“Eddie, for God’s sake,” said Nina, stepping between the two men to prevent yet another family argument. “The point is, he did come here to apologize. Maybe now that you’re here too …” She gave the elder Chase a pointed look.
“Well?” said Eddie, folding his arms and regarding his father expectantly.
It took considerably more effort for the words to emerge this time. “Okay. Edward. What I wanted to say was … I made a mistake, and I regret it. I’m sorry.”
A sarcastic smile split his son’s face. “Well, fuck me. I can die happy now that I’ve finally heard that.”
“Jesus Christ, Eddie!” Nina snapped. “Will you just listen to him, please? For me, if nothing else?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Larry repeated, with growing emotion. “Look, I’m …” He paced in agitation across the room, then turned back to Eddie. “I’m not a soldier like you. I’ve never been in any situation where people’s lives were in the balance. How do you think I feel about learning that something I did ended up getting people killed? It’s—it’s appalling! I don’t know how to deal with something that huge. I really don’t.” He went to a chair and sat staring miserably down at the floor. “I’m sorry.”
“That doesn’t bring back Mac,” Eddie rumbled. “Or any of the other people who died.”
“No, it doesn’t. But …” He looked up, meeting his son’s icy gaze. “I did what I did because I was trying to save my own arse. I admit that. And now I completely understand why you took a swing at me in England.” He shrugged—not disdain, but a kind of acceptance. “To be honest, I can’t help thinking now that you showed remarkable restraint.”
“If Holly hadn’t put herself in front of you,” Eddie told him, “I wouldn’t have stopped.”
“And I would have deserved it. Well, up to a point.” A faint attempt at a smile. “But when your granddaughter’s braver than you are, it’s probably a sign that you need to reassess some things in your life. Like …” He sighed. “Like your relationship with your son.”
Eddie remained silent, compelling Nina to speak up. “In what way?”
Larry was not relishing whatever admission he was about to make. “I, er … I think I’ve misjudged you, Edward. I always thought of you as the boy you used to be—not the man you’ve become. But, well … you’ve changed. You grew up, you took on responsibilities for things bigger than just yourself. And … it’s made me realize that maybe I never did.”
He turned his eyes back down to the floor, not awaiting approbation but simply mentally worn from having forced out the confession. Nina looked between the two men, wondering which would speak first.
It was Eddie. “That’s something I never thought I’d hear.” But there was no malice or criticism to it, merely a statement of fact.
“It’s something I never thought I’d say,” replied Larry. “But I have, so, there you are. I hope you’ll accept it.”
Eddie held him in suspense for several seconds before delivering his reply. “I’ll think about it.”
His father had clearly been wanting more, but more or less managed to cover his downhearted look. “I suppose that’s the best I could hope for.”
A noncommittal sound, then Eddie tried to change the subject. “How is Holly? And Lizzie?”
“Elizabeth’s fine; you know her, she always pushes on no matter what. Holly was very upset about losing your grandmother, as you can imagine, but she’s a strong kid. She’s handling it. What about you?”
“Me? Well, obviously I was upset about Nan too. I should have been there with her.” He considered that, then gave Nina an apologetic look. “I mean, I wish I could’ve been there to see her one last time.”
“She would have liked that,” said Larry, “but I meant what about you, personally? You disappeared for three months, and it looks like you’ve been in the wars. What with the cuts and bruises, and the …” Larry indicated his chin. “The face fungus.”
“Why does nobody like my beard?” Eddie said with a sigh. “But yeah, I’ve had a few scrapes. Par for the course when you’re on the run because you’ve been accused of murder. Speaking of which, I need to get going.”
Nina hurriedly blocked the entrance to the bedroom once more. “Eddie, I’m not going to let you go again.”
“We’ve been through this—I’ve got to. I can’t clear myself without that code of Kit’s, and I’m not going to bring you down with me as well.”