Meadow's third day home was getting off to a much better start than any of the previous days. The weather promised to be sunny all day, which would be great for an outing on the water. Forrest was punctual as always, which meant they'd be eating soon and that was a must since Meadow was feeling famished. And his wolfhounds - Gunner, Happy and Winnie - were overjoyed to see her. They slobbered her with kisses. Theirs was the warmest welcome she'd received since she got home.

And Meadow knew, as long as she was with Forrest, that the subject of her work and the reason for her two-week leave from the Bureau would never come up. She wouldn't have to think about either all day. Forrest liked to be present in moment.  All of his thoughts and conversation were focused on whatever was going on right at that precise point in time.

From the Inn to the diner he talked about the dogs and the warm May weather. While inside the diner his conversation revolved around the food, the owners, the staff and fellow customers. Once they were on his deck boat, a 2014 Bayliner 190, which he affectionately dubbed 'The Pearl', his mind turned to discussions of the boat, the lake, the mountains, and local wildlife. 

A day with him was like a holiday from your life.

But, just because he didn't ask any personal questions and didn't broach any potentially disagreeable topics, did not mean he wouldn't listen when others did. So, Meadow could confide in him about work if she had wanted to. She also could bring up some touchy subjects too as long as she didn't expect him to participate in the conversation. Forrest wasn't the type to get angry, throw words around, and fly into a rage because of differing opinions. Instead, he generally did the exact opposite - he went quiet.

But, this meant it could be hard to get anything out of him - anything vital. And right then, after cruising on the lake with him for thirty minutes talking about nothing in particular, Meadow wanted to know some things - she wanted some answers that she was sure Forrest could provide. But, could she get him to open his mouth? That was the dilemma.

After a little lull in the conversation, Meadow just jumped in with, "So, what's the story on Eddie?"

"Ahh, Eddie. So you met him?" Forrest asked with one eyebrow slightly raised in question.

"Yes, that first night I came home," she told him with a laugh. "It was a shock to see Dad sit and eat with him as if he were just a regular guy," Meadow confessed in a nonchalant tone.  "Why is Dad so chummy with him?"

Forrest looked out over the water, enjoying the wind, the sun and the gentle sway of the boat. He appeared at ease and totally unphased by Meadow's question. But, his lips were pressed slightly together and a little line was forming between his dark eyebrows. These were signs of stress. He did not want to talk about Eddie for some reason.

Meadow waited though. She kept her eyes on him. She silently let him know that she was not going to let this subject go.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally responded. "I don't know," he said with a little shrug. "I guess he's just a good guy."

That was no answer, and she knew he knew it. Meadow scoffed and rolled her eyes at him openly. But she kept her voice light and playful as she called him on it, "Dad doesn't chum around with lycanthropes Forrest. You know it and I know it. So what's the deal here?"

She stared hard at him, willing him to just spill his guts. But his next answer was just as vague and unsatisfactory as the last.

"Eddie's got his own charm, I guess. Must have won Dad over somehow," he replied.

"And you aren't the least bit curious as to how or when or why?" she asked him straight out.

"Those things don't matter to me as long as Dad's happy," Forrest said innocently enough.

'As long as Dad is happy'. The phrase rolled around in Meadow's head over and over again. All anyone cared about was making her father happy no matter the consequences. This included her mother, her brothers and countless other family members and friends. Even Meadow was guilty of trying to make her father happy. The trouble was, all her efforts backfired. So, how was it that a lycanthrope could make him happy when he'd hated them for as long as she could remember, but his own daughter couldn't please him to save her own life?

There was definitely something strange about their friendship, and she was positive Forrest knew something. After all, Forrest was their father's favourite and the closest to him of all the kids. If anyone knew who Eddie was, how he got acquainted with their dad, why he didn't just tolerate him but actually embraced him as part of the family, Forrest would know. He had to know.

Not ready to give up, Meadow thought she'd try a different tactic. She'd distract him for now with some casual conversation, and then, when he was relaxed again, she'd fire off another question about Eddie. If she could catch him off guard, he might slip up and tell her something. Once he gave her something, she would hound him until he told her everything. That's just the way she was with Forrest. It was the only way to get anything important out of him.

"I went to the new Greek place," she began. "I heard from the owners that you and Riv go there from time to time with Lilith and Avery." She purposely didn't look at him as she talked. She kept her eyes on the water and her hand on Winnie's head, which was cradled on her lap. "I thought the food was great," she offered as she rubbed Winnie's head a little more. "I'd like to go again before I head home the week after next."

Forrest, perhaps glad for the subject change, smiled brightly at her and blurted out without thinking, "Oh yes, we love it there. Eddie first took us there three years ago for Dad's ..." But he never finished that statement. Instead, he clamped his mouth shut and cringed while watching Meadow's face turn grey.  

"Dad's 60th?"she asked in a hoarse whisper. "You had a party for Dad's 60th?"

She felt tears sting the back of her eyes. Meadow was gutted. She had come up with some great ideas for her father's 60th birthday. She shared those ideas with the boys and their better halves. Everyone had been on board six months before his birthday. But then, she got a call from Forrest, a couple months later saying that they'd talked things over and everyone agreed a party wasn't a good idea, that he was in a mood, that he would likely spoil everyone's fun. So, they were going to cancel all the plans Meadow had made and just do cards and a homemade cake that year. They promised her they'd do something special for his 65th birthday. 

"Y-you told me not to come, Forrest. Y-you said you guys weren't going to do anything? You said it was just going to be like every other birthday?" Meadow paused as the truth sunk further into her psyche. As she processed this news, her heart constricted painfully in her chest. "You lied to me, and then went ahead and had a party for him without me?" she asked him as hot salty tears rimmed her lower lids and swept down her cold cheeks. She wiped them away as fast as they fell for the first few minutes.

He didn't respond. He wouldn't even look at her. She watched his shoulders sink and knew then that they had excluded her intentionally.

"You left me out of it on purpose," she stated to herself in a half whisper. The betrayal was so shocking that she couldn't bring herself to say it any louder than that. Sickened by this startling revelation she kept pressing the issue. "Who does that Forrest? Who excludes their sister from their father's big birthday celebration?" She was starting to choke up and had to stop talking for a moment to swallow and clear her throat. "You knew what that party meant to me, how much I wanted to be a part of it, and you lied to me anyway. Why? Why would you do that Forrest?"

Looking intensely at him for answers, she waited, but he still couldn't bring himself to look at her let alone answer her. Instead, he turned the boat around and headed back for shore. He was going to try and run away from this conversation. And that stung Meadow deeply.

"Was it Eddie? Is he the one who asked you not to invite me?" she quickly put out there. She didn't want to believe River and Forrest were capable of cutting her out like this. Their hands must have been tied in some strange way by this Eddie character.  Who was he, and what kind of power did he have over them - including her father?

Meadow pulled her cell from her pocket and brought up River's number. If Forrest wouldn't give her a clear answer, she'd confront River. If that failed, she'd call and confront their mother. She was in the middle of typing a text message to River when Forrest broke his silence.

"Who are you texting?" he asked in a panic.

Meadow didn't look up at him, she kept texting as she sniffed and said, "River."

Forrest cursed and powered down the boat.

"Don't send that text Meadow. Please," he begged.

She looked up at him confused and wiped a stray tear away. "Why?" she asked with reluctance.

"Just give me a minute to think, okay. Just don't text anyone and let me think," he told her impatiently.

Meadow's temper, which had been crushed under the feelings of betrayal and shock, revived a little from his sheer insensitivity. 

"You want me to give you time to come up with some kind of lie to cover up all the other lies you've told me? Is that it Forrest?" she asked with venom in every word. She looked down at her screen, finished her text to River, and hit send.

The text read, 'Just heard that you celebrated Dad's 60th with Eddie at the Greek place. Is there anything you want to tell me?'

She waited. And, not two minutes later, Forrest's phone rang. It was River's ring tone. Instead of calling her to explain himself, he was calling Forrest to find out what Meadow knew. That call was confirmation that the two of them were in this together. They had planned it. They purposely excluded her. And now River was calling in a panic to find out from Forrest what was going on. Meadow sat back with gaping mouth as Forrest fumbled to answer the call.

"I didn't tell her," Forrest growled angrily into the phone. "No, I didn't. She doesn't know."

"I don't know what?" Meadow asked sharply. Her heart sank at the thought of more secrets, more lies. Could this get worse? Was there more to hide?

She fired off another text to River. 'What aren't you telling me?'

Forrest cursed and gave Meadow a dark look. "Yes, she's right here. We are on the boat," he told River. Then there was a little pause, after which Forrest fired back, "Well, you didn't ask of she was with me, did you?"

Meadow couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her brothers had always tried to have her back before. What had changed three years ago? What would compel them to lie to her like this about the party? To cut her out?

Of course, Eddie was the only thing different that she could put a finger on. And, hadn't he said himself that he'd come into her parent's life three years ago? Was it possible that Eddie had something to do with all this?

On a hunch and no more, Meadow fired off another text to River demanding to know, 'What's this got to do with Eddie? Who is he?' 

Forrest hung up on River and revved up the engine. He was heading back to shore again and he was livid. But, what was he mad about exactly? Meadow was the injured party in this scenario. What did Forrest have to feel upset about, except that he'd been caught in a lie - a terrible lie.

Not satisfied, and knowing there was so much more to this story, Meadow pressed on asking, "How many times have you two chosen Eddie, a total stranger, over me since Dad's 60th?" 

"It's, it's not what you think," Forrest suddenly let loose with a heated tone. He looked straight at her and she could see he was on the defensive. "He ... we ... didn't choose a stranger over you. It's not like that. Eddie's not a stranger," Forrest ground out in his extreme frustration.

"Who is he?" Meadow demanded.

He sighed with resignation and said, "He's our half-brother."

It was a good thing Meadow was sitting down when she heard the life-altering news. It hit her like an atomic bomb. She never saw it coming and there was no way to guard against its effects.  Her father hated lycanthropes. He despised her because she wanted to work with their kind. How could he possibly have a half lycanthrope son?

It was a lie. It had to be.