Tate D’Angelo always thought he knew who his father was: beloved doctor, devoted husband and father ... Everyone at the funeral shared the same glowing stories of a kind soul. So when his father’s old college buddy, Randy, approaches him after the service, Tate expects to hear echoes of the same.<br><br>Instead, he gets a lifetime’s worth of letters that tell a different tale and cause him to view his father -- and his family -- in a whole new light.<br><br>The truth, about a secret romance kept buried for decades, astonishes him. Overwhelmed by grief and confusion, Tate’s unsure if he can bear learning how the lives of two men entwined over the years, but he reads on anyway, discovering more to value, more to respect, and most importantly, more to love about the man who raised him.

Family Obligations

“Er, no. We were both fighting my brother when we were sent here.”


Gin did the math. “Your brother is Heartstring?” The implications hit him like a punch to the gut. “Growing up with him must have absolutely sucked.”


Smoke stared at him for a second. “Most people say things like, how can you fight your own brother, or shouldn’t you be more sympathetic? Most people never get it.” Then he huffed out a little laugh. “But yes. It sucked. I mean he was always a little shit. But once he started getting into his abilities? It was intolerable. I’m the only one immune, because I built up a tolerance over time. Before that, though?” He shook his head. “Two sets of homework, two sets of chores, and getting blamed for every one of his fuckups because our parents always fell for it—every time.”


“Yikes.” Gin put a hand on his arm. It seemed inadequate, but what else could he do? It must have been a lonely way to grow up. At least Gin had the other kids at the center.


Chapter 12