“Cleo will not be going anywhere tonight, Richter. You and Skylar are welcome to come back tomorrow to talk with her, but you are leaving. Alone. Now.” I can feel the tension humming through me, a chuckle rumbling through my chest as he turns to stare at me defiantly. “Trust me, you do not want to argue with me, boy.”
“I’m not a boy!” he snaps, and I let the laugh roll out.
“All right, brother, then show me. Leave my home respectfully, like a man, so I can welcome you and Skylar back tomorrow.”
Richter hesitates and I can see the emotions flitting across his face in waves. Anger and hurt and defiance and sadness. He thought he was coming to rescue his sister, to bring her home, but after everything I’ve shown him today, he seems to have missed the most important point—Cleo is already home. Cleo already has a family, and if he wants to be a part of that family… he’s going to have to follow the rules.
My rules.
“Richter.” I say his name and it seems to break his trance as a muscle in his jaw twitches.
“I’ll be back tomorrow, Cleo. With Skylar. Then we’ll all go home together.” Those last few words are spoken with his eyes focused on mine. A promise, possibly a threat, but I’m not worried. Richter learned everything at Luke’s feet, just as I did, but he never got sent away, which means he likely missed out on the most important lesson of all. Loving everyone, equally, so that no one feels abandoned or left out.
Like he’d left Skylar alone today.
Letting my smile stretch, I ignore his aggression and tilt my head toward the door. “Let me walk you out.”
I turn on my heel and lead the way. He hesitates, but a moment later I hear his shoes on the wood, the creak of the floorboards as he follows in my wake.
“I’m coming back tomorrow,” he says under his breath, giving me a serious look that reveals the Luke in his eyes.
“Wonderful. I look forward to meeting Skylar, and I’m sure Cleo will enjoy another visit.”
Whatever Richter wants to say in response, he bites it back, his jaw tightening before he nods stiffly. I open the door with a smile, and he grabs his coat, marching outside toward his truck without another comment.
Probably the smartest thing he could have done under the circumstances, because I’m not sure what I might have done if he’d spoken to me disrespectfully again in front of my family.
There are lines that shouldn’t be crossed. Lines that Richter doesn’t seem to know about, and that means I’ll have to be patient with him—just like I asked him to be patient with Cleo.
It’s only fair, after all, but that doesn’t mean I won’t correct him if he steps too far.
Keeping my family together is all that matters, and it will be up to Richter if he wants to be a part of that family or not.
“Is everything okay, Daddy?” Casey steps up beside me, glancing out the front door where we can both see Richter turning his truck around to leave.
“Of course.” I reach over and squeeze his shoulder, smiling at my eldest living boy. “He’s young, son. And I think he’s been alone a long time, both he and Skylar. They just need to get to know us, to see what their life could be like.”
“I don’t like how he speaks to you.” Casey turns to look at me, and I can see the strength in him. The strength he’ll need to keep this family together, to keep it going—and I’m not sure if I saw that same strength in Richter.
“I know, son.” Leaning forward, I press a quick kiss to his lips and repeat what I’m telling myself. “We need to be patient with him. And Skylar.”
“Yes, Daddy,” he answers, dipping his head before he walks back to the table. I give one more glance out the front door to confirm that Richter has gone home to his sister before I shut the front door and return to the kitchen.
My family is all sitting quietly, hands off the table, waiting for me. Even Cleo has stopped crying, her reddened nose and cheeks a beautiful display as she looks toward me. Everyone knows their place in this house. Everyone is respectful and so well-behaved. Only the little ones are squirming, and that’s because they’re tired.
“Thank you for waiting,” I say, taking my seat back at the head of the table. “Hopefully we’ll see Richter and Skylar tomorrow, but for now let’s finish dinner.”
“Yes, Daddy,” everyone choruses in response, and as I pick up my fork, everyone returns to eating, but with less joy than before. Richter disturbed the peace of my house. He brought sad news, disrupted our lives… but he brought something else too.
Hope.
The possibility of bringing the Greene family together. Making us whole. For that, I’ll let his disrespect go tonight. I modeled the patience I expect from him, and now he has no excuse if he misbehaves again.
And, if there is a next time, he’ll see that I’m my father’s son. Luke’s first born. His heir. Then Richter will learn exactly what happens to those who don’t follow the rules.
Fourteen
Skylar
This is what true loneliness feels like, I think as I wrap my arms around myself. I’m sitting on the same stoop that Mom did when Dad left with Cleo. I have the same empty feeling in my heart because I know that if Richter comes home, it won’t be with our sister.
These Greene men are all the same.
Headstrong and only keeping what serves them the best, but I would hope that the Mom in him would at
