times to work out with him.
“Dan,” Justin said as his brother-in-law came to a stop in front of him.
Dan’s gaze went from the top of Justin’s head down to his feet. “I swear you just keep getting bigger and bigger, man. You really should share the wealth, you know.”
“You want the muscles, you gotta do the work. I ain’t gonna hand you anything I’ve worked for,” Justin said with a grin. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the other man. “What’s up? I’m sure you didn’t come all this way just to admire my physique.”
With a sigh, Dan nodded. “You’re right. I do have a reason for bearding the lion in his den.”
Justin arched an eyebrow at that comment. “Everything okay with Beth and Genevieve?”
“Yes. All things considered.” He motioned to the bench. “Can we sit for just a minute?”
Trying to ignore the tightness in his chest, Justin sank onto the hard surface of the bench. “What’s on your mind?”
Dan stared out at the room, his profile tense. “I realize now that perhaps Beth and I made a mistake when we didn’t include you sooner in what was going on with Genevieve.”
The pressure in Justin’s chest increased. “You’re her parents. There was no need for me to be included.”
Dan turned to look at him, sadness in his gaze. “You know that’s not true. You love Genevieve as if she was your own daughter.”
Justin couldn’t maintain eye contact with his brother-in-law, so he looked over to where a couple of guys were sparring on a nearby mat. He wondered if Dan was recalling the moment they had placed newborn Genevieve in his arms for the first time. It had been a long labor for Beth, but Justin had stayed in the waiting room the whole time. And when they’d finally come and got him, his own exhaustion had thinned the cover he usually kept over his emotions. He’d taken one look at the little girl’s face and cried.
He’d cried for the hugs from his parents she’d never experience. He’d cried for the fun she’d never have with his more easy-going and fun-loving siblings, all of whom would have doted on her. He’d even cried for the cousins she’d miss out on having. And he’d vowed to be everything she’d be missing in her life since it was just him and Beth left in their family.
“Justin, Beth and I made the decision out of equal parts concern and selfishness. And I want to apologize for that. We should never have kept that information from you.” Dan lifted his briefcase onto his lap and opened it. He reached in and pulled out a folder. “I want you to have these.”
Justin took the folder and gave Dan a curious look. “What is it?”
“These are the results of all the tests Genevieve has had done. I know you’ve probably been trying to research on your own, but you won’t know what to look for if you don’t know what tests she’s already had. You’re welcome to go to a doctor and see what they say about the test results. I wish I could tell you that their answers will be different from what we’ve heard, but I think that’s highly unlikely.”
As he flipped through the thick stack of papers, Justin saw a lot of terms he didn’t understand but give him a couple of days and he’d have it figured out. “Thank you, Dan. I really don’t want to step on your or Beth’s toes in this situation, but I just can’t process this without more information. I just need…to understand.”
Dan slapped his back. “I get that. I put myself in your shoes—something I should have done on day one of all this—and knew I would need more than just some vague information to work through it all.”
Not for the first time, Justin realized just how glad he was that this was the man his sister had married. He was a decent guy and since he worked for the FBI, he understood a lot about what BlackThorpe did. In fact, Marcus had tried on more than one occasion to woo Dan to the company. Dan was smart and super tech savvy. While Trent was
“Dan,” Justin said as his brother-in-law came to a stop in front of him.
Dan’s gaze went from the top of Justin’s head down to his feet. “I swear you just keep getting bigger and bigger, man. You really should share the wealth, you know.”
“You want the muscles, you gotta do the work. I ain’t gonna hand you anything I’ve worked for,” Justin said with a grin. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the other man. “What’s up? I’m sure you didn’t come all this way just to admire my physique.”
With a sigh, Dan nodded. “You’re right. I do have a reason for bearding the lion in his den.”
Justin arched an eyebrow at that comment. “Everything okay with Beth and Genevieve?”
“Yes. All things considered.” He motioned to the bench. “Can we sit for just a minute?”
Trying to ignore the tightness in his chest, Justin sank onto the hard surface of the bench. “What’s on your mind?”
Dan stared out at the room, his profile tense. “I realize now that perhaps Beth and I made a mistake when we didn’t include you sooner in what was going on with Genevieve.”
The pressure in Justin’s chest increased. “You’re her parents. There was no need for me to be included.”
Dan turned to look at him, sadness in his gaze. “You know that’s not true. You love Genevieve as if she was your own daughter.”
Justin couldn’t maintain eye contact with his brother-in-law, so he looked over to where a couple of guys were sparring on a nearby mat. He wondered if Dan was recalling the moment they had placed newborn Genevieve in his arms for the first time. It had been a long labor for Beth, but Justin had stayed in the waiting room the whole time. And when they’d finally come and got him, his own exhaustion had thinned the cover he usually kept over his emotions. He’d taken one look at the little girl’s face and cried.
He’d cried for the hugs from his parents she’d never experience. He’d cried for the fun she’d never have with his more easy-going and fun-loving siblings, all of whom would have doted on her. He’d even cried for the cousins she’d miss out on having. And he’d vowed to be everything she’d be missing in her life since it was just him and Beth left in their family.
“Justin, Beth and I made the decision out of equal parts concern and selfishness. And I want to apologize for that. We should never have kept that information from you.” Dan lifted his briefcase onto his lap and opened it. He reached in and pulled out a folder. “I want you to have these.”
Justin took the folder and gave Dan a curious look. “What is it?”
“These are the results of all the tests Genevieve has had done. I know you’ve probably been trying to research on your own, but you won’t know what to look for if you don’t know what tests she’s already had. You’re welcome to go to a doctor and see what they say about the test results. I wish I could tell you that their answers will be different from what we’ve heard, but I think that’s highly unlikely.”
As he flipped through the thick stack of papers, Justin saw a lot of terms he didn’t understand but give him a couple of days and he’d have it figured out. “Thank you, Dan. I really don’t want to step on your or Beth’s toes in this situation, but I just can’t process this without more information. I just need…to understand.”
Dan slapped his back. “I get that. I put myself in your shoes—something I should have done on day one of all this—and knew I would need more than just some vague information to work through it all.”
Not for the first time, Justin realized just how glad he was that this was the man his sister had married. He was a decent guy and since he worked for the FBI, he understood a lot about what BlackThorpe did. In fact, Marcus had tried on more than one occasion to woo Dan to the company. Dan was smart and super tech savvy. While Trent was
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