Rage-more rage than he thought possible-filled him. "Don't talk about her. Don't even think about her!" he hissed.

Matt looked around the store. "Do you do it to them? Huh? Your new family? Do they know what a sadistic son of a bitch you are? Did you tell your wife how you abused the hell out of your first wife? How you put a gun to your son's head?" Then he grunted with disgust. "Of course, you wouldn't. Either that or she's just as twisted as you if she was willing to have a child with you."

He turned to walk out the door, but his father's words stopped him.

"I thought you weren't mine."

Stopping dead in his tracks, Matt slowly turned around and looked at the face that had haunted him for years. "What?"

Matthew Reed swallowed hard as he stared at his son, nodding. "For years...most of your life...I thought you weren't my son."

It felt like he was in the twilight zone and had to wonder if the old guy was drunk again.

"Your mom and I dated on and off before we got married. She was pregnant. It didn't occur to me back then, in the beginning, that you weren't mine. But she said it once, while we were fighting. And it...it stuck."

"You're wrong," Matt said in a near growl. There was no way his mother would play that kind of head game-that was his father's department all the way.

"It wasn't every time we fought, but it was something she'd said and it just... It took root and refused to let go," he said helplessly. "And it killed me. I was already a damn mess, drinking too much, had a lot of bad luck with my job, and then the added stress of a bad marriage... I was slowly coming unhinged. I couldn't stop drinking. I needed the job... You became a convenient target. It was the only way I had of getting back at your mother."

"I was a kid!" He took a step closer to his father. "And you selfishly took my childhood away! Did it ever occur to you to get help? Did you even realize, or care, about all the damage you were inflicting?"

"I... At the time, I didn't. I swear to you, Matt, I wish I did. I...I didn't know how to handle things! And after your mom left-"

"You made her leave," he growled.

His father shook his head sadly. "I know. I realize that." He looked up at Matt, regret marring his features. "And you look so much like her... I...I..."

He was definitely going to be sick. Matt placed a hand over his stomach and willed himself to keep it together until he could leave. All he had to do was turn and...

"I'm so sorry." The words were barely audible.

"And you think that makes it all right?" Matt snapped. "You're sorry? Big fucking deal! You made my life hell! There wasn't a day that went by that you didn't do your damnedest to take away my self-esteem! Every day was misery!"

"I...I know. I realize that now. But I've changed and-"

"There's no way anyone can change that much," Matt interrupted. "You're not capable of it."

"I'm so sorry," his father repeated. "I'm so damn sorry. For all of it."

"You tried to kill me! And all you can say is sorry?"

"I don't know what else to say!" Matthew yelled back, but there was no anger in his voice. "Tell me what I need to do, what I need to say, Matt, and I'll do it."

"There isn't a damn thing you can say," he replied venomously, and when he turned and walked away, he managed to make it all the way to the door. But then he stopped. Dammit, there was one thing he had to know. "Am I?" he asked without turning around.

"What?" Matthew responded in a low voice.

"Am I your son?" It shouldn't matter, Matt reminded himself. For years he had sworn that his father was dead to him. Finding out this man wasn't his father would be a relief. Either way, it wouldn't change anything-it certainly wouldn't change the past.

"You are. You're my son. You've always been my son."

It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, Matt chanted to himself.

"Daddy?"

Carly's small voice stopped Matt from walking out the door. Part of him couldn't walk away without knowing his father wasn't repeating the past with this child. One hand had a white-knuckled grip on the door handle as he looked over his shoulder at father and daughter.

His father was crouched down beside Carly, lovingly stroking her cheek as the little girl talked softly to him. Matt had no idea what they were discussing-swore he didn't want to know-and yet he couldn't move.

"He's changed, you know."

Carly's mother-well, his father's wife-was standing beside him. He hadn't seen or heard her approach. Matt turned and looked at her. "I'm Susan," she said, holding out a hand to him. Reaching out, he shook her hand and saw the first traces of a smile on her face. She looked over toward her husband and daughter, and her smile grew. "I can't even imagine what you must be feeling right now."

Matt let out a low, mirthless laugh. "I couldn't even describe it if I wanted to."

She nodded. "I met your father a year after you left. After...what he'd done to you."

He arched a brow at her, wondering how she could know that. He sure as hell didn't believe his father would have admitted to all the stuff that had happened.

"He had finished a year in rehab and needed a place to live," she began. "I had an apartment over my garage for rent that he called about."

Matt glanced over at her and, not for the first time, wondered if the woman was crazy. "And you didn't have a problem renting a place to guy fresh out of rehab?" He didn't quite disguise his disgust.

She met his gaze steadily. "My sister Maureen was one of your father's counselors while he was getting treatment. She vouched for him. In fact, she was the one who told him about the apartment."

All he could do was nod. He still thought she was crazy.

"He had lost his house, his job...and you. He needed a fresh start to get his life back."

"Good for him." His voice was flat, emotionless.

Beside him, she huffed. "There wasn't a day that went by that he wasn't tormented by the things he'd done."

"Yeah? Well that makes two of us."

"Matt," she said softly, "all I'm saying is that maybe...just maybe...you could give him a chance to apologize. To make things right."

"He can't."

She looked dejected. Her shoulders slouched as she lowered her gaze. "Just...think about it. Please," she added softly. "I've begged him for years to reach out to you, but he was so ashamed. He didn't want to cause you any more pain and thought that by leaving you alone and staying out of your life it would make things better."

Matt looked out the door and willed himself to move, to leave, but he couldn't.

"You both have so many issues to resolve. I'm not saying that you have to be close or even friends, but...you at least deserve the chance to have some closure with this. Please, Matt," she begged as she placed a hand on his arms. "Let your father at least have the chance to make things right."

Yeah, he was pretty much ready to leave. Was this woman for real? Make things right? How was that even possible? Which is what he was starting to say to her when Carly made her way over. Damn. The kid was all big, sad eyes, and it just tugged at his heart. When she stopped in front of him, she crooked a finger at him to come closer. He crouched down in front of her.

"Are you my brother?" she asked nervously.

Matt looked over her head to glare at his father.

The man still fought dirty.

With a long, slow sigh, he looked at Carly and saw the hopeful expression on her face. He nodded. "I am."

She gasped and looked at her mother for confirmation, and when Susan nodded, Carly flung herself into Matt's arms and hugged him tight. His heart squeezed so tight in his chest that he could barely breathe. This little girl, this child, seemed to love unconditionally. And Matt had no idea what that felt like.

Except...he liked it.

Wrapping his own arms around her, he hugged her close.

"I always wanted a brother!" she said excitedly and then pulled back. "That's why Mommy and Daddy adopted Murphy for me." She looked over her shoulder and then turned and took off. "Wait right there!" she called out.

Matt stood and looked at Susan in confusion.

"You'll get used to it," she said, chuckling. "Carly's rarely still for long. Chances are she's got something to show you."

He had no idea what it could be, and he noticed his father had moved closer but looked skittish.

"That was a pretty low thing to do," Matt murmured, straightening. "Using Carly to get me to stay."

Matthew gave him a helpless grin. "I knew you wouldn't have any problem walking away from me, but I have yet to find anyone who can look your sister in the eye and tell her no to anything."

His sister.

Holy shit, he really had a sister, and he was standing here talking to his father and feeling...okay. Not great. Not completely at ease. But...okay. Maybe there was a little hope for them.

As if sensing the change in the mood, Susan quietly asked if either of them wanted something to drink. Matt shook his head and thanked her. Once she was out of sight, he turned and looked at his father. "I...I don't know what I'm supposed to do here," he admitted honestly.

"Neither do I. All I know is that I want to try, Matt. There's no way I can change the past-God knows I wish I could." He looked up and gave a helpless shrug. "But I want to try and make up for it, to be the father that you deserve."

Matt shook his head again. "I'm not sure that's possible. I think there have been too many things-"

"I know, I know. But...maybe we could just...take things slow."

"Slow?"

"We're standing here talking right now, aren't we? And no one's yelling or arguing."

Matt chuckled. "That's a definite first for us."

A slow smile spread across his father's face. "I like it."

And the funny thing was, Matt did too.

"Maybe you can come to the house some time. Susan's place-our place-is on the other side of town off of Irish Lane. We're getting ready to close up here if you'd like to come over now?"

"I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet," Matt admitted.

"Oh. Okay."

"I'm supposed to be picking up dinner. I just wanted to stop and get flowers for Vivienne."

"Forrester?" his father asked. "Aaron's little sister?"

Matt nodded and noticed the smile on his father's face. "What? You remember her?"

"She's a lovely woman," he said. "She comes in to get flowers all the time. Come on. I'll show you the ones she favors."

It wasn't much, but it was a beginning. And Matt knew there was a long road ahead of them, but he also knew it was one he was finally ready to walk down.

The room grew darker as the sun was going down, but neither moved to turn on a light. The sound of the door opening startled them both. Spinning around, they saw Matt come in and hit the light switch. He looked around and seemed just as surprised as the two of them.

"Hey," he said, smiling easily. "This is a surprise." Holding up the takeout bag in one hand and a bottle of champagne and flowers in the other, he walked over toward the kitchen table. "I just knocked on your door, man, to invite you to join us."

Vivienne scrambled to her feet and slowly came around the couch. "Are...are we celebrating something?"

Matt grabbed her around the waist and swung her around before kissing her soundly. "I think so," he said as he put her down and then looked at Aaron. "But there're some things that need to be settled first."

"Matt," she began hesitantly. "I think..."

He held up a hand to stop her but kept his arm around her, holding her close as they faced Aaron. "This has all gone on long enough. The last thing I ever wanted to do was to come between the two of you. But you have to know," he said directly to Aaron, "nothing you do or say is going to push me away from Vivienne. I love her. I'm always going to love her, and you are going to have to learn to trust me and deal with it."

Aaron started to talk, but Matt cut him off too.

"Last week, you issued me an ultimatum and it was pretty damn shitty of you, but we're friends, Aaron. At the end of the day, you know me. Better than probably anyone. And I may have been an asshole for a while, but you know who I am deep down, and you should know I would never do anything to hurt anyone. Especially Vivienne."

"I never should have done that, Matt. But she's my sister and-"

"I'll admit I don't know what it's like to have a sister or know that need to protect someone like that, but I kind of do now," he said with a grin, and Vivienne had to wonder if he was talking about her.

"Look, dude, don't listen to me," Aaron pleaded. "It was completely wrong of me to tell you what you needed to do about your life. I do know you, and I do trust you. I can't help being protective of her, but I promise to try to be calmer. This whole thing just took me by surprise and I reacted badly." He sighed. "It's sort of how it's always been-it's the plight of being the big brother. I automatically have this built-in response to any guy who goes near my sister."

Matt walked over and hugged his friend, patting him on the back. "You're my best friend, Aaron," he began as he pulled back. "And I don't want you to change. It's good for you to be here to keep me in line."

"Oh, good grief," Vivienne said as anxiety still had its grip on her. "Don't give him permission to keep being a jerk." Both men laughed, and she had to admit, it sounded like music to her ears.

She studied the two of them as they walked over to the table and began taking their dinner out of the bag. Something was up...different. And she knew there was no way she could sit down and eat even one bite of her food with her own issues still hanging over her head.

"Why were you gone so long?"

Aaron and Matt stopped what they were doing and looked at her. Stepping away from the table, Matt slowly walked toward her and motioned for her to join him on the sofa.

"I think I want to stand," she said defiantly and then rolled her eyes when Aaron sat down.

"I don't even know where to begin," Matt said. He sighed and shifted in his seat and looked from one Forrester to another before he started. "I got a call from Riley earlier. He wants me to join him for the last ten stops on his tour."