“A decade or so turned it into a funny story.” Murphy rubs his stomach. “Sort of.”
“Ugh.” Heidi shoves the bag in Murphy’s hands and turns to unbuckle Alexa from her seat.
“Daddy!” Alexa chirps, reaching for Murphy.
“No hellos for your favorite uncle?” Marcel teases.
Alexa scrunches her face, her gaze bouncing between her father and her uncle. She blows an exasperated noise and turns to Heidi.
Laughing, Heidi lifts her daughter. “Let’s go see the chickens.”
“They’ve been naughty, so they’re locked in their pen,” I warn them.
Marcel and I hang back while everyone else goes to see the chickens. I can’t stop thinking of what I will now forever refer to as “Heidi’s hot sauce story.” The bond the three of them share runs deep. But the longer Marcel holds onto the truth about Rock being his father, the more damage it will cause when Heidi and Murphy finally find out.
I have to help him end this.
I’m a lawyer. I persuade people to agree with my position using just my words all the time.
Still feeling high from my courtroom victory, I curl my arms around his waist and hug him tight. “You know, with them here, maybe tonight’s a good night to finally tell them the truth.”
He glances down at me with a puzzled expression drawing his eyebrows down.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about,” I warn.
His gaze returns to Heidi and pain washes over his face. “Not tonight. We’re having a good time. I don’t want to ruin it.”
“Marcel, I understand why you’re struggling with this. I do. But there will never be—”
“Rock should really be here, don’t you think?” he says quickly.
“So, call him. He’s ten minutes away. I’m sure he’d come right now if you told him you were finally going to get this out in the open.”
He shakes his head. “Carter’s here.” His voice hardens as he strengthens his argument. “What am I supposed to do, tell him to go home? That’s not cool.”
With that excuse, he pulls away from me and jogs over to the chicken coop. He picks Alexa up and growls monster noises, drawing high-pitched giggles out of her.
Damn. My lawyering skills failed me. Marcel’s too stubborn.
For the first time in a long time, my persuasive words aren’t enough.