“I quit performing. The chances of Dante finding you went away, and Roger kept his lies to himself.”
Slumping forward onto my knees, I ran my hands through my hair. “I’m so sorry, Dad.” My father had worked hard his whole life to be a part of the music industry while caring for his family. He was a good, honest man. He didn’t deserve to have his career cut short because of my impulsiveness—however innocent it had been. “It was all my fault.”
“Bullshit,” he snapped, pointing a finger at me. “You and Dante did nothing wrong.”
I remembered the day he announced his decision to leave the stage behind. The way I’d reacted, throwing a tantrum like an overgrown child. “I had no idea.”
“Damned right, you had no idea,” he blustered. “You were fifteen years old, I wasn’t about to put any of this on you.”
“But you loved performing.”
“I loved my family more,” he insisted. “Your mother and I had always planned to openThe Bard’s Retreat.We’d been putting money aside for it for years. Roger’s threats forced us to bring our plans forward a few years, which meant we needed to take on a larger loan than we’d hoped, but it had been our plan all along.”
“That’s why you worked so hard back then.” Holy crap. “You had a heart attack. The workload nearly killed you.”
His expression told me not to be such a bloody idiot. “If you start claiming I had a heart attack because you kissed a boy, we are going to have words.”
The idea did sound outlandish but knowing that did little to lessen the guilt. “I can’t believe you knew about me and Dante all this time and you never said anything.”
“You had a right to your privacy.” There was a sardonic twist to my father’s lips as he added, “But don’t ever play poker. You don’t have the face for it.”
I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“The dreamy damned expression you used to get on your face whenever you heard one of Dante’s songs on the radio.” He cackled with delight. “It went on for years. There were times I wondered if I’d have to tie you down to stop you from floating the hell away.” He threw his head back as he laughed.
“Wait a minute.” My mouth fell open as a new idea occurred to me. “You were the one who arranged for Dante to come here. Did you do it on purpose?”
He didn’t bother trying to deny it. “I may have been the one to call Bri when I heard Dante was looking for somewhere to stay,” he admitted. “It seemed like the perfect opportunity to get you two back in the same room again. You were single. As far as I knew he was single. And you’re both grown adults now, so Roger can’t interfere—or at least, I hope he can’t.”
“My father, the matchmaker.” I wasn’t sure whether to be creeped out or grateful for his machinations.
“All I did was put you boys in the same place at the same time,” he said, holding his hands up. “The rest was up to you. And you worked yourselves out nicely in the end.”
That was true, so far anyway. But this, knowing this, could change everything. “Should I tell Dante what Roger did?”
He’d threatened my father, taken away his career as a performer. He’d kept his knowledge of who I was a secret from Dante for eight long years. Either one of those truths could ruin what little remained of their relationship. The two together guaranteed its destruction. I’d promised Dante there would be no more lies between us, and yet… “If he found out the truth, he’d be devastated.”
“Here’s the thing.” Crossing his arms, my father sat back in his chair. “The only reason I’m telling you any of this is because I want to give you a heads-up in case Roger decides to use your back for target practice. But I’m not sure any good would come of Dante knowing. It happened a long time ago, and I for one have put the whole mess behind me. Perhaps it would be better to let the past stay where it belongs.”
A selfish part of me wanted to ignore my father’s advice and tell Dante everything. After all, revealing Roger’s transgressions would be no more than me keeping my promise to the man I loved. And Roger would be gone. He would have no chance to interfere in our relationship, no way of coming between us. It seemed like the easy choice, but it didn’t take Dante’s needs into account.
Despite the volatile nature of their relationship, Dante needed his father. I knew that now. Roger was his only family, and he needed the connection, to feel like he belonged. He belonged with me too, of course, and I intended to always be there for him. But one person could never be enough, not for anyone.
Which left me with an impossible choice. I could keep my promise to Dante and hurt him in the process. Or I could keep Roger’s secrets and know my own relationship with Dante would forever be compromised by lies.
