“Ambrose needs to stop doing that...breaking rules. He has a family to take care of, and he needs his job.”
A smile touched Dalton’s lips. “I know. He’s out there in the hallway now, telling Jace and Caden about his sons.” He moved to sit down at the table opposite his father. This time, Dalton took the time to study him, especially his features. He looked tired, worn, somewhat defeated. Dalton could just imagine what his father was dealing with right now. In the past, when they were younger, his dad told them what to do and they did it. Now things were different.
“Did you come back because you finally understood what I was saying? The risk I don’t want the three of you to take?”
Dalton shook his head. “I got what you said the first time, Dad. We all did. But even considering the risk, I agree with Jace and Caden. This is something we have to do.”
“Why? Because your grandfather made the three of you promise that you would?”
“No, because we love you, and it’s time we bring you back home.” And then, in an attempt to make light of the situation, Dalton leaned in closer and added, “Besides, I don’t know how much longer I can handle Jace being in charge. He’s a pain in the rear end. So we need to get you out of here and back to running Granger Aeronautics.”
Even with anger and frustration consuming his body, Shep couldn’t help but chuckle. In typical Dalton Granger style, his youngest son had soothed his ruffled feathers somewhat. But he was still not happy with the situation, mainly their refusal not to reopen his case.
“That might be true, but I’m sure complaining about Jace wasn’t why you had Ambrose bend the rules to have a private talk with me.” He studied his son intently, watching how his amused features suddenly became serious, intense.
“No, the reason I hung back was to tell you something.”
Sheppard lifted a brow. “Tell me what?”
Dalton hesitated a moment and then said, “Something I probably should have told you years ago. About Mom.”
Sheppard frowned. “What about your mom?”
Dalton hesitated a moment as he recalled how long he’d been carrying this secret around. The guilt he’d always felt in doing so. “I was young, probably around ten or eleven years old.”
When he didn’t say anything else, his father coaxed him further. “Go on.”
He met his father’s stare. “I found out Mom was having an affair.”
He heard his father swear under his breath. “I think you need to start from the beginning, Dalton.”
Dalton nodded. “It was the year before she died. I was hiding because I had been acting up in class that day, and I figured my teacher would be calling you and Mom to let you know. You’d already threatened to stop me from riding Glory if I got into any more trouble in school.” Glory had been his horse, a beautiful palomino his grandparents had given him for his eighth birthday.
“I hid out in the boathouse, hoping no one would find me. I was hiding in the closet. That’s when I saw Mom...with a man who wasn’t you. She saw me when I sneaked out of the closet, but the man never did. Later that night, Mom came to my room and made me promise not to tell anyone.”
Sheppard drew in a deep breath as rage swept through his body. Not because his wife had brought her lover to Sutton Hills, but for what she’d done to their child. How dare she let him be a witness to her treacherous behavior and then hold him to secrecy?
“I should have told you long ago. I should never have promised Mom that I—”
“No, Dalton,” Shep interrupted in a soft tone and with a gentle smile. “You did the right thing. If she made you promise not to tell, then you shouldn’t have. A promise is a promise.”
“Just like a vow is a vow?” Dalton countered angrily. “When the two of you married, you exchanged vows, right?”
“Yes.”