Chapter 234
Rowan's Point of View
"I know this sounds insane, but if you could just hear me out, you'll understand. Can we please just sit down for ten minutes and talk?" Avery pleaded with me, moving slowly over to the couch in the living room. He kept his hands half raised where I could see them. Smart.
I glanced down at Abel and Rae holding onto my legs and cleared my throat. "Hey, babies, why don't we get you settled in grandpas room and you can watch some cartoons for a few minutes. Okay?"
"But cookies?" Rae protested. Her baby blue eyes staring up into mine made me miss Jax because damn if she didn't have his eyes.
"We'll make cookies for daddy when we get home. I promise. We still have to go meet Grandma too. Mama needs to talk to her friend for a minute though. Come on..." I glared at Avery sitting on the couch and took my kids hands gently and led them up the metal spiral staircase that led to Deacons bedroom.
I helped them onto the bed and turned on some cartoons, then headed back downstairs. They didn't need to hear anything that was said because I didn't know what would be said. Avery was still waiting. Part of me hoped he would have just run off and the other part of me...didn't know what to feel. I was still getting used to having a father and now I could maybe have a half brother?
I pulled the gun I'd had tucked in the back of my jeans out and held it in my hand as I took a seat on the edge of the sofa. Even though Avery has worked at Navy Street for a few months every red flag within twenty miles was up looking at him.. "You've got five minutes. Make it count."
Avery smirked a little at the gun in my hand then nodded. "I'm gonna reach for something in my pocket. Don't shoot me."
"Don't make me." I countered.
He pulled out a crinkled envelope and slid it across the coffee table towards me. "I have proof of who I am. It's in that letter. I found out about Deacon when I was eighteen but I never wanted to meet him until now. Then I realized you were his daughter and Mia told me how you two were estranged."
I eyed the letter on the table suspiciously, but picked it up.
"You've been in Charming for months, why are you just now revealing all of this? And what gives you the right to break into my dads apartment!" I paused when I said 'my dad' but he was mine. "Hell, you said you've known since you were eighteen what kept you away so long?" Everything came out in a semi angry rush of words.
How was this happening? I mean I knew the logistics of how this happened but...
"I was put up for adoption when I was born. I grew up in the Nevada foster care system. Shuffled from home to home my whole life. Once I hit thirteen I figured out being adopted wasn't gonna happen. Everyone wants the puppy not the old dog ya know? Anyway, when I turned eighteen and aged out of the system I joined the army and did a tour in Afghanistan. Was gonna re-up but I ended up getting hit with an IED and was medically discharged." For the first time I actually studied Avery's face, his features. He wasn't wrong, we did have the same eye shape. I even noticed our noses were similar. Hell our hair color was even the same almost. His was a little darker. I also took into account how weathered and tired he truly looked. Almost as if he'd seen more than his fair share of bad shit in his life. Kinda like Jax. Which made sense if he was in Afghanistan. "Read the letter my birth mother left me. I didn't get it until I was eighteen because that's what she specified to the social workers."
Cautiously, I sat the gun in my hand down beside me on the couch. I eyed Avery momentarily but he was more concerned with the letter in my hand than the gun. I was being over protective of myself and my kids having it out, but who could blame me? Carefully, I opened the envelope and pulled out a small thin piece of paper.
