hours. About Ainsley, my little sister. About Ty and how proud Dad is of him. Of all the things he wants to do with the two of us together. The relationship he wants to build with his kids.

We even talk about Langley Enterprises. I tell Dad some of the things I've worked on and apps I'd like to build. Excitement shoots around my body like a marble in a pinball machine. The love is matched in his gaze as we discuss this thing the two of us love, that both of us are good at.

"I would love to work with you," Dad says when I'm about to leave. "If you want to come back to Boston, we can get you registered for school there, and you can apprentice at Langley. I'd love to see what you can do. We can—"

"You want me to move back to Boston?" I interrupt. Mom would love that, and working for Langley Enterprises would be incredible.

"If you'd like. You don't have to, but it would be a great opportunity for you. I know you don't need my help, but I'm offering it to you. I would love the chance to work with one of my sons."

His son. Following my dreams. I've always loved Mass and never thought I would leave until I met Ty and came out to visit him. I'd moved out here to have a relationship with my brother, to get to know him and be close to him, and now, my father is offering me the same opportunity—to go back home, where my mom is, to work toward making my dreams come true, and to build a relationship with my father.

But then there's Theo, the man I love. The person who gave me the inspiration to set out on this path to building a relationship with my dad.

Theo, the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.

I sit there speechless, trying to grasp words that won't come.