Matt has a habit of unpacking and repacking multiple times, so I never know what he’s left with. And if Mr. E doesn’t make it to Tahoe, I’ll be driving the ninety minutes up there this evening. He can’t sleep without the worn-out stuffed animal.
Thankfully, Stacey unzips the bag hanging from my brother’s shoulder, retrieving the threadbare, pale yellow teddy. She hands him to Matt, and I sigh with relief.
Still kneeling, I grab onto both of my kids. “Alright, you two. Give me plenty of hugs and kisses. You know, moms live on their babies’ hugs and kisses. So, I’ll need an extra supply with you two gone all weekend.” I’m already missing them and unsure of what to do with myself. They clobber me at the same time, nearly knocking me backward. “I love you two. And I’m going to miss the heck out of you both. Have a blast with Uncle Steve and Aunt Stacey.”
“We will!” they holler as Stacey takes their hands again, leading them towards my brother’s minivan. It’s insane to think about what a family man he’s become. Minivan and all. Of course, it’s handy for holding hockey goalie gear and skates,too. I see Maddy and Mitch sitting inside and rush over to say hello to them.
Maddy’s a bit older than Matt and already in full preteen mode. She barely looks up from her phone to greet me, and Mitch is in the middle of a video game on his Nintendo Switch. In other words, he only has slightly more attention to offer me. I hug Steve and Stacey again once the kids are inside and wish them a lovely weekend.
“The offer still stands if you want to come out. We’ve got an extra room, and our views are insane,” Stacey says.
“And we’re doing avocado facials with cucumber eye covers,” Maddy exclaims, finally looking up from her phone. “I found it on Pinterest.”
“Nice!” I’m unsure of what the weekend holds. Especially until I better understand how Wolfe plans to handle the museum situation. I may spend the whole weekend at the museum, researching and compiling more evidence, depending on his next move. “I probably need to stay here. But I’ll text you.” Leaning forward, I whisper in Stacey’s ear, “There are gifts for Maddy in Matt’s bag.”
Stacey winks and gives me a thumbs-up before I head back into the museum.
Chapter Nine
WOLFE
Isit in Flynn’s office, his last meeting of the day. The angular planes of his ebony skin reflect the light from his desk lamp, making him look even more formidable. His eyes are narrowed as he pours over the documents, checking signatures and making sure everything’s on the up and up. Finally, he pushes his chair back and sits there for a long moment, looking down at the paperwork. His jaw feathers beneath his perfectly trimmed and faded beard, and his black eyes dart to my face, the question in them reflected in his furrowed brow.
“Everything’s in order, bro. I guess I should give you my congratulations on being a free agent. But are you sure about this? I hate to ask. It’s just such a pity how things ended between you two.”
My hand wants to go to my chest and rub the place over my heart. But instead, I keep one atop each knee, fisted. “What’s done is done, bro. I can’t keep living in the past.”
“It’s a damn shame,” Flynn says scrunching his face. “If any couple was going to make it, I always thought it’d be you two.”
I shake my head before leveling my gaze at him. “I thought you were a better judge of character than that.”
“That’s the thing,” he replies matter-of-factly and without ego, “I’m an excellent judge of character. Sorry to beat a dead horse, but you two seemed perfect for each other.”
I shrug. “There’s a big difference between ‘seems’ and ‘are.’ Besides, I see it for what it is now. She was always way smarter than me and way more educated. She needs a guy that’ll float her academic boat. That will never be me.”
“You underrate yourself, bro.”
Flynn’s one of the kindest and most generous men I know. I don’t understand how he does the lawyering in the family, to be honest. He’s way too nice for all that courtroom bullshit. So, I know he’s about to say something to make me feel good about myself. But I don’t need it. I’m tired of living in a fantasy world. I need to accept life for what it is. “I have a high school diploma, and she’s got a Master’s Degree in Art Conservation and is still taking classes. Hell, she’s a PhD candidate in Anthropology at Sac State now. We were never a good fit.”
“Says one of the elite of the elites, a former member of the 75thRanger Regiment, no less.”
“Army grunt,” I counter with a scowl. I stand, reaching over the desk to shake my brother’s hand. But he won’t have any of it. Instead, he walks around the desk to hug me. I go through the motions, saying, “It’s all good, bro. I need to let it go. I should’ve done this for her sooner. She’s made it clear what she wants, and it was selfish of me to put it off for so long.”
He shakes his head, looking down. Flynn understands more about the estrangement than anyone else in the family, and not just because he helped with the divorce papers. I often bunked at his house during my last leave before the UAEbecause things were already falling apart. Honestly, this divorce has been at least a year in the making.
During that leave, I also confided in Travis on a fishing trip, although I kept specifics spare. Besides, Trav spent most of his time talking about Faith. I’m not looking forward to breaking the news to my family, although I know suspicions are up with how long it’s been since Izzie came around the ranch.
Flynn counters, “Is that what you really believe? That this is what she wants? Is there another man?”
The question makes my blood boil. Not only am I a possessive motherfucker, but I can’t answer him with certainty. “I don’t know. Honestly, though, I can’t blame all of this on her. Things happened between us that I don’t know if I can forgive, even if Izzie wanted to come back to me. Having my wife question my loyalty, serve me divorce papers… Those were tough pills to swallow. Maybe impossible.”
“Is there ever anything that’s truly unforgivable when it comes to love?” Flynn’s ebony eyes search my face as if he needs the answer as much as I do. It makes me wonder what’s going on in his private life, although he’ll never tell me. I’d have to waterboard it out of him. Even then, I doubt my brother would talk. Of course, his discretion is exactly why I turned to him when my marriage started falling apart.
I roll Flynn’s question around in my head.Is there ever anything that’s truly unforgivable when it comes to love?I don’t know. While I may never forgive Izzie, I’ll also never stop loving her. And I know firsthand from my wife and kids that nothing’s more powerful in this entire world than love. Of course, understanding this makes the divorce excruciating. I shake my head, giving up. “Let me know when you figure out that answer, bro.”
Flynn looks disappointed. “I’m sorry, man, this has me so damn depressed. I mean, you took a fucking bullet for her.”
I shrug. “It was all a part of the job. Me and my shitty love life aside, you do seem depressed. Anything else bothering you?” I doubt he’ll answer in any great depth, but it’s still worth a try.
