“I just, I feel like I fucking failed her, Preacher. I love that girl so much. I haven’t always been the best dad, but when it comes to her, I try to do my best. Even Rebecca, some shit has changed, I don’t know what. We sit in that empty house, and I’ve gone home to have dinner more than once in the past couple of weeks. I’m going to be a granddaddy to your baby.” Bear shook his head. “I’m torn between wanting to put you in the fucking ground, and hugging you. I know this shit happened to you too. You thought we’d given you a woman, and we hadn’t.”

“I don’t want to talk about it. I just need to know everything Milly had on O’Klaren. She wasn’t stupid.”

“Then you’d be best off looking in Bishop’s room. In case something like this ever happened, I imagine she’d hide it there,” Bear said.

“Did you even like her?”

“Milly?”

“Yeah.”

He left the mess to the girls to clean up. This wasn’t his problem. It would be someone else’s.

“She was okay. She always had her own agenda, but I don’t think that’s different from every other woman. You know. They always have a way and means of dealing with shit. She was no different.”

Entering Bishop’s room, he paused when he caught sight of one of Robin’s shirts. It shouldn’t matter and while Bear was in his company, he ignored it.

Opening drawers, he stared at his son’s clothes, not really feeling anything.

It was all a fucking mess. Checking through everything, he finally moved to the small closet. He turned the light on, and as he did, a box fell down, spewing out loads of photographs. He bent down, picking them up.

Pictures of Robin and Bishop together.

He looked over each one, smiling. They were good together. Their friendship had always been strong, and it was even more so now.

“What you got?”

“Just some pictures.”

He quickly put them away.

“It amazes me how fast they grow up. I remember when Robin was first born. She was so small, and I often wondered to myself how I was going to protect her, love her, be there for her when she needed me the most, you know.”

“You didn’t fail her, Bear.”

“Come on, let’s find whatever it is you think you’re looking for.”

Preacher tilted the light, and between a couple of boxes, he saw a file. Pulling it out, he opened it up, and inside was exactly what he was looking for.

Stepping out of the closet, he stared at a picture he knew from reality.

Robin, naked, only her back was showing.

“Milly took a picture of her on my bed.”

He flicked through a few of the other pictures and notes.