AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s such a short trip,” Mom continues. “And Benedict was unable to join you?”
“He has work. Besides, it’s easier without him. He doesn’t exactly have a lot of patience for Bentley.”
The moment it escapes my lips, I regret painting him out to be the villain when I’m the one doing the wrong thing.
Bentley accidentally knocks his plate onto the floor, the loud bang causing him to cry.
“Oh, honey,” Mom soothes. “Come here.”
This kid is so spoiled.
Mom and Kate take Bentley upstairs to clean him up and change him into his pajamas. Jack turns on the football in desperate need to find out who won, leaving Dad and me to tidy up.
In the kitchen, we load the dishwasher until I still my movements, eager to talk to him.
“Dad, can I ask you a question?”
“Anything, of course.”
I bow my head to get my thoughts right, so they don’t come out in a jumbled mess.
“When you and Mom decided to separate, was it hard?”
Dad stops scraping the food off the plate into the trash, his expression stilling, but then continues his task before speaking.
“Yes, of course. When you marry someone, it’s with the intent it’s forever. But life doesn’t always work out that way, and marriage can have its ups and downs.”
“After the conversation with Mom, did you know that straight away? That it was the right thing to do?” I shake my head to better communicate. “I mean to say, at the time, did you have regrets?”
“I think when you’re making life-altering decisions, especially if it involves a child, there’s initially regret. You only want to give your child everything they deserve, so regret comes from your own insecurities of failing as a parent because you couldn’t keep fighting for your marriage anymore.”
I nod with understanding, then release a breath. “You made the right decision.”
Dad smiles with his eyes focusing on me. “Yes, we did. It doesn’t mean it wasn’t the hardest time of our lives.”
“What did you do after? You know, to move on?”
A smirk plays on Dad’s lips. “Well, your brother was obviously a result of me trying to forget your mother existed.”
“Oh, I forgot the one-night stand,” I say honestly. “It’s easy to forget because Olivia feels like part of our family, you know?”
“Yes, she does,” Dad agrees.
There was never a secret about how or where our parentage came about, including Nash. His mom, Olivia, is the nicest woman you’ll ever meet. She’s been joining us for Christmas for as long as I can remember and joined us on a few family trips. Kate once told me it took years for Olivia and Mom to get to know each other since things were tense between them. Though the affair happened while my parents were separated, Dad and Olivia’s one-night stand was the final nail in the coffin known as my parents’ marriage.
“Jessa, is there something you want to tell me?”
I shake my head, remembering what Andy said during our call earlier.
We need to remain a secret. Not a single person can know about us.
“No, Dad.” I smile, then close the dishwasher. “Everything is just fine.”
Seventeen
Jessa
I’m barely able to breathe as my cousins pull me into a group hug, squeezing me tight while refusing to let go.
