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Taylor rolled his
shoulders, trying to release the tension there that suddenly set in. He wasn’t
looking forward to this homecoming. He’d been so long on his own he would have
a hard time settling back into his old life.
    Arriving at his parents’ home,
Taylor parked in front of the four-car garage. He looked at the two-story,
six-bedroom brick house that was attached to it. The last time he’d been inside
was when his father had banished him. And he dreaded setting foot in it again.
It didn’t feel like his home anymore. His was a small one-bedroom apartment
above the stables at Meadow and Durlach’s place.
    Taylor took a deep breath and got
out of the truck. It wasn’t as if he could sit out there all night. He left his
belongings in the bed of the pickup and walked to the front door. He stood
there for a few seconds, not sure what to do at first. Should he walk right in
or ring the doorbell? He decided on the latter.
    It didn’t take long before Blaise
answered the door. His brother scowled when his gaze landed on Taylor. “What
the hell are you doing ringing the bell? You live here.”
    “I don’t yet. Not until I’ve moved
my stuff in.”
    “There are already some of your
things here. Mom kept your room the way you left it.”
    That was surprising to Taylor.
Banishment meant an individual was permanently erased from their family group.
Nothing was supposed to be left around as a reminder of them.
    “How did Mom manage that? I would
have thought Dad wouldn’t have allowed it.”
    Blaise grabbed Taylor by the arm
and hauled him over the threshold before he shut the door. “He tried to have
your things removed, but dear old Mom turned into a spitting, snarling wildcat.
She wouldn’t let anyone near your room. Dad had to admit defeat or he would’ve
lost his mate. She wasn’t happy with him banishing you, and to date, she’s
never let him live it down.”
    “If I were you, I wouldn’t let Mom
hear you call her old.”
    As if on cue, Taylor’s mother
rushed into the large cathedral-ceiling foyer. She rushed toward him with tears
in her eyes, then threw herself into his arms, clutching him tight.
    “I’m so glad you’re home,” his mom
said with a sniffle. She then stepped back. “Let me look at you.”
    Taylor smiled, realizing how much
he’d missed his mother. They’d always been close. “Mom, I’m fine.”
    She shook her head. “I know, but I
want to see for myself. You look different. Tougher and stronger.”
    “I’ve spent the last few years
doing manual labor rather than sitting behind a desk.”
    His mom wiped tears from her eyes.
“You’re going to tell me everything that has happened to you, but not right
now. You should go see your father.”
    Taylor dreaded that meeting. He’d
hoped to avoid it as long as he could. “Shouldn’t I unpack my truck first?”
    His mom looped her arm through his
and walked him toward the wide, curved stairway that led upstairs. “He was
adamant that he see you right after you arrived. He’s not doing that well.”
    He walked up the steps with his
mother still at his side. “Caleb can’t help him?”
    “He’s confused by your father’s
illness, as are the rest of us. It shouldn’t be.”
    Outside his parents’ bedroom doors,
his mom tapped on one, then opened both of them. She left Taylor’s side and
walked to the king-size bed. He slowly followed, his gaze not leaving the man
who lay stretched out on it.
    At first he didn’t think it was his
father. The male had always been so imposing-looking. The one on the bed was
far from it. His dad was pale, and judging from the gauntness of his face,
appeared to have a lost a lot of weight. Too much of it.
    Taylor stared at his father. The
other male met his gaze but didn’t say anything. Taylor wasn’t going to be the
first to break the ice. The relationship he’d had with his dad before the
banishment hadn’t been a loving one. He’d been treated as what he was—the
oldest son who would