“Seriously,” Jude confirmed. “The third brother had a gun and Tennyson saw that he was going to shoot Ronan. I was able to shove him out of the way and took two bullets myself. After I got out of the hospital, Ronan invited me to stay with him and Ten while I recovered. I was able to see how their relationship worked and that them loving each other didn’t make them weaker, but stronger. It took a long time for me to realize it was okay to love someone. The person who taught me that was Everly.”
“The little psychic.”
Jude nodded. “You’re damn lucky I didn’t swing on you when you called her a psycho.” He grinned at the daredevil. “That little girl changed my life forever. When I met Cope a few months later, I was scared to death of my feelings, but I took a chance on him and look at us now. We’ve got two kids, two amazingcareers, and a ton of friends who are more like brothers. I have all of these things in my life because I took a chance on love. Has our road been all smooth sailing? No, but I wouldn’t change a thing.”
“That’s a great story, but what does it have to do with me and Heidi?”
Jude shot Cannonball an are-you-kidding-me look. “We’re so much alike that its scary. I think losing your father and having to live with your grandparents fundamentally changed you. Having an uninterested stepfather just confirmed that loving people wasn’t worth the risk.”
Cannonball stared at Jude, but stayed silent.
“Yeah, you love your wife. I’ve seen it. You love your son too, but on the periphery. Makes me wonder if you crashed that bike on purpose before he was born so you wouldn’t be there for CJ’s birth and wouldn’t have to bond with him.”
Cannonball’s hands balled into fists and Jude had a feeling he was about to get throat-punched.
“All I’m saying is that it’s okay to love your family. It’s okay to get close to them. You think the path your life is on is the only one available to you, but I’m here to tell you that you’re wrong. You can be a plumber or a boring accountant, a school teacher, anything you want to be. Killing yourself will hurt your wife and son in a way that they’ll never recover from.”
“This ismylife,” Cannonball gritted out from behind clenched teeth.
“Yeah, it is. You’re absolutely right.” Jude turned back to CJ and Wolf who were chasing Lizbet around and letting her catch them. “What will dying prove? All you’ll be doing is continuingthe cycle your father started, which will culminate in the death of your wife and son.” Jude pointed to the boys running around. “Look at your son. He’s got the world on a string. Wolf talked about how much alike he and CJ are and how he wants to visit you guys in Michigan so they can have sleepovers, build Legos together and roast marshmallows over your fire pit. What happens on Sunday will change everything for your son. I understand that you think that you’ll survive the stunt. You’ve got more confidence in yourself than anyone I’ve ever known, Ronan included. There’s no shame in backing out. Say that they river conditions weren’t optimal for an attempt at the falls or that there’s a structural issue with the barrel. If there’s anything we can do to help you, let us know.” Jude stood up, he was about to walk away, but had one last thing to say. “Talk to Heidi and when she speaks, listen to her. Ask her about her hopes and dreams for your family. Go from there.”
“Thanks, Jude,” Cannonball said. “I’ll think about what you said.
With a nod, Jude headed off to play with his daughter. She and Cope were chasing each other and laughing and Jude wanted in on the action. Thinking back over his life and reliving the Hutchins case reaffirmed to Jude that he’d made all the right decisions to secure his future. He had a husband who loved him, kids who were his entire world, and friends who’d been there for him through thick and thin. He wouldn’t give any of those things up for anything, never mind money or prestige.
All Jude could do now was hope Cannonball came to the same conclusion before it was too late.
13
Cope
When Cope woke up on Saturday morning, the first thing he did was use his gift to reach out to Cannonball. Jude had filled him in on the heart to heart the men had the day before and Cope had been hopeful that something Jude said would hit home for the daredevil. Unfortunately, nothing in Cannonball’s future had changed. He was still going to die on Sunday.
Reaching out for information about Heidi brought different results. Cope discovered that Heidi was able to save herself and CJ thanks to the advice Jude had given her yesterday about getting a lawyer and starting a GoFundMe page. Neither of them would die in the horrific ways he’d seen.
“You’re sure we changed Heidi’s future?” Jude asked as the two were on their way to the ballroom for the second day of PsychicFest. Cope and Ten had a two hour meet and greet scheduled, where they’d sign autographs, take pictures and do mini-readings for the fans that came to see them.
“I’m positive,” Cope affirmed. “Ten said the same thing when we were in the buffet line for breakfast, but I think we need to keep that information to ourselves.”
“Why?” Jude asked.
“We’re all sort of hoping that it’s Heidi and CJ’s fate that will talk Cannonball out of going over the falls. If he finds out that their future has changed, he’ll be more determined than ever that the show must go on.” Cope shook his head. “If you ever pulled anything like this, I’d divorce you quicker than you could say the word.”
Jude grinned at his husband. “Would you really though? I mean, we’ve been together for six years. We’ve got two kids and both of our names are on the house and all the bills. Would you really leave me to fend for myself?”
“I would,” Cope said, sounding more serious than he had a minute before. “You’re an adult and have the free will to do anything you want. Shave your hair into a mohawk? Sure, thing. Become a vegan? Go for it. Attempt to survive going over Niagara Falls in a barrel? Nope! You’re on your own.”
“Explain that to me.” Jude sounded more curious than annoyed.
Cope studied his husband for a few seconds and determined he wasn’t being a pain in the ass, but rather wanted to hear his thought process. “If you want to be self-destructive, it’s your choice, but I don’t want to watch your downfall and our kids don’t deserve to see it either. I think the thing that upsets me the most about Cannonball, isn’t that he wants to do this crazy, dangerous thing, but that he wants his son there to watch it happen.” Cope could see the accident in his mind’s eye. It terrified him to see it as an adult. “Can you imagine watching him come over the falls to cheers and excitement, only for the capsule not to surface? Then watching as search and rescue jump into action and bring Cannonball’s lifeless body to the boat? What do you think seeing that would do to Wolf if it were your body?”
Jude shook his head. “The horror he’d experience would be overwhelming, just like it was when my father was murdered in front of me. Wolf would never be the same and even with the changes we made to Heidi and CJ’s lives, they’ll never be the same either.”
“You’re right, so yeah, I would divorce you to keep our kids safe.” Cope patted Jude’s cheek.
“I can see where you’re coming from.” Jude paused for a moment, seeming to think things over. “What else can we do to save Cannonball? My chat with him yesterday was pretty emotional and it didn’t make a dent in his armor. How else can we get through to him?”
“I don’t know, Jude.” Cope didn’t like his answer one bit, but he’d run out of ideas. “I’ll think about it during the meet and greet. You never know where inspiration will come from.”
