Brother After Dark

Chapter Sixty

Blaire.

I stood up and went into his arms. He embraced me so tightly that I was feeling his heartbeat loudly against my chest. I wrapped my arms around his waist and without warning, my tears start to break out.

Like a contagious disease, he got infected with my sobbing and joined me in the symphony of crying. We wept for a long time that I lost track of it. My parents didn’t interrupt us, and we were grateful for that.

After a while, he slightly withdrew and looked straight into teary eyes.

“Blaire, my baby, I’m glad to see you,” he said, then dipped his hand inside his pocket. He brought out a clean handkerchief and wiped my face with it, ignoring his own tears that had covered his cheeks.

I let him pamper me and try to stop the tears. I took the handkerchief from him and wiped my tears.

“Don’t cry, sweetie. Daddy is here now.” He pulled back strands of hair from my face. “You are more beautiful than I thought,” he said while emotionally staring at me.

Despite my somber mood, his compliment got to me, and I blushed. “Thanks,” I mumbled, sniffing and drying the rest of my wet face. I’ve stopped crying by then.

He nodded and kissed my forehead, trying to recover all the lost years.

I heard someone clear his throat behind us and I knew it was Dad. He seems concerned and a bit jealous. Ewan is my real father after all, and this is our first meeting. I deserve a moment of bliss with him. Besides, Mr. Stewart was not really the affectionate type unlike Ewan. This is how a true father should treat his child.

Ewan got the message and cleaned his face with his sleeves. “Keep the handkerchief, sweetie,” he told me when I offered him the wet handkerchief that he gave me. He hung the handle of his sunglasses on his shirt and patted my arms. Then he ushered me back to my seat.

He forced a smile when he noticed my parents glaring at him with contempt. “Hello, Mr. And Mrs. Stewart,” he said in a gentle voice.

“Hello,” they answered in unison.

Our order has finally arrived and were served on the table. Ewan sat on my right side and put his left arm around me affectionately as if afraid to let me go.

Just like Zach used to do.

I had a feeling that he was doing this intentionally to spite the Stewarts.

“Let me place my orders too, then we can get down to business.” He looked at me. “Are you okay, sweetie or do you want anything else?” he asked me as he stroked my hair.

“No, sir...” I pursed my lips, unsure of how to address him. He noticed my confusion and chuckled.

“Call me Ewan for now. We can change that later after we’re done here,” he said softly. I nodded and beamed at him.

I can feel my dad seething in rage be we didn’t mind him. Since he didn’t know how to love a daughter, he should be learning rather than being petty.

Ewan placed his order and after it was served, he declared the meeting open.

“I called this meeting specifically because I wanted to meet Blaire in a better situation. I’ve met her before at the hospital when I came to donate blood for her,” he began as he stared at my parents seriously. All this while, he held my hands in his and was stroking them. “But I wasn’t happy to see her that way. I’m glad that it’s all over now and we can all move on with our normal lives.”

“Normal lives?” Mr. Stewart asked scornfully and scoffed.

“Yes, normal lives,” Ewan retorted, then he turned to me. “Blaire, I want to sincerely apologize for everything that happened. I deeply regret my absence in your life since your birth.” He had a sad face.

“It’s not your fault,” I said gently, trying to console him.

“It’s my fault, sweetie, it is my fault,” he insisted and squeezed my hands. “I have no excuse to be away from you and I won’t accept any justification for it. Please, forgive me.”

I blinked back the tears that were threatening fall. “I have no hard feelings against you,” I said.

“Thanks, darling.” He smiled widely and pecked my cheek. “I would like to make up for the time we have lost. I am here now and I'm not leaving anymore. Nothing will ever separate us again.”

My parents shifted uncomfortably beside us. “We are still here, Ewan,” Mom spoke for the first time since Ewan arrived here, her voice sounding steely.

Ewan only gave her a brief glance before focusing on me again, practically ignoring her complaints. “I want you to come and live with me.”

“You must be out of your mind!” Mr. Stewart roared and rose to his feet in anger.

“That’s not possible!” Mom also yelled and stood up. “You will not take away my daughter from me! Never!” She barked and inched closer to Ewan.

I started to tremble, concerned about the impending violence. Ewan’s request sounded more like an order than a plea. I was shocked to hear that from him, but my parents’ outburst didn’t give me enough time to process his words.

“I’m not taking her away from you, I’m only taking my responsibility in her life as a father,” Ewan said and stood to their level. I remained seated, afraid to intervene.

“Responsibility?” Mr. Stewart scoffed. “What the hell does a crook like you know about responsibility?”

Ewan's eyes narrowed. “A lot,” he argued. “I know that responsibility is when someone takes full control of everything entrusted in his care and nothing must be lost. I have full control over my life, my money, my businesses properties, and my staff. Go and find out if anything has ever gone wrong with any of them.”

“That’s not what we are talking about here, Ewan,” Mom snarled.

Mr. Stewart stood in front of him, and the two men glared at each other. “Your idea of taking responsibility is cheating your business competitors and sleeping with their wives, huh?” he snarled.

My mother burst into tears.

I saw the guilt flashing through Ewan’s eyes. “I deeply regret that action and I'm very sorry for the mistake. But that incident resulted to this angel who we are dragging among us now.”

“I’m not dragging my daughter with you, you scumbag!” Mr. Stewart growled and grabbed Ewan’s collar.

“Take your hands off me!” Ewan freed his cloth from Mr. Stewart’s hands and fixed himself. “You have no right to claim her as your daughter because you've never treated her like a daughter before,” he yelled at Mr. Stewart. “Why are you and your wife being so righteous now? What’s the meaning of this hypocrisy?”

My parents were silent, realizing that he’s right. “I’m taking my child and there is nothing any-fucking-body can do about it,” he declared with exasperation, his eyes blazing and veins popping out of his neck. “She is already an adult and can decide for herself. You don’t get to decide for her anymore.”

Mr. Stewart turned away from Ewan and started to rub his head. Mom sat back down and continued to fume. I kept my eyes glued to my feet, admiring my pearly sandals. Nobody said anything for about a minute until Ewan broke the silence.

“Blaire is coming with me. But I want everything about this process to be done legally,” he said coolly. My parents looked up at him. “I want my name on Blaire’s birth certificate. I want her to carry my name.”

Mr. Stewart shook his head and stood at akimbo, his seems to be in deep thought. Mom looked clueless and helpless. For the first time in my life since I’ve known her as my mother, I felt sorry for her. I was already liking my father – but he was taking things too far – and fast.

Mr. Stewart sighed. “This is a huge scandal,” he mumbled, staring at Ewan with pronounced resentment.

“I know, Stewart, I know,” Ewan said gently and blew his cheeks. “But we have to do what we have to do. This scandal will even dent my bank account.” He paused, thought for a while, then added, “...but what’s important is my daughter’s well-being and her life. She’s more precious than anything else.”

I blushed again.

Mom suddenly jumped into the conversation again, gearing up for more battles. “You selfish bastard! All you think is yourself. No one else matters to you!”

Her outburst incited another round of argument and shouting competition. If I were not strong, I would have gone crazy.

I felt sick to my stomach and heartbroken. What’s wrong with these adults acting like spoiled brats? My head hurts with their endless bickering. I covered my ears while hoping that they would eventually stop. It seems like they forgot that I’m still here.

Alright, that’s it. I opened my eyes and gather all my courage to scream at the top of my lungs, “Shuuuuuuttt uuuuuuuuup!”