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Dad never told me. But he wouldn’t. He would never allow her to hurt us again. He’s sacrificed so much for us. It’s my turn to protect him. I believe she had mental health issues. It makes sense but doesn’t excuse any of it.
“So why now?”
“Like I said, I ran into your dad. He wasn’t angry like the last time I’d seen him. So, we started talking.”
I glance to my right and see Garrett nearby, watching us.
“Then you lied and broke his heart all over again. Haven’t you done enough?” I don’t care to temper my tone. She deserves far worse.
Her pained expression catches me off guard. She closes her eyes, and a tear slides down her cheek. I’d always associated her as unfeeling, so the sight is unsettling.
She lets out a sob and rubs the tears off her face. “I never meant to hurt him again, Liv. I just didn’t know how to tell him the truth. He was being cautious, as he had every right to be. But he didn’t let me explain. He’s so damn stubborn, he just shut me out.”
“Explain what?”
She sighs and rests her hand on my arm. “I want to re-build our relationship, and I will not start by pulling you into our drama. I’m so sorry for what I did to you, Livvie. It’s my biggest regret.” She takes her hand back and digs for her phone in her purse.
“I’ve been keeping tabs on you.” She shows me her Instagram. She’s under a false name with a cartoon as her profile picture. I recognize it. I always joked with John that I had a fan. She’s liked every post I’ve made since I created the account years ago.
“I’m so proud of you,” she says, her lower lip trembling. They are words I’ve wanted to hear for two decades. Tears spill down my cheeks and she pulls me in for a hug.
“I’m so sorry,” she says through her tears and my hardened heart softens a fraction. We hold each other for a few minutes, but then reality returns. She still left us and didn’t reach out for twenty years. She still hurt my dad again. I stand while she blinks up at me in surprise.
“It changes nothing. Stay away from us,” I say and stalk towards Garrett. I kick myself for letting my emotions get the better of me.
“Liv, wait!” Barbara calls after me. I pick up my pace and race towards Garrett as angry tears stream down my face. He meets me halfway and wraps an arm around me as I try to get my tears under control. He puts himself between me and Barbara. She stops a few feet away. “That’s enough for today,” he says, his tone calm but firm.
Barbara swallows and nods. Her lips curve up in a small, apologetic smile, then she turns and leaves. I bury my face in Garrett’s chest and sob.
Once I can breathe again, Garrett pulls me back into his side. “Let’s get you home.”
We walk in silence back to the truck. “Henry is waiting for us at the house,” Garrett says as we pull onto the road.
He reaches over and squeezes my forearm before returning his hand to the steering wheel. I didn’t think it was possible, but we’ve grown even closer over the past few months. Nobody could ever replace John, but Garrett has stepped into his role with ease.
When we pull up to the house, Dad is waiting on the porch with Uncle Mike. He runs to my door and whips it open. “Are you ok?”
I nod and he steps aside so I can climb out of the truck. He wraps me in a hug. “I’m so sorry.”
I sigh and gaze into his hazel eyes that match my own. “Her hair is stupid.”
He cracks a smile and shakes his head. The mom I knew had long brown hair she kept in a neat braid down her back. She wasn’t very affectionate, and she was nothing less than dismissive towards John. But I always loved the way she did her hair. Is it any wonder I have nothing but anger for this woman?
We head inside and I collapse onto the couch. I suppress the urge to call Luke. Over a year after our breakup, and I still want to run to him for comfort.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Uncle Mike asks as he sits next to me. I glance over and find Garrett and my dad taking seats nearby.
My head falls to the couch. “Why did you date her again, Dad? I don’t get it.”
“Just because she betrayed us doesn’t mean I stopped loving her. I’m sure you can relate.”
I glare at him. It’s a low blow, but he’s right. I’ll never stop loving Luke. But was Barbara the love of his life? I don’t buy it.
“It doesn’t matter though, I’ve learned my lesson,” he says.
I think back to Barbara’s pained reaction to my dad shutting her out and meet his eyes again. “She said you wouldn’t let her explain.”
He narrows his eyes. “Did she try to bring you into our shit?”
I shake my head. “No. I thought she would, but she didn’t.”
He rubs his hand over his hair and looks to the side.
Uncle Mike faces me. “Barb was never my favorite. Your grandma, God rest her soul, hated her too. But your dad saw something in her we didn’t. Or he was letting his other head do the thinking. Hard telling.”
Dad reaches over and smacks him upside the head. “She was different when we met.”
I don’t want to talk about it anymore, so I stand. “I’m going to take a nap,” I announce. My dad stands and we hug. My uncle and Garrett each squeeze my shoulder before I ascend the stairs.
I close the bedroom door and pull out the group photo with Luke. My gaze trails across the faces of the people I left behind. I miss them all so much, but Luke’s smiling face is always the hardest to look at. Yet just seeing him settles my mind. I toss the photo onto my bed with an annoyed huff. Garrett’s words from earlier float through my head and I wonder. Would it be so bad to find comfort elsewhere?
