Seaside Hearts (Love in Bloom: Seaside Summers, Book 2) Contemporary Romance (21 page)

“Pete! She’s so cute! I love her.”

Pete crouched beside Sky and hugged her. “Looks like she loves you, too, sis.”

Sky sat cross-legged on the grass as both she and Joey calmed down. Joey nipped at her fingers, and Sky was all too happy to lavish her with more love. Pete’s chest was tight at what he had to tell Sky, and as the day wore on and closing time for his father’s store neared, he knew he had little time before his father would hit the bottle and there would be no reasoning with him.

He noticed new ink on Sky’s shoulder and brushed her hair to the side. “New tat?” She’d begun getting tattoos after their mother died, and though most of them were easily hidden beneath her clothing, Pete wished he could get to the root of what caused her to wear her hurt in colorful, permanent ink, and help her heal.

“Yeah.” She craned her neck and looked over her shoulder.

Upon closer inspection, Pete made out the trunk of a tree, with deep roots that spread along her shoulder blade.

“It represents you and my other dork brothers. Roots? Get it?”

Pete arched a brow. Yeah, he got it, all right, and it was a great metaphor.

“I know it looks funny without the top of the tree, but when I was designing it, I realized that I have no idea what my life will be like, so I left it like a blank canvas. I’ll fill it in some other time.”

“Well, I’m honored.” He couldn’t help but wonder what type of tattoo his father’s alcoholism might incite—and he hoped that was the only thing it incited. He’d kept this from Sky for so long that he’d thought of a million ways she might react, the worst of which was spiraling right back down a dark and lonely tunnel, as she had after their mother died.

“Come on. Let’s go hang out on the deck and talk.” Pete reached for her hand.

Sky jumped to her feet. “Come on, Joey. He sounds serious. I might need reinforcements.” She took Pete’s hand, and they headed down the sandy path toward the house. “Are you going to lecture me about finding my niche?”

“I wasn’t going to. Although, now that you bring it up…”

She bumped him with her shoulder as they stepped onto the deck. He watched her settle into a chair and gather her long hair over one shoulder. She sighed and stretched her arms out on the armrests.

“You are so lucky to live on the water.”

“Yeah. I am pretty lucky, I guess.” Every second that passed made it more difficult for Pete to begin explaining. He leaned forward in his chair and took her hand in his once again, hoping the connection would ease the blow of his words.

“Sky, I need to talk to you about Pop.”

She smiled. “He looks great. You should have seen his face when I walked in. He was so surprised. Totally worth the drive.”

“Good. I’m glad.”

“Oh God, Pete. You look like you have something really bad to tell me. Your face has that
oh shit
look.” She drew her eyebrows together and pinched her mouth into a tight line, mocking him. “Whatever it is, it can’t be worse than when you told me about Mom—” Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh no. Is Dad…?”

“No. No, Sky. Dad’s not dying.”
Yet
.

She let out a loud breath. “Oh, thank God. Then what is it?”

“This is really hard to say to you. I know how much you love Pop and that you look up to him.”

“Who wouldn’t? He runs his own business, he’s always in a good mood, he went to every one of my track meets and to my graduations, and he totally loved Mom with all his heart. Still loves her with all his heart.” She shrugged. “He’s the best father anyone could ever have.”

Pete looked down at his hands, then met her gaze with a serious one. “Sky, Pop has a drinking problem, and I’ve kept it from you, but it’s gotten out of hand.”

“Oh, please. He’s always had a few drinks, but that doesn’t mean he has a problem.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“I know it doesn’t, but the fact that he drinks himself into a stupor every night does.” He paused, letting his words sink in.

Sky’s brows drew together again; then they relaxed and a smile began to curve her lips. “Right,” she said tentatively. A second later her eyes filled with worry. “Wait. What? You aren’t kidding?”

“It’s true, Sky. It started right after Mom died, and it’s only gotten worse.”

“No. You have to be wrong.” She shook her head. “No way.”

“Sky—”

She rose to her feet and paced the deck with Joey on her heels. “No way, Peter. You’re overreacting. What happened? Did he have too much to drink one night? Two? You have to be overreacting.”

“I wish I was.” Pete rose and touched her arm.

She shrugged him off.

“Sky, every night it’s the same thing. He drinks in Mom’s sewing room, same chair every night. He calls me so drunk off his ass he can’t do more than ramble about Mom.”

Sky’s lower lip trembled, and it was all Pete could do to give her the space her body language told him she needed.

“I’m sorry. I thought it was best to shield you from it.”

Tears streamed down her cheek. “Why are you doing this? Dad would never get that drunk night after night. Why are you trying to get me to believe this? Do you think it’s going to make me suddenly figure out my life or something? Because that’s all you care about.”

Pete had expected this reaction, but it still stung. “No. I’m telling you this because I am going to talk to him this afternoon and try to get him into rehab before he drinks himself to death. Sky, I don’t care if it takes you years to figure out your life, or your career, as long as you’re safe and happy.”

She scoffed and turned away.

“If you don’t believe me about Pop, just think about it. When’s the last time you saw him after dark?”

She spun around and snapped, “Last…” She looked away, then turned back and pointed at Pete. “Easter.”

“No, you stayed here on Easter, and on Christmas, and during every visit for the last two years.” He kept distance between them and fought the urge to reach out to her again. He knew Sky too well. Cornered, she’d strike like a viper. She needed to come to him on her own terms. She’d always been like that. Even as a little girl she’d refused to hear the things that she didn’t want to, until she had time to process them and found them to be true.

“That’s because you always have something going on and you invite me and Matt and Hunter, and…Wait. If that was true about Dad, they’d know about it.” She pulled out her cell phone and pressed a speed-dial number. “Hunter. I’m with Pete, and he…” She flashed a heated look at Pete while she listened to their brother.

She and Hunter had always been close. While Pete was her protector, Hunter, the second eldest, was more like a best friend to them all, especially Sky. Hunter was the ultimate peacemaker. Pete knew he’d never tell Sky the truth about their father without asking him about it first.

“Yes, I’m in Wellfleet.” She listened again. “Why?” Her nostrils flared as she listened to Hunter on the other end of the phone. “Wait, he says Dad—” She quieted again and thrust the phone at Pete. “He wants to talk to you.”

Pete took the phone from her trembling hand. “Hey, Hunter.”

“Dude, you’re telling her?” Hunter spoke a little louder than a whisper.

“Yes.”

“Everything?”

“Yes.” Pete looked at her damp eyes and felt his stomach sink. “Let me give you back to Sky.” He handed her the phone. “I’m sorry, Sky.”

She pressed the phone to her ear. “Is it true? Is Dad an alcoholic?” Her hand flew to her mouth and she turned away from Pete. “Mm-hmm. ’Kay. Love you, too.” She set the phone on the table and wept softly.

Pete moved behind her, aching to comfort her. “Sky, he’s still the same father you know and love, and he loves you to the ends of the earth.”

“Why…Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Her shoulders shook with her sobs. “Why is he doing this?”

“Best I can figure is that losing Mom was too much for him.”

She turned to face Pete. “He looked fine when I saw him.”

“He does look fine during the day, honey. He’s a functioning alcoholic. I honestly don’t know if he drinks during the day, but he holds himself together somehow. At night, in his house, it’s a different story.” Pete opened his arms, giving her the option of stepping into the safety of his embrace.

Sky turned away again. “So everyone knows but me?”

“Yes, and that was my doing, not Hunter’s, Matt’s, or Grayson’s. So be mad at me, not them. You were so torn up after Mom died that I didn’t want you to worry.”

“I’m not a child, Peter.” She faced him again, red faced and puffy eyed. “You need to stop treating me like I am.”

He nodded. “You’re right, and I’m sorry.”

She stepped forward, just a few inches from him. “I have a right to know. I’m part of this family.”

“You are, and I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to worry about him when you were just getting your life back together.” He had been so sure that protecting her was the right thing to do, and now, watching his sister’s pain and hearing the anger and hurt in her voice, he reconsidered everything he’d believed.

She took another step closer and punched his chest with the side of her fist. “You should have told me. How can he do this? Every night? Are you sure?”

“I should have, and yes, I’m sure.”

“Damn it, Peter.” She banged her fist on his chest again and again.

Pete folded her into his arms, and she struggled and pressed against his chest to break his hold, until finally, her sobs took over and she collapsed against him, drenching his shirt with her tears. Pete stroked her back, as he’d done during those treacherous weeks after their mother died.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Sky.” His eyes welled with tears for the harsh reality he’d just revealed. “It’s going to be okay. I promise you it will. I’m going to take care of it.”

“How can it be okay?”

“Because this isn’t who Pop is. I didn’t give up on you after Mom died, and I won’t give up on him.” Flashes of the weeks after their mother’s death came rushing back to him. Sky had been so distraught that she’d stopped going to work every day and communicated less with Pete and their brothers. He’d gone to New York and spent two weeks with her. They’d talked about their mother and he’d offered to pay for a therapist, but she insisted that
big brother therapy
was all she needed. He’d kept close tabs on her after returning to the Cape, and thankfully, she’d come out of it okay. He only wished he could have the same effect on his father.

She pushed away from his chest and wiped her eyes. “What now?”

“Now I’m going to talk to Pop and make sure he goes into rehab. I’m involved with someone now, and I can’t be running out every night to drag him into bed. I can’t worry that one day I’ll walk in and he’ll be dead. This needs to happen.”

“Every night? Dragging him into bed? You’ve been taking care of him? Alone? All this time?” She searched his eyes.

He shrugged. “Someone had to.”

She gulped a breath and punched his chest again. “Why do you always take care of everyone?”

He caught her next punch midair. “Whoa. Why are you beating on me?”

“Because if you’re taking care of him every night, you’re not taking care of yourself every night. I want to hate you for not telling me. You always take care of everyone, but you don’t have to, Pete. You could have let me grieve on my own, and you could have told me about Dad. Hell, you could have let Dad deal with his own mess.”

Pete laughed. “Do you think, even for a minute, that I’d let you suffer on your own? Or let Pop disappear into the bottle for good? This is what love is, Sky. This is what family does.”

“No, this is what
you
do. Matty and Hunter aren’t here taking care of him. Grayson sure as hell would never do it.” Her tears had stopped, and every step she took was determined as she paced a path across the deck. “You’ve been doing this for two years? Two years, Peter? What does your girlfriend think of all this?”

“Her name is Jenna, and she’s all for me getting him into rehab.”

“That’s good. At least someone is looking out for your interests. I want to be there when you talk to Dad.”

“No way.” Pete dug his keys from his pocket.

“Peter! I’m not a kid anymore. Yes, I was devastated when Mom died, but that was two years ago. I want to help Dad. I want him to know I know what he’s doing. Maybe that will push him into getting help.” She paced the deck, her long skirt swishing against her legs. “Maybe this is why I haven’t found my niche. I’ve been looking in the wrong places. I was thinking about coming home for the summer next year. I’ll come home now. I’ll help you with Dad.”

Pete couldn’t even begin to think of Sky giving up whatever dreams she might have to deal with their father, but he couldn’t push her away, either. She was right that she wasn’t a kid anymore, even if in his eyes she’d always be his baby sister. He lifted serious eyes to her and saw compassion and love—and something he hadn’t seen often enough.
Conviction
. At that moment, she resembled their mother more than she ever had before, and it gave Pete a shiver, and then a sense of pride in how far his sister had come.

“Mom would be proud of you, sis. I’m proud of you. We’ll talk about it. If Pop goes into rehab and you feel the same way a week from now, after you’ve had time to process all this…” He waved his hand in the air. “Then we’ll figure it out.”

PETE CALLED JENNA on the way to the hardware store. She offered to join them a hundred times, but Pete felt it was best if she didn’t. He was worried enough about how his father was going to react to Sky being there, much less someone outside of their immediate family. Although to Pete, Jenna was already part of his family. If all went well, he’d call Jenna after they took his father to rehab. If it didn’t, he’d call her when they were done trying. He hoped like hell for the first outcome.

The bell above the door rang out when Pete and Sky walked into the hardware store. Pete locked the door and hung the
closed
sign in the window. Sky had been quiet on the ride over, but before she got out of Pete’s truck, she’d reached for his hand and said
, I know I scared the hell out of you after Mom died, but I’m okay, Pete. I promise. Thank you for letting me come with you to talk to Dad. I want to help.
He looked at her now, standing strong and tall before him, waiting for him before walking to the back where their father was. He’d protected her for so long that having her here in the pit of the mess with him sent a stroke of guilt slicing through him. He forced himself to see her as the woman she was, rather than the scared girl she’d been when their mother died.

He draped an arm over her shoulder. “Let’s do this.”

Their father turned as they neared the counter in the back of the shop. “Now, this is a pleasure. Seeing Sky twice in one day? Pete usually whisks you away and I don’t see you until the next day.”

“Hi, Dad.” The strength in Sky’s voice surprised Pete.

“Hey, Pop. How was your day?” Pete came around the counter and embraced his father. He inhaled out of habit, and when he didn’t smell alcohol, he had a fleeting thought that maybe he was overreacting. Then his mind traveled to the image of his father passed out in his mother’s sewing room.

“Fine, fine. Can’t complain. Did you guys come by to go to dinner?” He set his hands on his hips and smiled at Sky.

“Actually, Pop, we came to talk to you.” Pete tried to sound lighthearted, as if he were talking about the weather, boats, anything other than the issue that clawed at his nerves, but he heard the seriousness of his own voice and knew he’d have no chance of masking a damn thing during this conversation.

“Aw shit. There’s that tone again.” His father walked past him toward the front of the store. “I’ve got to close up the shop.”

“We already did,” Sky said. She reached for his hand as Pete had reached for hers.

“Pop, there’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to lay it out there.” Pete ran his hand through his hair, buying time as his father grumbled under his breath. “Last night was the last time, Pop. I’m done.”

“Done with what?” His father smiled nervously at Sky, as if he had no idea what Pete was talking about.

Pete saw the glimmer of worry in his eyes and shot a look at Sky, whose gaze softened.
Shit
. Was she buying into this charade? In an effort to make this as painless as possible for all of them, he avoided defining the elephant in the room.

“You don’t need me to spell it out. You know damn well what we’re talking about. I’ve spoken to Tatum Rehab, and I’ve arranged for a three-to-five-week program—”

“This horseshit again, Peter?” His father shook his head, then shot a look at Sky. “Your brother needs someone to save.”

Sky’s eyes darted between the two men.

“No, Pop. That’s where you’re wrong. I’m done saving you. It’s time you saved yourself.” Pete stepped closer to his father, and the years rolled back, playing in his mind like a movie. Tossing baseballs in the backyard, learning to sail on the bay, his father holding him too tightly the day he went off to college, and holding him just as tightly the day he graduated.

Pete drew in a breath and gathered his determination like armor. “I love you, Pop. I want you to be around for a lot of years.”

“Listen to you.” He laughed under his breath, then pointed his thumb at Pete and spoke to Sky. “Do you believe this guy? Do you have any idea what he’s talking about?”

Pete watched uncertainty float across his sister’s face. He held her gaze, hoping she had enough faith in him to trust what he’d told her.

“I do, Daddy.” Her voice was thin and shaky.

His father’s face aged ten years with her words. His jowls sagged, and his eyelids drooped heavily. “Sky?”

She stepped forward. “I know, Dad. I know about your drinking.” Her eyes watered, and again Pete fought the urge to go to her, to put an arm around her and let her know he was right there with her. He didn’t want this to be her fight, and he hated seeing her take it on—but it was, really. It was their whole family’s battle.

“Sky.” Their father reached for her.

She allowed him to take her hand, and she held it in silence for a beat. “I don’t want you to die, Dad.” A tear slipped down her cheek. “With Mom gone, you’re all I have left.”

He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came.

Pete’s chest constricted as he closed the gap between them. “We all love you, Pop. This ends now. No more burying your grief in alcohol. No more looking for Mom to come back.” He glanced at his sister and saw fresh tears fill her eyes. “It’s a month of your time, and it’ll save your life—and ours.”

His father grumbled something under his breath again.

“Daddy, please? Please get help?” Sky’s plea sounded like she was a little girl again, scared and fragile.

Pete couldn’t help placing his hand on her lower back to comfort her, allowing her to soak in his strength while hers faltered.

“I have the shop to mind,” his father said gruffly.

“I’ll run it while you’re in rehab,” Pete assured him.

“I’ll run it,” Sky said. “Pete has his own business to run.”

Pete shot her a questioning look.

“It makes sense. I go from job to job, and you have clients who rely on you. I can do it, Peter. Have as much faith in me as I have in you.”

Well, hell, how could he say no to that? “We’ve got it covered, Pop. What do you say? There’s no more hiding. It’s this way, or you’re on your own, because I’m done enabling this double life you’re living. I’ve let this go on for two years too long, and I love you too much to let it go on any longer.”

His father huffed a breath. “I don’t need rehab. So I have a few drinks every night. Big deal.”

Pete shrugged and stalked toward the front of the store.

“Peter? Where are you going?” Sky’s voice was rattled and high-pitched.

“I’m done. If he wants to kill himself, so be it. I have a life to start living.” Pete heard Sky’s footsteps hurrying toward him.

“You’re just going to leave?” She grabbed his shirt. “You can’t just let him keep doing this. You said he could die.”

He turned and locked eyes with his sister’s terrified gaze and said the hardest thing he’d ever had to say.

“Yes, he could die, and at this point that’s his choice. I’m not going to be part of it. This is his choice, Sky, and if he chooses to keep drinking, then I’m out of his life from here on out. He’s on his own.” He glanced over her shoulder at their father. His head was buried in his hands, his red ears and jowls visible through his fingers. Pete was finally getting through to him. He hated playing hardball without first warning Sky, but he had no choice.

“Damn it, Peter.” His father’s voice boomed through the shop, loud and tremulous. “Don’t you walk out on me.”

Pete held his hands up in surrender. “I’m done, Pop. We lost Mom to something she had no control over. I won’t watch you willingly kill yourself.”

“Peter.” Sky’s eyes darted from Pete to their father, then back again.

“You’re a goddamn stubborn mule, you know that? You got that from your mother.” Neil stomped up the aisle to where Pete stood and pointed at his face. “If one single person finds out that I’m in rehab, I’ll have your ass.”

Pete bit back tears that fought to come. “I’ve already spoken to the counselor about anonymity, and as far as Sky and I know, you’re visiting your cousin in Miami while his wife recovers from surgery.” He pulled that out of his ass on the spot, but it sounded plausible.

“Don’t expect me to thank you for turning your sister against me.” His father narrowed his eyes. “Jackass.”

Music to Pete’s ears.