Page 222 of The Compass Series

AIDEN

E very piece of me felt a bit off-kilter since I’d faced my father. I didn’t know who to turn to, but somehow, a certain person knew how to show up exactly when I needed them the most.

“Hello, brother.”

Damian Blackstone was standing on my front porch, dressed all in black.

How the hell did Damian Blackstone find out where I lived?

“Damian. What are you doing here?” I asked, stunned to find him standing in front of me. “How did you find me?”

“They call me the gravedigger. I’m good at digging up information on people,” he said, slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder. “You got a spare room for a few days?” Without thought, I pulled him into a hug. He grumbled. “The hug thing was only for Christmas Day.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve had a shitty go at things. I could use the hug.”

“Fine. Only this once.” He hugged me back, and I was thankful for the comfort. The moment he let me go, he stood tall. “So what do people do in Wisconsin other than freeze their ball sack off?”

“Cheese curds?” Damian asked as we sat at the counter of the local bar. “You deep-fried cheese?”

“You’ve never had a cheese curd?” I gasped. “Your life is about to be forever changed. These are the best ones in town. They make their ranch homemade, too. Trust me, that matters.”

Damian picked up the cheese curd and pulled it apart, showcasing some solid cheese pull action. Then he dunked it into the ranch and tossed it into his mouth. He sat back in his chair, a bit amazed. “Well, fuck,” he moaned. “I didn’t know your food had drugs packed in it.”

“What can I say? We do a few things well. The Bucks, cheese curds, and Spotted Cow beer. You won’t find this goodness anywhere else.”

“Speaking of good.” He snapped his hand in the air. “We are going to need more of these cheese balls and more Spotted Cows, stat.”

Damian turned to me and gave me a bit more serious look after he tossed a few cheese curds into his mouth. He wiped his hands off and his brows were knitted as he looked my way. “Rumor has it that your father’s a dick.”

“How did you find out?”

“Hailee reached out to me on social media. She said you might need a brother, so here I am.”

Of course, she did.

“She’s the best person I know,” I confessed.

“That’s funny. She said the same thing about you,” he said. “I am sorry about your father. I honestly don’t know why he’d even go that far to keep it a secret.”

“He knew he would’ve lost the best thing that ever happened to him—my mother. Turns out all these years later, he still lost her.”

“Karma catches up, no matter how long it takes.”

“I hate him. He watched me throughout the years struggle with Jake and still made these choices. He’s the only reason I even did this acting thing, because I wanted to make him proud.

I dreamed of him being my biological father my whole life.

I thought I was making it up that we had characteristics that matched.

I was convinced that I was insane for thinking those things.

Now, when I see him, all I feel is hatred. ”

“I get it, man. My dad was a dick and played mind games with me, but it led to me finding Stella, so I’m kind of thankful for him, too, the asshole.”

“Are you two closer with one another now?”

“Nah, he croaked,” he said with a deadpan expression.

“Oh shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“How would you know? We’d just met.”

It didn’t take long for me to realize that Damian was a very straightforward guy. He was the opposite of his best friend, Connor. Yet a little more like Jax. The three of them were such an odd pairing, but somehow it seemed to fit together. They balanced each other out completely.

Damian took a drag of his beer. “The way I see it is if the old man didn’t croak, I would’ve never met Stella, so it feels like an even trade. An asshole father drops dead, and then you end up with the love of your life? Sign me up.”

I sat there completely stunned by his comments.

He looked over to me and released a weighted sigh.

“I went too dark, didn’t I? Stella always tells me my dark humor would be the death of me.

At least if I died, I could join my dad in the great downstairs and tell him how big of a dick he is.

My biggest regret is not telling more people to fuck off. ”

I snickered a bit and held my glass up. “Hear, hear.”

“Most people would tell you that time heals all wounds and that you should forgive your father. But do you want my advice?”

“Shoot.”

“Fuck him. You owe him nothing. Not your kindness, not your forgiveness, and not your presence in his life. He made his bed, and now he gets to sleep in it. A father isn’t defined by blood, it’s defined by the man who does right by you.

Still, you can silently thank him for the things he did give to you. Like your mother.”

I sighed. He was right. If it weren’t for my father’s lies, I wouldn’t have my mother.

I whistled low. “A lying asshole in exchange for the best mother in the world?”

Damian grinned a little and popped more cheese curds into his mouth. “Feels like an even trade.”

He shifted in his chair and said, “Truly, though. If I learned anything in life, it’s the fact that family isn’t about blood ties, it’s about loyalty.

It’s about the people who love you and are honest even when it’s hard.

It’s about the people who show up day in and day out to help make you the best version of yourself.

It’s about being in a place where you can be authentically yourself and not feel shamed for it.

It’s having dreams and having people to cheerlead them.

They say blood is thicker than water, but water is a lot smoother going down.

It refreshes you and nourishes you. It’s good for your body, good for your spirit.

Don’t take shit in that makes you feel heavy.

Only accept love that feels good to the soul and give that love back tenfold. ”

“For a man who claims to be tough and cold, you sure give good speeches.”

“Having kids softened me. I had to be a better man for them. It comes with the job title.”

“Lucky kids.”

“Lucky Damian,” he corrected.

“I think I’m going to like this having a brother thing.”

“You’re not too much of an annoying shit, so that’s refreshing.”

“I still can’t believe you flew all the way out here to check on me.”

“We’re family. That’s what family does. Looks out for each other. So”—he clapped his hands together and smirked—“when do I get to meet this special lady of yours?”

“She’s at her parents’. I had her mom and dad invite her over for a movie. After we are done here. I was hoping I could have your help with something if you’re up for it.”

“What do you have in mind?”