Midnight Hour (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4)(133)

“Yeah, there were a few times I got mad. I thought about revenge, but that’s not it. When I started looking for you, I thought it was just to

ask you why.” He inhaled. Perry saw pain and tears in his dad’s eyes.

Perry had to take a deep breath to continue. “For years, I lacked any kind of self-worth. If your parents didn’t even want you, or love you,

who would? But thanks to some people, one being the man who put those cuffs on you, I moved past that. So for a while I thought I just wanted

you to see me. To see I turned out okay. But that wasn’t it, either.” He swallowed.

His father leaned in. “Perry—”

“No, you asked a question and I’m going to answer it.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I found you because as a kid, the only damn thing

I could remember you doing wrong was leaving me. Before that, I remember wanting to be just like you. And I needed to see your flaws, your

mistakes, because I wanted to make sure I turned out to be a better man than you.”

“It wouldn’t take much.” His father pushed a hand over his face. “I—”

“The thing I’ve learned is that it’s not our parents or DNA that defines us. It’s not our mistakes, our powers, or our handicaps. It’s the

choices we make. And the little ones are just as important as the big ones.” His throat tightened to the point of pain. “But even the right

choices we make don’t always correct the wrong ones.”

Perry pulled out the photos from the envelope. Photos of him walking in and out of the FRU building. “When did you get these?”

His father looked away. “Tuesday morning. Caleb brought them for your mom. She was in the shower, so I kept them.”

Perry swallowed. “Why didn’t you give them to her, or give them to Jax?”

He looked at Perry. “Because whatever you did to us, we deserved.”

“So it was just to relieve your conscience?”

His father shook his head. “I carried guilt around for so long, I don’t remember what it feels like not to have it.” His voice shook. “It

might not matter to you now. But I did love you. My mistake was loving your mother more. I’m not asking for forgiveness, but I thought you may

want to know that.”

Perry stood. It hadn’t stopped hurting, but now it was a different kind of hurt. One he could move past. “Burnett’s fair. He’s only

charging you for the robberies, and he’s going to make sure you’re sent to a decent prison.”

“And your mom?” his father asked.

“Same thing.” Perry picked up the envelope and started out. He told himself he didn’t owe his dad anything, but then damn it, he realized he

did. He turned and held out the envelope. “Like I said, this choice doesn’t make up for your earlier ones, but … thank you.”

*

A few hours later Burnett pulled up at the one hotel in Fallen and glanced at Perry.

“You don’t have to stay here,” Burnett said. “It’s summer. There’s plenty of empty cabins.”

“I know.” He exhaled and then needed to know. “Is she doing okay?”

Burnett cut the engine off. “Yeah. She asked about you.”

Perry clenched his fist. “I’m still so pissed at her. I love her so damn much, but the thought of her putting herself and me through what she

did … it infuriates me.”

“I know. I feel the same way, and I don’t know if it makes any difference but she was warned in the falls that if she told anyone, people

would die. I think you were on that list. She said it was … something she just had to do, even if it was dangerous.”

“It doesn’t matter. Do you know what they were going to do to her?”

“I know, but … truth is I felt the same way about you getting mixed up in this.”

“That’s different. I’m a guy.”

He kind of chuckled. “I have this same argument with Holiday when she does something dangerous for a ghost. But there’s something about a

woman’s psyche that doesn’t understand that. I’ll bet Miranda thinks the same way. Now, I’m not saying they’re right, but there is just a

tiny bit of logic to it.”

*

Miranda had felt pretty good about her test after she’d taken it. Most of the answers came to her with a little happy feeling in her chest

that said, “You got this one.” But now, three hours later she was back to having boob sweat.

Holiday, Kylie, Della, and Miranda were all sitting in Holiday’s office. Mr. Garcia, the dean of the school, who was doing this as a favor for

Holiday, had told her he would call with the results at two.

That was five minutes away. Anticipation danced on Miranda’s shoulder.

“Everyone breathe,” Holiday said. “There’s so much anxiety in this room, it’s fogging up my windows.”

“I did the best I could,” Miranda said, now fearing it hadn’t been enough.

“Let’s not start thinking negative thoughts,” Kylie said. “You’re going to make the score.”

“Right!” Della said.