Falling into Place - Forbidden Heart Series

20| Mending Fences

"Please say something, Jackson."

I watched as my dad pleaded with my little brother -- something I've never seen Damian Hale do once in my lifetime. When we got to this family dinner about twenty minutes ago, I was surprised that Jackson actually showed up. Especially with everything he was going through with Harper and their pregnancy situation.

But when he did show up, he pulled me aside and asked me to be present when our dad talked to him. The look in Jackson's eyes told me that he was scared. Scared of losing control over all that pent up hate and hurt caused by my father. He was terrified of lashing out and causing even more problems.

So here I was, standing in my father's bedroom playing referee.

"Jackson, please," my father begged. "Even if it's something--"

"Why?" My brother rasped.

The pain in his voice was palpable. It radiated out of Jackson with so much force that I almost took a step back to get away from it. My father felt it too. I could tell from the pained expression on his face.

Those one word that Jackson said made me feel sick. One fucking word. Three letters. It was like those letters were the tip of the iceberg, and underneath the surface was a mountain sized, boat destroying amount of grief and abandonment.

My dad dropped his hands to his sides and exhaled a heavy sigh. It was like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "I was a bastard, Jackson. There's no excuse for how I treated you. You have to believe me when I say that I wanted you. I was so happy when she told me she was pregnant with you." He shook his head, averting his gaze. "After I made the biggest mistake of my life with leaving her, I couldn't --when it came to. . ."

"Say it," Jackson hissed. "Be a fucking man for once in your life and say it to my goddamn face. Dad."

My heart was thundering against my rub as I watched two of the most important people in my laugh go back and forth with so much regret and hostility.

My dad finally met Jackson's gaze again, unshed tears in his own. "Your eyes," he breathed. "your eyes are hers. It was the thing I loved most about you. Then I had to live a life without her and seeing her in your eyes nearly killed me. I couldn't do it anymore, so I pushed you away. I'm not proud of this, Jackson. It's my biggest regret. I know my forgiveness won't come easily, but I really wish you would I find a way to try. Or at the very least. . . maybe we can start over? Have some kind of relationship?"

Dad rubbed his hand through his hair nervously. "I would also like to meet my daughter-in-law and get to know her. Officially." He looked at me next. "Both of them."

Even though my dad knew Harper Lewis -- now Reese -- he never took his time to actually get to know her. When I was engaged to Harper for that sham of an arranged marriage, my dad spent time with her a few times. At the time though, it was more of a formality. He wasn't really interested in her. And he never gave Danielle the time of day because he and my mom were so pissed at us.

"I don't know if I can do this," Jackson said through clenched teeth. "I have so much anger towards you. So much. . ."

Jackson didn't need to continue for us to know what he wanted to say.

So much pain.

"I'm sorry, Jackson. I'm  -- I'm so, so sorry."

I don't know if it was the tortured look in our dad's eyes or the sincerity in his apology, but something changed in Jackson's demeanor. The pain was still there, of course, tenfold. But that tenseness in his shoulders when he was around our father slowly slipped away. The harsh dip of his brows suddenly smoothed out. A shaky breath slipped past his lips.