Chapter 25

The days started to disappear as the Christmas holidays started to pass us by. When the twenty-fifth rolled around, my mom and I spent the day alongside one another as we kept my late father in mind as we traded gifts and celebrated the holiday.

Our house phone rang plenty of times throughout the day as family friends and relatives from back home called us to wish us a merry Christmas and question us as to when we were coming back for a visit. Although neither I nor my mom could give them an answer on when we would travel back for a visit, we did return their Christmas wishes and told them that we hoped to hear from them again soon.

Putting a peaceful finish to our Christmas, both of us decided that it would be a good idea to take a little drive and attend the Christmas mass at the church an hour out of Avondale. Since we didn’t know any of the other families in attendance, we simply kept to ourselves in a pew near the back and prayed that the one we had lost was having a good time with his fellow angels up above.

And just like that, after a small dinner and a few thoughtful presents, my first Christmas without my dad had passed.

With Christmas behind me, I had to build myself up for what was really important; travelling a couple hours up north with Cason to support him as he confronted his father.

Waking up on the twenty-fourth I remembered the short conversation that Cason and I had the night previous. I also remembered that I would have to ask my mom if I would actually be able to go. Even though I was more than positive that my mom wouldn’t have a problem with me supporting Cason on the visit, there was that small part of my brain that was kept telling me that my mom would say no for some reason and I would let Cason down.

Turns out that I had nothing to worry about in the first place because, after a short conversation with my mom and listening in on quite a long phone call between her and Diana, I was given permission to head up north later in the week.

When the twenty-eighth of December rolled around, the day that the Michaels had decided to make the dreaded trip to the prison where Mr. Michaels was currently serving his sentence, my mom knocked on my door bright and early at the crisp hour of eight ‘o’clock.

As she pushed open my bedroom door, she was genuinely surprised to see me sitting up against my headrest with a book in my lap.

“How long have you been up?” she asked curiously as she leant against my bedroom door frame in her pyjamas.

I sighed, smiling nervously before replying. “Just before seven but, the real question should be when did I finally fall asleep.” I stated, running a hand through my messy main of hair.

My mom, noticing I was stressing over something, came over and sat on the side of my bed. “What’s wrong sweetie?” she asked genuinely worried. “Are you not feeling good? Do you not want to go with the Michaels today?” she questioned, guessing wrong on both accounts.

I shook my head in reply. “I don’t know, it’s just that I’m worried that even though Cason invited me today and Mrs. Michaels is okay with me coming along, I feel like I’m intruding on something personal.” I said, responding honestly as I brought my legs up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them nervously. “I mean, what if what I told Cason about his father being the guy he had always loved is wrong and, then once we get there, Cason blames me for a horrible visit.”

“Honey,” my mom started, rubbing her hand on my shoulder soothingly, “Cason asked you to go because he knows that you’ve become strong enough to be there for him. He’s been helping you out a lot with your nerves and anxiety around new people and, I’m so proud of you for breaking out of your shell.” she explained with a smile. “Now that he’s been here for you for the past couple of month, it’s your time to be here for him.”

I nodded, already knowing that I had to be the strong one today. I’ve already seen how hard Cason takes talking about his father twice now but, now that he was actually going to see his father face to face, his entire resolve was more than likely going to break and I would have to be there for him. I’d need to push whatever insecurities I still had hiding in my back pocket to the furthest corner of my brain and focus on being the rock I needed to be.

“Thanks mom,” I said with a smile, leaning over to wrap my arms around her in a warm hug. “That’s just what I needed to hear right now.”

“I’m your mom, it’s what I’m here for.” she replied cheekily as we pulled back from our short embrace and I rolled my eyes in a silent reply. “Now,” she continued, patting my knee a few times to make sure I was listening, “How about you take your time, shower and do whatever you need to do and I’ll go downstairs to make breakfast. It’ll be on the table when you’re ready.”

Nodding, I smiled at her as she got up and left the room while I threw my feet over the side of the bed and padded my way to my en-suite bathroom to get ready for the day.

Just under an hour later I was dressed and ready to go. I had showered, straightened my hair, chose an outfit, brushed my teeth and lightly dusted some make-up on my face in a record time before making my way down to the first floor for breakfast.

Walking into the kitchen, I was immediately hit with a surprise as a familiar scent registered in my nose. Curiously watching as my mom added a couple of ingredients into a pan on the stove, I sat down at my usual seat and waited a couple of seconds for her to notice me. “What’re you cooking mom?” I asked as the recognizable aroma filled the kitchen even more.

Sparing a quick glance over her shoulder, my mom sent me a quick smile before focusing her attention back on whatever was cooking on the stove. “I found an old recipe book of your father’s in some of the unpacked boxes.” she replied. “I thought I’d use this break from try out a couple recipes and see if I could improve my cooking skills.”

“That’s why it smells so familiar.” I mumbled as my mom grabbed the handle of the pan she was using and transferred the delicious omelet from the pan onto the plate laid out in front of me.

After placing the dirty pan into the sink, my mom sat down across from me with a guilty expression as I dug into my delicious breakfast. “I’m sorry if I’m upsetting you by doing something that was always your dad’s job but…” she started but, I effectively cut her off before she could give me a reason.

Shaking my head while swallowing, I gave her a soft smile before speaking. “Mom, it’s okay. I know that it’s been a couple of months and I know that we both deserve to move on. We might not be ready to move on from dad but, we can move on and start remembering him as the great dad and husband that he was.”

“And that is why Cason wants you by his side today sweetie.” my mom replied effectively, causing a smile to fall on my face as I stuffed another forkful of omelet into my mouth. “How did I get blessed with such a smart and thoughtful young girl?” she asked rhetorically as she grabbed a banana from the fruit basket in front of her.

Although the question was meant to be rhetorical and didn’t require a response, a grin spread across my face as I thought of a sarcastic response. “Maybe your name was drawn out of a hat.”

Despite the fact that my mom was trying to send me a flat look, her façade cracked when the corner of her lip lifted up into a smile and she rolled her eyes in amusement. “Just eat your breakfast.” she stated, containing her amusement as she peeled her fruit and made a breakfast for herself.

Smiling to myself, I ducked my head and went to work on finishing my satisfying omelet.

Less than an hour later I had said my goodbyes to my mom and walked out the front door of my house just after ten thirty. Cason had called me yesterday to tell me that his mom wanted to leave just before eleven ‘o’clock to give us enough time to get there, visit and get back before ten tonight. Accounting for the few short minutes that it took me to walk down the street from my house to Cason’s, we would have time to spare before we had to leave if I was on schedule.

Walking up the Michaels driveway, I felt the shining sun dip behind a bundle of clouds as I stepped up and pressed my finger on the doorbell. Through the wood structure of the door I could hear the bell start to sound its familiar little jingle however, now the sound of yappy repetitive barks were added into the mix.

Seconds later the door was opened by a tired looking Cason. His hair was messed up as though he had just climbed out of bed, he was yawning repetitively and, he was still in his pajamas which consisted solely of a pair of patterned cotton pants. In other words, I was currently staring at a shirtless Cason.

It vaguely registers in my mind that Cason is smiling at me but, I am way too focused on the fact that he is currently standing there with his toned stomach on display for the whole street to see. With the close up view I was currently experiencing, I was pretty sure that I could see the faint lines of a six pack in the works however, Cason’s voice pulled me from my ogling too soon.

Snapping my head up to his face, I had to try very hard not to glance down at his fit chest once again. “What did you say?” I asked bluntly, taking Cason by shock for a second before his expression turned smug.

“Oh, does Jessa have a problem with my beautiful body being on full frontal display?” he asked, crossing his arms across his bare chest, succeeding in not only enhancing his arm muscles but also making a light blush spread across my cheeks.

“Pfft… no, I was just trying to figure out what kind of seventeen year old boy wears pajama pants with cartoon planes on them.” I stated, although he could probably tell that I was lying through my teeth.

Confirming my thoughts, Cason rolled his eyes in disbelief. “Sure you were.” he replied in amusement before letting the subject drop. “Anyways, I just have to run back upstairs to get dressed and my mom’s around the house somewhere. You can just relax in the living room or something for a couple minutes if you want.” he stated, letting me through the threshold and closing the door behind me.

Nodding at his explanation, I followed Cason into the living room and planted myself in front of the television which was currently airing a re-run of an old Friends episode. “I’ll be right back.” Cason expressed before turning around and heading up to his room to get ready.

Not even a minute had passed before I heard the yapping of one adorably cute husky getting louder and louder, drowning out most of the sound that was coming from the television. Seconds later, I felt more than heard the little guy run into my legs that were dangling off the front of the couch.

Moving myself from the couch to the floor, the dog quickly jumped into my lap and started rolling around playfully. “Hey there Colby, how are you doing?” I asked with added excitement as I rubbed his stomach affectionately. “Have you been behaving like a good little doggie?”

I wasn’t expecting an actual answer from the canine as I wasn’t naïve enough that the dog knew what I was asking however, when he yapped happily twice in a row, I could only assume that he was replying in a positive manner.

“Well, good for you Colby! Now, has Cason been treating you properly?”

“Of course I have.” I heard Cason reply as he re-entered the living room fully clothed and looking ready for the day. “What do you take me for? A guy that would leave this cute little puppy alone to die… never.” he continued, crunching down beside me to rub Colby’s head between his ears.

“Wow,” I said in astonishment, “You dress fast.”

Cason rolled his eyes at me, standing up from his position before offering me a hand as well. “There’s a simple reply to that, being I’m not a girl.” he responded teasingly as Colby jumped out of my lap and I took Cason’s hand as an aid to lift me up.

Now on my own two feet, I patted the back of my shorts a couple of times to clear them of any dust or dirt before dropping my arms to my sides. “Whatever.” I replied smartly, not having any other comeback in mind that would have been suitable for the situation. “So, when are we leaving?”

“Um, my mom is just finishing her make-up or something in the bathroom so we should be leaving in a couple of minutes.” he answered as his whole demeanour changed from amusement to nervousness within a matter of seconds.

Sighing, I lift the corners of my lips up in a reassuring smile. “Cason today is going to be fine.” I stated as I took a step closer to him in attempt to comfort him. “You’re going to see your father and you’re going to get some of the answers you’ve wanted for three years now. I’ll be right there with you and I won’t leave your side if you need me today.”

“Thanks Jessa.”

As I looked at him, our eyes caught in a trance of stability and strength. We were both there for each other when we needed the other and it was part of what made us grow so close. Silence filled the air as I could visibly see some of the nerves drain from Cason’s body as something else started to shine in his eyes. Was that admiration I saw, or maybe a bit or curiousness?

Before I could comprehend what Cason was feeling, the spell that had fallen on both of us momentarily was broken by the sound of Colby’s happy barking. Both of us were shocked as our minds reattached to our bodies in reality and Cason crunched down to play with his puppy again.

I couldn’t understand what had just happened but, when I looked down at Cason playing with Colby he looked up at me with a genuinely warm smile. It wasn’t a perfect smile, in fact, it was a bit crooked where his right cheek started to form a small dimple but, it warmed my heart and brought about a small smile on my face as well.

As Cason played with Colby for a couple of seconds, I heard light footsteps coming down from the second story in the house. Turning slightly, I saw Diana coming into the living room as she looked ready to go.

“Hey Jessalyn,” she greeted, smiling at me as I brought my hand up in a small wave, “Are you kids ready to hit the road?”

“Just about,” Cason replied, standing up with Colby bundled up in his arms, “I just have to let him outside for a couple minutes and then we should be all good.”

As Cason started to walk through the living towards the back of the house, Diana turned to face her son’s retreating figure. “Remember to clean up to him.” she reminded Cason, making Cason stop and glance back at her as she raised an eyebrow at her son.

“Yea mom.”

With that short reply Cason left our sight, leaving me alone with just his mom in their living room.

“So, how long do you think it’ll take to get to wherever we’re going?” I asked curiously as my hands fingered the strings that were hanging from the bottom of my shorts.

Diana’s eyebrows rose high as she wore a look of disbelief. “Did Cason not tell you where we were going?”

Shrugging, I replied appropriately. “Well, not exactly.” I started. “I mean he told me that we were going to the town you guys moved from a couple of years ago and, that it’s about three or four hours north of here but, that was all.”

Shaking her head in astonishment, I faintly heard her click her tongue a couple of times. “I guess what Cason said is true and, to answer your previous question, it’ll probably be a four hour drive if we stop at a drive-thru along the way for lunch.” she explained. “A lot of the roads from here to Pineswood are just running through a bunch of trees and old rocks but, I think there are about three cities that actually have civilization that we have to pass through.”

“Is Pineswood where you used to live before you moved here?” I asked for confirmation and, I got it when Diana nodded in reply. “Do you mind me asking what it’s like there? It’s just, I didn’t exactly travel before moving here because I didn’t like the feeling I would get in a new place as I was surrounded with crowds of people that I didn’t know.”

“Sure hon.” Diana replied softly, smiling at me as she recounted her old town. “I was raised there when I was young and after I left for university, I realized that I wanted to live there to raise my future children. It was a small town but big enough to have things for families and children of any age to do on a weekend. When Cason was born, Malcolm and I had already bought a small house in the middle of the city and we lived there up until everything happened.”

Nodding, I realized that Pineswood sounded similar to my old town. They were both small towns but were big enough for the people that lived within the town to live happily and peacefully.

We spoke about random stories of Pineswood and the trip we were about to embark on for a few minutes before we heard Colby’s bark as he and Cason re-entered the house.

Cason spent another minute in the kitchen that was attached to the back entrance before appearing in the living room. “So, are we ready to go now?”

We all looked at each other simultaneously making sure that all of us were ready to go and, when we were under the impression that everybody was ready, Diana stood from where she had previously been sitting on the couch and clapped her hands. “Well,” she started cheerfully, glancing between Cason and I, “Let’s get this show on the road.”

In spite of Diana’s enthusiasm about leaving, it took another five minutes for all of us to actually pile out the door. Cason decided that he should take a trip to the bathroom so he wouldn’t have a full bladder in the car and, despite Cason’s sceptics, I was adamant that I could survive four hours without going to the bathroom as I had fixed that problem before leaving my own home earlier that morning.

The three of us piled into the only car in the Michaels driveway, with Diana in the driver’s seat while Cason and I climbed into the backseat after he stated that it would be rude to let me, the guest, sit in the back by myself.

Not even a half an hour later, we were already on a long road that looked like it headed nowhere. There were some places where the road curved slightly, or built itself up into a hill or a ditch, however, the one thing that stayed the same was the constant scenery of well grown trees and plants that lined the sides of the road. Another hour and a half passed quickly as we passed through a small city before venturing back onto the never ending winding road.

It had now been two hours since we left the Michaels driveway back in Avondale and I was greatly regretting not taking Cason’s advice and going to the bathroom again before we left. I didn’t know when the next town would come up but I really hoped it was soon.

On the up side, while I was jittering slightly in my seat due to a quickly expanding bladder, Cason was not able to be the wise guy. He had fallen asleep about an hour ago and his mom had quickly explained to me that it was inevitable as he had been up half the night worrying about finally facing his father after three years of separation.

What surprised me was the fact that Cason snored in his sleep. It was light and barely noticeable but, with only the radio as noise in the car, I was able to detect the hushed mewing sound of Cason as he vacationed in dreamland.

Sighing, I looked out the window as the drive continued. As a billboard came into view, I was intrigued as I read that a truck stop was about three kilometres away if we turned off the road at the next right.

“Umm, Mrs. Michaels?” I asked nervously, getting her attention.

At the sound of her name, she glanced in her rear-view mirror to acknowledge me. “Yes dear?” she asked in response, probably wondering what I was about to ask.

“Could we maybe turn off at the next right, if that’s all right?”

She sent me a smirk through the rear-view and flicked on her right turning signal as we approached the turn off. “Have to use the bathroom?” she guessed in amusement as she followed the road signs that would lead us to the truck stop.

“Maybe.” I replied, smiling sheepishly at her as she turned a sharp corner and brought the truck stop into view.

As Diana turned the corner, Cason, who had previously been resting his head against his shoulder, fell over slightly in his seat and his head landed on top of my shoulder.

Shocked by the weight on my shoulders, I hadn’t even realized that Diana had already pulled the car into the parking lot of the truck stop and parked.

“Oh!” Diana exclaimed as she saw the predicament I was currently stuck in. “Just lift his head up and let it fall on the seat sweetie, he’s a heavy sleeper anyways.”

Using her advice, I unbuckled my seatbelt and carefully lifted up Cason’s head as I slid out of the door I had already opened. I probably looked like a spy trying to avoid a booby-trap to anyone glancing at me from the parking lot but, I felt accomplishment as I let Cason’s head fall onto the seat and I closed the door softly behind me.

Making my way across the parking lot and into the building, I saw that it was actually a pretty notable truck stop. There was a fairly packed parking lot beside a gas station and, when I walked into the building in front of me, I saw a couple of chain restaurants serving lines of hungry customers. Although there was a bunch of chitter chatter around me by tons of strangers, I only had one destination on my mind and that was a stall in the women’s restroom.

When I was done in the washroom, I was walking back through the building towards the front entrance when I suddenly felt a hot breath on my ear. “So, you couldn’t hold it could you?” the voice asked, succeeding in my making me jump a mile high and turn around quickly to see Cason standing there with a smirk of amusement.

“Uhm… I just came in to get something to eat.” I replied, pulling an excuse out of the sky.

Cason nodded sarcastically as I could see he wasn’t buying my story for a second. “Oh and, where’s the food that you obviously already bought since you’re headed towards the exit?” he asked, inspecting my bare hands playfully.

“They were out.” I grounded out, clenching my teeth in annoyance before I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. “And what are you even doing in here? I thought you were vacationing in dreamland.”

Cason rolled his eyes at my obvious diversion from the subject but didn’t press it. “You weren’t very subtle when you tried to move me in the car.” he replied. “I woke up as soon as you slammed the car door shut.”

“I did not slam it shut.” I muttered under my breath.

“Yea you did.” he replied, having heard my muttering. “Anyways, here.” he continued, tossing a bag quickly in the air for me.

Stumbling slightly, I caught the bag in my hands and looked at it in confusion. “What’s this?” I asked curiously, unrolling the top to see what was inside.

Cason, who had stuck his hands into his shorts pockets, shrugged his shoulders indifferently. “A grilled chicken sandwich and a chocolate donut from the restaurant over there.” he replied nonchalantly, nodding to the left where there was a line that was increasing in length as lunch time passed.

A smile grew on my face as I looked inside the bag and saw that he had indeed bought me lunch. “Thanks Cason.” I stated appreciatively.

“It’s not a problem.” he said in response as one side of his lips lifted into a smile. “Now, let’s get back on the road.”

Nodding in agreement, I closed the take-out bag again and fell into step beside Cason as we headed out to meet Diana in the car. We had a little less than two hours left to go on this road trip up north and nothing was going to stop us.

Contrary to my belief, during the remaining two hours of the ride to Pineswood we were unlucky enough to hit rush hour when we hit the next main town and, to top it off, the road we were supposed to take was undergoing a makeover and the construction company instructed us to take a detour that lengthened our journey by a good ten to fifteen minutes.

When Diana finally drove past the sign that welcomed us to the town of Pineswood, the clock on the dashboard was slowly inching towards three thirty.

“So, how long is it until we reach the um… jail?” I asked, nervously muttering the word jail as if it was a grenade about to explode.

Turns out, I was right to be worried about my question because as soon as the words left my lips I felt more than saw both the Michaels tense up. Cason’s shoulders became stiff as a board and I saw Diana’s clench lightly on the steering wheel. The whole atmosphere of the car had shifted in a single moment but, it really was inevitable. I didn’t know about Diana personally but, I figured that she, just like her son, was undeniably nervous about what was going down within the next hour or two.

“Umm… it’s on the outskirts so we’ll be there momentarily.” Diana responded dully, as though the fact that we were visiting her husband in jail was just now registering in her mind.

Nodding silently, I decided that the smart choice as of now was to not upset the atmosphere any further so, I kept my lips zipped tight.

Minutes later after a few turns through the streets of Pineswood, Diana pulled the car slowly into a parking lot with a sign at the entrance.

Pineswood Correctional Centre

As she pulled into one of the parking spaces reserved for visitors, I looked at my surroundings as we all climbed out of the car. The small area of grass was neatly kept and surprisingly, it didn’t look like a place out of a movie. It was simply a building that looked fairly intimidating and, I was able to spot quite a few security cameras at first glance, telling me that they liked to keep tabs on their surroundings and not only the few dozen criminals that must have been locked inside.

“We’ve made it just in time; they should be releasing Malcolm into one of the visiting rooms’ right about now.” Diana stated, nervously playing with a clasp on her purse as we walked towards the jail.

Looking at her questioningly, I tilted my head in curiosity. “What do you mean? Did you call ahead or something?”

"You have to make an appointment to see an inmate at this centre. Even though they keep lighter security criminals here, they are still strict enough with their visitors for schedules and such.”

As Diana gave her explanation, I nodded in understanding. ‘Of course they wouldn’t want visitors showing up here unannounced.’ I thought.

Looking to my right as we entered the building, I saw Cason walking stiffly beside me as we followed Diana to where we were supposed to be going. Seeing him so nervous and uncomfortable made my heart beat uncomfortably. He shouldn’t be feeling like this if life was fair but, I had learned personally in the last year how unfair life really was. I knew that he needed some form of support from here on out so, I reached out my hand and took a hold of one of his that was hanging by his side.

At contact, Cason seemed surprised as his eyes snapped from the black and white tiled floor to our now adjoined hands. Squeezing his hand softly, I showed him without words that I was fulfilling my promise, I was here for him today as his rock and I wouldn’t let him down.

Even though we were in an uncomfortable place for him, Cason managed a small appreciative smile as he returned my squeeze and interlaced his fingers through mine.

Diana stopped in front of us after a few more steps as I looked up and found us situated on one side of a desk, with who I assumed to be a worker on the other side. The man on the other side of the desk looked to be a couple years wiser than both Diana and my mom as a few wrinkles showed when he raised his eyebrows at us.

“And who do we have here?” the man asked with a hint of a Mexican accent, moving some papers aside as he cleared the desk slightly. As I looked at his name tag on his uniform, it registered that his name was Pablo.

“I called a couple of days ago regarding one of the inmates here.” Diana replied softly, looking like it saddened her so much to be in the building where her husband now resided. “We’re here to see Malcolm Michaels.”

Pablo nodded in understanding before sitting down in a chair and typing a few things into the high-tech computer that rested in front of him. “Ah, you must be Diana Michaels, Cason Michaels and Jessalyn Hartley here for three thirty.” he announced, looking at Diana for confirmation. When she nodded, Pablo continued. “You’re right on time, I’ll just page an officer to come and accompany you to the holding room.”

As Pablo pressed a few digits on the phone that lay on his desk, bringing the phone up to his ear to contact a free officer, Diana turned to us and took a deep breath. “Now Cason, I know that you might not have been expecting to come up to Pineswood before break started but, I just wanted to say how proud I am of you that you’re taking a step forward by coming here today.”

“Yea well,” he said dully, shrugging his shoulders, “I’m here to see the dad I grew up with, not the asshole that got sent to jail for a DUI and dealing drugs to thugs.”

Although I could see that his mom wanted to go off on him for swearing, I could also see that she knew that being here for the first time in many years was making Cason tense. She nodded in understanding as she turned around to chat quietly with Pablo as we waited for the officer to arrive.

“You’re doing the right thing here Cason.” I said, being quiet enough so only his ears would register it, rubbing my thumb across his hand lightly as I tried to help calm his anger.

Cason turned to me and, although I could see the mixed emotions in his eyes, I also saw that me being here meant everything to him. “I know.” he replied simply, tightening his hold on my hand slightly, as if he was afraid I would disappear within a second and he would be left all alone.

Before anything else could be said, an officer dressed in full police gear rounded the corner and greeted us with what looked like a forced smile. “Are you three here to visit Malcolm Michaels?” he asked, as if there were hundreds of people in the room waiting for him. When we nodded, affirming his curiosity, he continued. “Follow me.”

As the officer turned around and headed back the way he arrived he wasn’t alone as the three of us followed him closely, all a bit wary of walking through the main part of the jail without a bit of protection. Well, at least that was my reason for following so closely.

“So, Malcolm always talks so highly of his wife and son to the guards he’s grown close to. When he received the news that you were visiting him, well, I must say he was elated and hasn’t stopped talking about it for days.” the officer said, making polite conversation as we made our way through a couple of creepy looking halls.

When none of us responded to his statement, the officer simply continued to speak. “Am I letting all three of you in at once or are you taking turns?” he questioned as we reached a door that seemed to be passcode protected.

Diana shook her head quickly before nodding towards Cason and I. “Those two will be going in first. I’ll stay with you and watch them through the glass.” she announced as the officer nodded and started to punch in the appropriate code. When a bell went off, signalling the opening of the door, the officer signaled for us to go in as Diana wrapped her arms quickly around Cason. “Good luck.” I heard her whisper in his ear before pulling back with a quick kiss to his cheek.

Cason and I stepped through the threshold of the room slowly and, before anything else could register in my mind, I heard the door shut and lock behind us while a man stood up from his seat in front of us.

The man that was now in front of me was definitely Cason’s dad; I could see the similar facial features and build of Cason in his stature. He was standing there awkwardly, as though he didn’t know what to say as the silence of the room consumed us.

His father’s eyes were stuck to Cason like glue as he broke the think sound of silence. “Cason, you actually came.” he said in astonishment, as if he thought his son would skip out on the visit.

“I’m here.” Cason replied, waiting a few seconds after his father’s comment before reply with a very stiff voice.

I could tell that Cason’s emotions were starting to build up as his hold became even tighter on my hand so, I started to once again rub my thumb over the back of his hand soothingly, trying to calm him down even the slightest. It seemed to work as Cason glanced at me with an expressionless face, although I could see the thanks he was sending me cross his eyes quickly before it disappeared as he turned his attention back to his father.

“And who’s this?” I heard his father ask, as though he was just realizing Cason was not the only one in the room with him. “Have you gotten yourself a girlfriend son?” he asked, glancing at our intertwined hands quickly before smiling lightly at his son.

“What if I did?” Cason replied hotly, looking as though his fuse was about to blow. “You wouldn’t have known since you haven’t even tried to contact me in the past three years!” he continued, raising his voice as he went on.

His father’s face quickly changed from a smile to a look of disbelief, before finally settling on a guilty expression. “I’m sorry son, I just, I couldn’t face you with the knowledge of what I did…”

“You could’ve at least written to me! The last time I saw or heard from you before last week was three years ago, when I was the poor excuse of a fourteen year old watching his own father get sentenced to jail time in front of a judge and jury! Do you know how I felt when I moved away with mom?” he asked in a loud voice, shocking both me and his father as all the feelings of rejection and abandonment from the past three years started to spill out.

“Son…” Malcolm tried to explain but, Cason wasn’t having any of it as he continued his rant.

“No dad, no you didn’t! I was the new kid, in a new city, with the knowledge that my dad had just been sentenced to years in prison for selfish reasons and I didn’t have anybody there to lean on! I went through almost a whole year before I could trust one guy enough to call him my friend and tell him the truth about my past and now, after three years, only him and Jessa know about my past! I had learnt to be a man from Evan and his dad because I didn’t have a father of my own to teach me anything! If I wanted to ask a girl to a dance I couldn’t go to mom because she would just embarrass me, I was supposed to be able to go to my dad… my dad that wasn’t there because he was too ashamed to talk to his son. The son that needed him - needed him to be right there beside him as he grew up.”

My heart was breaking as Cason poured out all of his emotions in front of his father. The tears were falling freely from Cason’s eyes and he didn’t have a care in the world as he continued to rant off problems that he’d faced through the years that his father had missed due to his jail time.

“Cason, CASON!” his dad finally interrupted, silencing Cason’s lengthy rant as he sighed and ran a hand down his face. “I thought you hated me! After everything I had done during my lapse of judgement I thought you never wanted to see or hear from me again! I was a disappointment and I was afraid that I had driven away the two people that cared about me the most; you and your mother.”

“I received a letter from your mom about a year ago asking me why I hadn’t tried to contact you since you moved away. She didn’t care that I was letting her slip through the cracks but all she was worried about that the boy she was raising was finishing his childhood without a father. As soon as I got that letter I knew I had to get my act together and work up the nerve to contact you. It’s been a year and when the officer’s came in asking what we wanted this Christmas I knew without a doubt that I wanted to see you. It was time and I needed to see my son.”

Now, as Malcolm started to choke up in his speech, small tears grew in the corners of my eyes as the father and son duo began to come to an understanding through hardships and confessions.

I looked up to see Cason’s eye clench shut in attempt to stop his tears but, it was no use. Leaning closer to Cason, I rested my head on the side of his arm as they continued their conversation. “I wanted to see you dad.” Cason confessed softly, tears streaming down his face. “I wanted to see the father that I loved and ask him why. Why did you do it?”

“I thought there was no other option. I thought that without my job I was no good and useless to both your mother and you and, I knew I needed to find a way to make some money to support us.” his father reasoned.

“You could have just told us. We could’ve helped you find a new job or found a family member to crash with while you got back on your feet. Anything would’ve been better than you in jail and me without a father.”

“You have a father Cason and he made a mistake. I made a mistake and I just want you to forgive me.” Malcolm pleaded with everything he had in him. “I love you Cason and I need you to know that. Whatever happens after today may change whatever there is between us but, I just want you to know that I have and always will love you. It doesn’t matter if you choose to never see me again I need you to know that.”

I saw Cason’s resolve crack as his father’s words got to him. He quickly let go of my hand and ran towards his father, wrapping his arms around the man that had been absent from his life for three years.

“I love you son.” his father said, choking on his tears and emotions as his arms wrapped around Cason and he clapped him on the back like a father should.

“I love you too dad.” Cason came out and said, letting his tears fall soak into his father’s jumpsuit as they stood there in a father-son embrace that probably meant the world to both of them.

Standing there slightly out of place, I was happy to see that Cason was making an effort with his father and I knew that as Diana was watching through the one-way glass on the other side of the room, that she was probably crying tears of happiness as she saw the two loves in her life coming back together.

It truly was a monumental day for the Michaels.

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So, this is definitely a big chapter for relationships between the characters in the novel. I wanted you all to see how Jessa interacted with Diana, her mom and Cason, while also seeing how Cason interacted with his mom, his dad and Jessa.

I hope you don’t mind that it’s a bit late and enjoy this chapter at what it’s worth. Everything between Cason and his father was extremely hard to write as it was so emotional that I was almost crying just typing it out.

On the other hand, I can’t believe I got close to 700 comments on the last chapter and have reached more than 45,000 votes on this story! Thank you all so much x

Remember to vote, leave your comments below and, go to my profile and click the little follow button if you enjoy this story an can’t wait for the next chapter…. trust me, you’ll like it!