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“Because he was too old by then, and he knew it was time to groom a successor,” Anita replies with a sad smile. “Nico was already handling a lot of the day-to-day operations, but he didn’t have much of a knack for leading. I’d made it clear that I wasn’t interested, and our father felt like Daniel couldn’t handle the responsibility.”
“What about Tristan’s father?”
“Luca didn’t have the best health, so our father felt like he wouldn’t be the best fit.”
“Why not go for Daniel then?”
Anita looks up at the ceiling, and her brows furrowed together. “I think he felt like Daniel’s mother was weak, and so he felt like Daniel inherited her weakness.”
I draw my bottom lip between my teeth and chew on it. “I wonder why he thought that.”
“I don’t think he ever got over my mother’s death,” Anita whispers, her voice catching toward the end. “None of us did. But with Dad, it was different. It affected him a lot more than he wanted to admit.”
I take Anita’s hand again, but I don’t say anything. I know there’s nothing I can say to make any of it better or take her pain away. All I can do is hope that Anita knows she isn’t alone and how much I appreciate her opening up to me like this.
Seeing the Blackthornes through a different lens helps much more than I thought.
I feel like I understand Carter and everything he’s had to overcome a lot better. From his grandparents down to his own personal relationships, Carter’s life has been marked by tragedy, loss, and heartache. It’s no wonder he doesn’t know how to cope with it all and ends up bottling everything up.
For the umpteenth time, I find myself wondering if either of us are equipped to handle this baby. Between Carter’s unresolved issues and my own feelings of abandonment and insecurity, I’m not sure either of us knows what we’re getting into.
But when I glance down at my stomach and drape an arm over it, a wave of emotion washes over me, and I know my decision has been made.
I don’t know where Carter and I are going to end up, but I do know one thing. I’m going to love and protect my baby no matter what.
“When he got re-married, I was the first person to think he’d lost his mind,” Anita admits in a small voice. “He met her while he was on business in Hong Kong. I didn’t want to believe he could forget Mom so easily, so I pretended she didn’t exist. After a while, when she realized she was never going to be accepted, she stopped trying.”
Silence stretches between us.
“A few years later, Daniel came along, and in the midst of all of that, it was decided that they were better off somewhere else. At least until Daniel was ten or so. When he came to live with us, Nico, Luca, and I didn’t make it easy for him.”
“I can imagine.”
Anita’s gaze flicks to mine. “We weren’t ready to accept him, and he knew that. But he gave us as good as he got, and in the end, it made us closer as siblings.”
My lips lift into a half smile. “I’m sure it did.”
Anita sits up straighter and rubs a hand over her face. “I’m sure I’ve bored you by now. I didn’t even come in here to tell you any of this. I just wanted to check on you.”
“Hearing about all of this… It helps, it really does.”
Anita gives me an incredulous look. “Now you’re just indulging an old lady.”
“I don’t see any old ladies around,” I tease with a quick smile. “Besides, you’re not an old lady. You’re Anita.”
She waves my comment away and stands up. Then she wanders over to the other side of the room and pulls out a chair. After setting it down next to the bed, she motions to the tray of food. After a brief pause, I pick it up and set it down on my lap.
“Why don’t you eat, and I’ll tell you some more stories? If you want to hear them.”
I settle against the headboard and pick up my spoon. “I’d love to.”
Anita crosses one ankle over the other and links her fingers together. “I remember the day Nico and Margaret came home with Carter. He was this skinny boy who didn’t say much, and he had so much anger, far too much for his body.”
I frown and pick up my spoon. “I can’t even imagine that.”
Anita frowns. “He was so reserved and kept a lot bottled up, even then. My brother and his wife were so worried he’d never talk or ever come out of his shell.”
I blow on my spoon and shove the vegetable broth into my mouth, the explosion of rich flavor making some of the knots in my stomach loosen. “He hasn’t changed much since then.”
