The paper cup in his hand shakes slightly before it stops in mid-air halfway between his mouth and the table. He lowers it quickly. "My brother told you all that?"
I look down at the cup in front of me wanting to mask my expression from him. I'm surprised by the intensity of his reaction. I didn't reveal anything private or secretive. I simply laid out the meager details that Landon has given to me.
"He didn't say much when I told him about the baby," he confesses softly. "I couldn't tell then if he was happy or not."
It mirrors what happened when I pointed out to Landon that he'd be an uncle when his niece or nephew is born. He'd panicked enough to leave the room. "We haven't talked about it a lot."
He looks past me to where two young men are having a rousing conversation about the merits of running versus biking. "He's talked about it non-stop since I got back from Paris. He bought the baby some books. They're picture books about airplanes."
It's a glimpse into the man I've been sharing the most intimate parts of myself with. I smile at him. "It's good to hear that. He likes being a pilot. I know it's an important part of his life."
"It is," he acquiesces as he leans back in the chair, stretching his legs out. "Being a pilot is part of who he is but you're the most important part of his life, Tess. That's why I'm here."
Chapter 4
––––––––
I drink the last of the lemon water as I try to focus on my smartphone. Dane had taken a call from his girlfriend and as he whispered that he loved her and would be home soon, I'd felt guilty for hearing the words and even guiltier for wishing that the phone hadn't rung in the first place. It had interrupted him just as he was talking about Landon.
"I'll need to get home soon." He rests his hands on the table next to his now empty coffee cup. "All of this has been hard on Bridget too. She's my fiancé."
I nod. I don't need him to give me a glimpse into the mind, and possibly, the heart of the man I've been seeing. He has his own growing family to worry about. I push my hands against the edge of the table. "I should get home too."
"Please stay just a little longer." He motions towards a barista. "I can get you more water."
I scrub my hand over my face. I'm past the point of exhaustion. It can't hurt to sit here for a few more minutes. "I don't need another drink. I'm not thirsty."
"I'm not either," he says before he pushes the paper cup away from him. "Landon's been worried about you. He called me a bunch of times today."
I glance at his smartphone on the table. The only call that has come in since we sat down was the one from his fiancé. Logically, I know it's the middle of the night in Athens. Landon must be fast asleep which explains why my phone has stopped ringing too.
"I couldn't talk to him," I admit. "I have a lot of questions and I need time to figure things out."
"I know that feeling." He cocks his head to the left. "Are they questions about our dad? Do you have questions about Frederick?"
I run the fingers of my right hand over my left palm. My eyes catch on the sight of the mole on my index finger. It's the very same mole my dad has on his thumb. "I'd rather talk to Landon about it when I'm ready."
"He's torn up." He rakes his hands through his messy brown hair. "He hasn't been this upset since our dad drowned. I mean since we thought he drowned."
"I'm sorry about your father," I mutter even though I'm not sorry. His father, and his need to save himself, upended my own life forever. "I don't know all the details about how our dads are connected. Does Landon know? Do you know?"
"No." His phone chimes to signal a new text message. His eyes briefly settle on the screen before he looks up again. "That's my mother. She's back in New York. She wants to see me."
Of course she does. The woman is dealing with the cold and brutal reality that a man she mourned for years is alive and well. The twisted web of pain that Frederick Beckett's actions have unleashed has not only hurt his sons, but it must have devastated his wife too.
Unfortunately, I can empathize with all of them. My father may not have taken the coward's way out by faking his own death, but the man I thought I knew yesterday has fallen off the face of the earth to be replaced with someone sitting in a jail cell waiting for his day in court.
"Landon was shocked that your father was arrested." He pulls the empty coffee cup into his hand. "I can tell that you were too."
I don't take that as an insult. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror when I used the washroom at Lilly's place. I look horrible.