It depressed her to realize what a pathetic, disappointing slacker she was in comparison to someone like Jack.
She glanced at Ben and saw tears streaming over his face. He wiped them with his knuckles, pressing hard into the sockets of his eyes. He obviously didn’t want to cry. Erin’s heart twisted for him. The poor kid. He remembered what Charlie never knew.
Erin itched to put her hand on Ben’s shoulder, but she knew that he was furiously scrubbing his tears so that she didn’t see them. The last thing she should do is acknowledge them. Jack seemed to get that too and walked over towards Ben. He raised an arm and wrapped it around his son’s shoulders. Ben’s head was within inches of Jack, but neither man said anything. Charlie didn’t join them, and only held more tightly onto Erin’s hand
