Page 79 of The King of Hearts (The Raven Group #1)

I leave him and go to each of my brothers, getting tight hugs from both and reassuring them that I’m okay.

As soon as Bishop drops his arms from around my waist, Ryker is there, pulling me to his side.

Their visit doesn’t last much longer after that.

As politely as Ryker is capable, he informs my family that it’s time for them to go, using the excuse that I need rest. I’d love to visit with them more, but mentally, I’m glad to see them go.

I’m exhausted and want only to crawl back into bed and sleep some more.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen quite yet. As soon as the door closes behind them, we hear footsteps descending the stairs. Ryker’s dad, Antonio, slowly moves down them, his hand on the rail, as if he’s wobbly on his feet.

It’s still hard to believe this man is his father.

Not because of the looks—Ryker actually resembles his dad in many ways.

It’s more that he’s been gone for twenty years and now he’s suddenly here.

I can’t imagine how hard it is on Ryker, especially considering how much hatred he’s held for the man for so long.

Since we arrived home last night, this is the first time I’ve gotten a good look at him.

He’s taller than Ryker by a couple of inches, but he’s gaunt and frail-looking, just on the other side of appearing malnourished.

He still has black hair, but there’s a lot of silver mixed in.

I recognize the clothes he’s wearing as Ryker’s, and they hang loosely over his slender frame.

“Mat—” He cuts himself off and clears his throat. “Ryker, I was wondering if we could talk.” His voice sounds just as frail, like he hasn’t used it in many years.

Ryker stiffens beside me, his arm locking around my waist. “Now’s not a good time. Maybe later.”

Sympathy for the older man hits me in the chest when his shoulders slump. It only lasts for a moment before he straightens his back, looking his son directly in the eye. “I would prefer not to wait.”

Before Ryker can deny his father again—and yes, I know that’s what he’s going to do from the rigidity of his posture—I lay my hand on his chest. “It’s okay. Let’s see what he has to say.”

He doesn’t like it, but he relents after a moment. “Go to my office. I’ll meet you there once I have my wife settled.”

I’m shaking my head before the words fully leave his mouth. “I’d like to be there as well.” I glance at Antonio. “If that’s all right with you, that is.”

He inclines his head. “Yes, of course. As my son’s wife, you have every right to hear what I have to say.”

I peek at my husband as we go down the hall toward his office.

He doesn’t look at all happy. He spent so many years thinking this man left him and his mother willingly.

I don’t have the full story, but according to Ryker, Antonio didn’t leave nor stay gone by his own volition.

Theo took and held him captive for all of those years.

Once we’re in the office, Ryker and I take a seat on the sofa on one side of the coffee table, and his father takes the chair on the other side.

He leans forward, his elbows on his knees, with his head pointed down.

He seems to be gathering his thoughts. After several moments of silence, he lifts his head, and the look in his eyes breaks my heart. They glisten and hold so much pain.

“Your mother… what do the doctors say?”

Ryker sits rigidly beside me, so I reach over and grab his hand, offering what little support I can.

“Stress and trauma induced catatonia,” Ryker answers in a monotone voice.

“What are the chances of her coming out of it?”

“That’s up to her. She’s this way because of what happened that night and what happened months later.

She withdrew into herself as a protective mechanism because her brain couldn’t process the trauma and stress.

Those first few months were difficult, but she was functioning.

It was after she came home from what I assumed was the hospital the second time that she fell into her current state.

Knowing what I know now, I believe the pregnancy and Theo taking the baby is what pushed her over the edge. ”

The muscle in Antonio’s jaw tics, and his eyes, the same color as Ryker’s and Aiden’s, turn into melted silver. I’m struck by how much father and son look so much alike at this moment. Ryker’s expression, when angered, looks exactly the same.

“Have they tried medication?” Antonio asks moments later.

“Yes. Nothing worked. Now, enough about my mother.”

I squeeze Ryker’s hand, and the hardness in his eyes fades away when they meet mine.

I don’t say anything. I don’t need to. He knows without words what I’m trying to say.

He may still harbor ill feelings toward his father—such hatred won’t go away in only a day—but he needs to recognize this isn’t easy on Antonio either.

The man was taken from his family for two decades, held against his will, finds out his wife was raped, and the child that came from that heinous act was given to a man who did unspeakable things to her.

Ryker holds my eyes while he lifts my hand to his lips, where he lays a soft kiss against the back of it. Then he turns to his father again.

“Will you tell me about Rosa?” Antonio asks, the muscle in his jaw twitching.

Ryker goes ramrod straight. “No.”

“Ryk—”

“Maybe I will one day, but that’s not information I’m ready to share yet.”

Pain etches his father’s face, but he eventually nods.

“I need you to know,” Antonia says after a moment, “there is nothing in this world or the next that I love more than you and your mother. I would have never left on my own. I understand your animosity toward me. You were a child when I disappeared, grieving a loss you didn’t understand.

If I could kill Theo all over again, I’d do it painfully, slowly, for everything he put you and Vivian through. ”

Ryker stays quiet, letting his father air out his grievances.

I think back to what my father said as he was holding me in his arms. Antonio has nothing to apologize for.

He was held captive by a sadistic bastard.

He had no control over what happened. I think Ryker recognizes that, but he lets his father continue anyway, also recognizing Antonio’s need to say the words regardless of being faultless.

“I could never make up for those missing years, but I’d really like to get to know you.” His gaze slides to me. “And your wife and child, of course.”

I offer a smile. “I’d like that.”

Ryker’s stiff shoulders indicate he may not like it, but he doesn’t voice those thoughts. He acknowledges his father’s request with a jerk of his chin.

I can tell Antonio wants to say more, but he doesn’t want to push his luck with Ryker, so he gets up from his seat. “I’d like to talk more later, if you’re fine with that?”

“Yes,” Ryker answers shortly.

“If you need me, I’ll be upstairs with your mother.”

After getting a nod from Ryker, he leaves the room. I get up and sit myself sideways on his lap, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. “You okay?”

He slides his fingers through my hair with one hand. “Better now that he’s gone.”

I frown. “I know it’s hard seeing him after all of these years, especially considering that for many of those years you thought he abandoned you and your mother, but that wasn’t the case. Put yourself in his shoes, Ryker. This can’t be any easier on him, just in a different way.”

“I know you’re right, and I’m working on it. I just need time.”

“And you’ll have it. No one is rushing you. I just wanted to know where your head is at.”

He dips his head, and his lips meet mine for a gentle kiss. “It’s right where it needs to be. With you,” one of his large hands covers my lower stomach, “and our baby.”