“Probably a good idea,” Kennedy told her.
“Well, then, it looks like I’ll see you tomorrow night at dinner.”
Kennedy nodded, smiling. She had no idea what to expect as a guest at Lorrie and Curtis’s house, but honestly, she was looking forward to it. It was another step for her and Sawyer, which Kennedy found herself desperately wanting to take. Falling into step with Jessie, Kennedy walked her to the front door after offering her own good-byes. Before she had a chance to lock the door, a pair of headlights pulled into the parking lot and she stood there momentarily as she tried to make out the car.
Her father.
Kennedy stood at the door, waiting until he made his way to the front entrance after talking to Jessie briefly. When he joined her inside, she gave him a quick hug, keeping her eyes on him. “Somethin’ wrong?”
“Actually . . .” Jeff looked around before he continued, “Are we alone?”
“Yeah,” she told him. “No more patients and everyone else has gone home. What’s goin’ on, Dad?” The way he was looking at her, Kennedy wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the news.
“We should go to your office,” her father told her, turning to make sure the door was locked.
Kennedy offered him a confused look, but did as he requested and turned to lead him through the building, down the narrow hall to her office. When they stepped inside, she didn’t bother taking a seat. It wasn’t going to help, she could feel it now. “Okay, fine. We’re in my office, the door is locked, and no one is here. Dad, what the hell is goin’ on?”
Jeff walked over to the couch and sat down, his head falling into his hands. Kennedy didn’t move, choosing to stand near her desk and stare down at him.
“Dad?”
“It’s Mack,” Jeff said, not bothering to look up at her.
“What’s wrong? Is he okay?” Her thoughts immediately drifted to the stories she’d heard about Ethan and the hatred that had caused some serious problems a while back. It wasn’t the first time since the rumors started that she had worried about him.
“His son came to visit.”
Kennedy’s mouth fell open. “Wait. What?” Mack had a son? How in the world had she not known that?
“Yeah.”
“Okay, Dad. I’m gonna need some serious details here. I didn’t even know Mack had a son.”
“He’s grown. A few years younger than you. He and Mack are close. Well, they were close.”
Kennedy propped herself on the edge of her desk. She could pretty well tell where this conversation was going.
“Was Mack married?” she asked, wanting to go back to the beginning.
“Yeah,” Jeff informed her. “He married a girl back when he was in his early twenties. They were together for about five years, had a son together. When he finally wrapped his head around the fact that he was gay, they split up. She hated him for the longest time, but Mack always insisted on being a part of his son’s life. For whatever reason, she kept his secret all these years.”
“Until recently? Is that what you’re sayin’?”
“No,” Jeff said on a long exhale. “She didn’t out him. Like I said, Daniel came to visit. The rumors . . . they haven’t stopped. If anything, they’ve gotten worse.”
“So he heard the rumors?”
“Yeah. Then he asked his mother, and she confirmed it.”
“What? Did she talk to Mack about it? Or did Daniel?”
“She didn’t talk to Mack, no. He told me that if and when they ever did talk, which was rare since Daniel turned eighteen, it was generally hostile. Like I said, she hates him.”
“So she told his son that he’s gay?” Kennedy asked, no animosity in her tone. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the woman keeping his secret for so long only to tell their son without talking to Mack first, but there were plenty of things that humans did to one another that Kennedy would never understand.
“Yeah,” Jeff said, lifting his head and meeting her gaze head-on. “Daniel confronted Mack. According to him, it wasn’t pretty.”
Kennedy waited patiently for her father to continue. She could think of a million things he might say, but what came next wasn’t one of them.
“Kennedy,” Jeff began, his eyes intently focused on hers, “does it bother you that I’m . . .”
When he didn’t continue, Kennedy filled in the blank. “Gay? Why in the world would it bother me?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you feel like I’m some sort of abomination.”
“Oh, my God, Dad!” she exclaimed, making her way to the couch and dropping down beside him. “Let’s see . . .” she said, waiting until he looked over at her. “You adopted me when I was just shy of a year old, giving me an incredible life because the sixteen-year-old girl who gave birth to me couldn’t. For thirty-three years, you’ve put me first, making sure I had food, clothing, shelter, but most importantly, making sure that I knew how much you loved me. You sent me off to school to ensure I had a first-rate education, because you spent your life drilling into me how important it was.