“In a way, I understand how Paul felt. He was on the periphery of his own kid’s life. He watched you grow up on television like everyone else, and it’s hard to love your kid from afar. So, instead, he poured all his love into your brother because he was around, and he needed it, too. And that hurts. It’s fair for you to be angry about that. You should be.” The edges of his blue eyes crinkle in memory. “You should have heard the way Shelby screamed at me when everything came to a head with us. She let me have it. You haven’t had the chance to do that, but you should. As angry as you are, you need to accept what’s between you and him isn’t the same as what’s between you and your brother, or even you and your mom. All that about Derek’s kids getting older and you traveling the world instead of coming home? He didn’t say that. You did.”

I swallow hard, my face burning and throat tight.

Daniel straightens off the vanity and steps carefully over the cardboard covering the subfloor toward me. He places a hand on my shoulder and squeezes. “You’re here now, though. And if I’m not completely off base, you’re not going anywhere anytime soon.”

I shake my head. It’s all I can manage. Daniel squeezes my shoulder again, nodding once, as if that decides something for him.

“Good. Then you know what to do next.”

20

MAD LOVE TO BAD BLOOD

By Jocelyn Bennett