Zenith in Love (Zenith Series #5) - Leanne Davis Page 0,97

was something to file away for later.

But as far as Rob’s advice went, he was right; who could Jimmy threaten? Jim sucked in a sharp breath. It was a great solution to his problem. The church had to remain vigilant. They were shocked when the random violence occurred, so they absolutely would not let anyone inside who spouted lies and wanted to hurt people. Jim had to protect the staff, the congregation and also himself. So his motivation wasn’t all selfish.

“I can’t think of anything he could do.”

“Yeah. Exactly. We’ll neutralize the son of a bitch.”

“You have to understand that I am his son. There’s no doubt he’s my biological dad.”

Rob snorted. “My dad was a sorry piece of shit too. He beat the living hell out of me as a kid. And my mom was no help. So I know you can rise above your bloodline. The jerk who fathered you didn’t raise you, did he? You raised yourself more than he did?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s how it was for me too. I left home eventually. Never went back. And they never tried to find me. My addiction was fostered by him and my mom. So I didn’t get out unscathed.”

“I don’t know if Jimmy is an alcoholic.”

“No. But maybe you needed booze to get through the other shit. Kayla mentioned some woods that you ran off into when the worst abuses were happening.”

“Yeah.” His gaze darted off. He didn’t like to talk about or remember that. But the words spewed out anyway. “I knew Jimmy did bad stuff. And now that I’m an adult, and I can finally do something about it, I never went back to stop him. Even now… when he’s here.”

Quiet followed his statement until Rob finally cleared his throat. “Do you blame yourself? You were only a kid. You didn’t do any of that. Even being connected to him as your father, you were a victim too. Right? Any asshole who tries to blame it on you is just that. Kayla said the people who adopted you reacted badly, or maybe that was just how you perceived it. I hope you’ll find someone to trust; most people aren’t so bad.”

“I don’t know. I actually expect to receive a negative reaction.”

“I don’t,” Rob said simply. “And no one who ever heard your sermons or spoke to you will believe it.”

He eyed his foot. “How can you be so sure?”

“Because you were just a kid. It has nothing to do with the man you are now. You haven’t been around Jimmy since you were what? Twelve or thirteen?”

“Thirteen.”

“Then it literally has nothing to do with your life now. He’s playing you and your natural fear of him, which was based entirely on your childhood. I’m still afraid of my old man despite my damn career. He can still make me cower. Jimmy won’t have any effect on you. I really believe that. The sight of bodyguards and your explanation to the church will mitigate any slanderous lies he might try to tell.”

Something heavy seemed to evaporate from Jim’s chest. The pressure that was gripping him since Jimmy showed up seemed to deflate suddenly. “I can’t imagine that. I’ve stressed about it for so long, it became a menacing shadow that never left.”

“There is no need to feel like that now. And you’re not a prisoner anymore. Considering that my daughter will be tied up in knots wondering how you reacted to seeing me today, why don’t you just come home with me?” Rob glanced around. “There’s no reason for you to stay here and I’m sure she could use any reassurance from you that you’re not angry at her.”

That made Jim’s stomach twist. He looked forward to being alone after two terrible conversations in two days. He glanced around. It was more depressing to stay there alone.

“She’s worried about what she did by talking to us and having me come here. If you really believe you have a problem and you now see why she did it, then come home with me and release her from her stress and worry. My personal opinion is you owe her that.”

He did. No denying that after what he put her through.

“And any true relationship includes stuff like this. Doing what’s hard or uncomfortable even when you’re not ready to is required. I suggest you decide right now if you can handle that.”

He could handle it for Kayla. Just to have Kayla in his life. He could definitely try his best. “Okay. I’ll