The Chauffeur [Complete]

Chapter 40

Celeste's POV
I laughed at a joke Harvey made. He was telling me about his childhood and all the stuff he'd gotten into. It was great seeing Harvey again. He looked happier and healthier. Like he was getting back to his hold self again.

He gets discharged tomorrow. And while he won't be able to return back to work, he will be able to go home. Which I know he's excited about. He's sick of being in the hospital.

Harvey's face fell, and the seriousness in his eyes reminded me of Rade. "How are things with Mr. Hendersen?"

"It's okay, I guess." Sam and I aren't arguing as much as we used to, but there is still quite a bit of tension. I wish things didn't end the way they did. And I'm really hoping that after our divorce is finalized, we can put all our focus on raising our daughter.

"I hear you're staying with my son? Is that true?"

Thalia must have told him. Suppose it was bound to come out at some point. I nodded. "I know I should've told you sooner, but I didn't want to complicate things even more between you guys."

He shook his head. "I think you're the only thing my son and I don't fight about."

Silence fell between us before I asked one of the questions that's been on my mind since the day I found out Harvey's son was my new chauffeur.

"How did Rade end up being my Chauffeur?"

He began to explain how he and his son hadn't spoken in years. He didn't go into detail about why they'd lost touch. Though I could tell not having a relationship with his son has been weighing heavily on him. Especially on his weak heart.

"When I called my son, I hadn't expected him to pick up. But then he answered."

Harvey went on to tell me about how he told Rade about his poor heart. Apparently, he'd been trying to get a hold of him for a while. It sounded exactly like Rade. Stubborn. Moody. Always having a brooding expression on his face.

"I knew that at some point, my poor old heart would land me in the hospital. So I asked him to look after you. I didn't trust anyone other than him to watch over you and Everly."

"Why?" I still didn't understand. "I mean, why him? Why not somebody from the Chauffeur company?"

He dropped his gaze down to his lap. "I guess... I guess I was hoping it would show him why I loved my job so much. I needed him to see for himself." 

I could tell there was more to his statement. More that he wanted to say about his reasoning for asking for such a favor. Perhaps a part of him also wanted to rekindle his relationship with his son. And while he seems to be all for reviving what was lost, Rade does not.

"I'm sure you're wondering what happened for my own son to hate me." He sighed, slowly lifting his blue-eyed gaze back to me. "I made a mistake. A terrible, terrible mistake." I noticed the tears welling up in his eyes. "It's because of me that Rade's the way he is."

He wiped at the stray tear rolling down his cheek just as his daughter entered the room. Thalia looked between her teary-eyed father and me. Her face morphed into a saddened one. She knew we were talking about her brother.

"He'll come around, dad," she said, looking at her father. "I know he will." She huffed in frustration, her brows knitting together. "I just wish he wasn't so- him sometimes."

"He has a right to feel the way he feels, Thalia."

"But dad, it's been years."

"Forgiveness takes time, darling."

She crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head. "We don't have time, dad. I mean-" She choked on her words, tears prickling her eyes. "What if something happens to you and-"

"Don't think like that," I cut in. "He's going to be okay." I gave her a reassuring smile even though I'd been wondering the same thing. What if Harvey- God, the thought makes me sick to my stomach. "Give Rade time." I directed my attention back to Harvey. "He may not say or show it now, but I know he loves you."

Harvey nodded, a small smile on his face. He wasn't too sure about that, but it did give him a sliver of hope.

After spending time with Harvey in the hospital, Thalia invited me out to lunch. The two of us decided on a restaurant with natural lighting and a room full of plants. It was beautiful.

Once a waiter came by to take our orders, Thalia took a sip of her water and gave her head another shake. "My brother, he doesn't talk to me."

"I don't think you should take it personally. He's not really good at talking to anyone." I told her about how we met and how his first day as my Chauffeur didn't go well.

Thalia laughed. "That sounds exactly like my brother. Gosh, he's such an asshole."

The smile on my face faded. "Your dad said he's the reason Rade's the way he is. What was he like before?"

Thalia sighed heavily, looking up in deep thought. "Rade has always been an introverted brood. The asshole part came a little later. My brother used to be caring. He cared a lot. Didn't know how to not care. Especially when it came to our mother. He was so very protective of her that when she died..." Thalia fought back tears. "Mom dying really fucked him up. The problems he had with our dad, well he needed someone to blame even though cancer was the only one to blame."

"Why doesn't he get along with your dad? What happened?"

I knew I was stepping a boundary with that one but I had to know. I had to know why Rade was so adamant on hating his father. What could he have possibly done for him to hold such disdain?

"He cheated on our mother."

My eyes felt like they'd popped out of my head I was so shocked. "What?"

"Yeah," Thalia said sadly. "He had an affair. Some lady he'd met at a bar. He was a real bad drunk at the time. We never really knew when he'd come home. Sometimes he was gone for weeks. Had no idea he was with another woman until Rade found him at a park with the woman. They had a baby together."

My jaw hit the table.

"He told me not to tell mom about it, because he didn't want to hurt her feelings. She was madly in love with our father. Which is why I told her."

Our food came to the table but I was too invested in what Thalia was telling me to eat. I just couldn't believe it. The same exact thing that had happened to me had happened to Rade's mother.

"Mom kicked my dad out of the house and we never heard or saw him again. Until he found out mom had cancer. They ended up talking it out and she forgave him. He never left her side. Stayed with her until the end."

"What happened to the woman and the child?"

"Car accident. They were hit by a semi-truck a few blocks from their home. How ironic that it was by a drunk driver."

"My God." I didn't know what to say. It made sense why Rade was so angry. A son should never have to see their mother so heartbroken. And the woman and child? They didn't deserve what happened to them.

"My father has been sober ever since. And as for Rade, he's never stopped hating him for not just breaking up our family but for the hell he put our mother through."

"I'm so sorry that happened."

She gave me a small smile. "It's okay. Really." It was far from okay. I knew firsthand what it felt like to have your family torn apart. It will never be okay. Just like cheating on your significant other will never be okay. "What happened was a long time ago. And if my mother and I can forgive him, then surely Rade can too, right?"

After hearing the reason behind his anger, I'm not so sure anymore. Rade felt betrayed. Abandoned. Harvey hadn't been in his life much. And on top of that, he'd had an affair. He'd been living a double life, which ended up in the dysfunction that is his family. And just a couple of years ago, he'd lost his mother to cancer. No wonder Rade's so grumpy all the time. He had a reason to be.

I'm having such a hard time forgiving Sam for what he'd done. Can I really expect Rade to do the same?