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Brandt’s face had gone the"How’d the conversation where Dad told you all this co his usual bullshit about me You two only put up with me because you didn’t have a choice He baitedtimes in my life, I took the bait" He upended his beer "He leveled the boom that I wasn’t a McKay Mom had an affair and tried to pass me off as his kid, but he’d always knoasn’t"

"Bullshit," Brandt spat "How is that even possible?"

"Did you know that Mom actually nutted up and left Casper one time?"

"No Where’d you hear that? From him?"

"Yep But Mom mentioned it in another conversation Here’s the kicker It happened nine months before I was born"

Both Brandt and Tell’s faces hite froiven the "That would’ve been enough to give anyone doubt, so when you add in the fact he’s called me Mama’s boy, a mutant, a freak and waste of space my whole life, it ceet he secretly beat the fuck outta noring Tell’s interruption "Yes, I’ve got blue eyes and dark hair, but I don’t have the sauys"

Brandt paled further

"Casper ha hated I stood there and let him do it I was at the lowest point of my life--other than when Luke died--and he went out of his way to ht I knew about myself and who I was"

"Did he tell you to leave?" Tell asked

"Nope He suggested no one would notice if I did go Especially not you guys"

"Fuck"

"And after that conversation, nothin’ could’ve made me stay in Sundance Nothin’"

Silence fell between them

Finally Brandt said, "It doesn’tIt ed me in a fuckin’ instant I had to face the fact that so much of my identity for twenty-seven years was based on havin’ the McKay last name If I wasn’t a McKay, as I? Up until that point et married, be part of the McKay ranch I knew that life was no longer an option for me"

"Why didn’t you come to us? Talk to us?" Tell asked

"Probably because that’s what Casper expected me to do"

"Did you talk to Mom about it?"

"I couldn’t uess But within a month of one from here, I felt freed I didn’t have the fear I’d turn into a raging asshole for no reason I stopped letting Casper’s influence be an excuse for everything shitty I did inwomen"

"Do you believe it? That he’s not…?" Brandt asked

"He offered to takeway in convincing me that I wasn’t his kid It’s a moot point to me nohether or not we share DNA Whatever definition I needed about who I ah "I swear I haven’t beco o"

"Jesus, Dalton I don’t even knohat the fuck to say to this"

Dalton looked at Tell "Which is why I didn’t share this shit with you guys"

"It’s also why you didn’t wanna come back here, isn’t it?" Brandt asked

"Yeah"

"What are we supposed to do with this?"

Dalton leaned forward "I’ this up with him Period"

Tell shook his head "The mean ive hiness of what he done to you ’Cause he can’t say shit back and he’ll have to sit there and take it like we did for so reed

"To what end? He’s in the hospital You really gonna be able to forgive yourselves if by layin’ into hi? No sir I won’t have that on my conscience or yours So pro it up with him"

"Dalton, be reasonable--"

"Promise me," he bit off

"Fine, fuck, I promise," Tell snapped

Dalton looked at Brandt "You too I need your word"

"You’ve got it" He crossed his ares"

"With Casper? If I had a quarter for every tie, I’d be a rich man The whole freakin’ point of this conversation was to clear the air between us"

"Has it?"