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“Oh, Beau. Thank you. I know it’s important to be here, but I’ve missed my kitchen. It’s the one thing in our house we splurged on.”
“Believe me, I know.” I patted my stomach. “I have the pounds from all of your delicious meals and pies.”
“You,” she teased, swatting my belly. “I don’t know what my daughter's problem is, but I’m glad you’ve been a good friend to her, even if she doesn’t see that. Thank you.” She patted my arm, kissing my cheek this time before opening drawers and cabinets, looking for what she needed to make her meal.
I stepped toward the living room and came into contact with the Hart who held my heart.
“You bought her a gaming system? Don’t you think you should ask me first? You can’t buy her love, you know.”
Holding my hands up, I smiled down at Nat. “I bought it for the house. And I don’t need to buy her love. Lily already adores me, same as Mama Hart. It’s just you who’s being stubborn.” I lifted my eyebrow, stepping around her to help Lily set up the system. She already had it out of the box, pulling out pieces as she directed Ryan and Cami on where things went.
Plopping down onto the ground, I helped her plug-in pieces, getting the device set up as the screen came on. Nat huffed but came into the room, sitting on the couch, her arms crossed. She stayed there for a while, almost in protest, refusing to enjoy the things I’d brought.
But as Lily, Cami, and I laughed and played, she eventually gave in and sat on the floor with us. While we raced tiny cars of cartoon characters, I smiled each time her knee brushed mine, feeling the sparks flying from the simple touch.
Natalie Hart could deny it all she wanted, but I was relentless, and I wouldn’t let her go without a fight.
Six
NATALIE
The conversationI had with Cami while dying her hair kept replaying in my head. I didn’t want to look too closely at it, but it wouldn’t go away.
Cami was right. I was running scared, and for no good reason.
Thankfully, Mason wasn’t every guy. BeauandByron had continued to put up with my shit, along with the horrible way I treated them. It told me right there, they weren’t Mason. Or any other guy I’d been with.
But most importantly, they weren’t my father.
Something in me had broken when the man I’d always admired turned out to be a fraud. Then, when I’d learned he sent me here to save his own ass and was killed when I didn’t come through, I’d felt responsible.
My father was dead because of my failure.
Or so I’d always told myself.
Shit, having therapist friends really did make you question your life choices all the time. I was grateful for it, but sometimes, this much introspection needed a little something stronger than soda.
Climbing out of bed, I tucked Lily in, watching her breathe for a few seconds. She was the best thing I’d ever done. If I could do that as a scared and naive twenty-something, the enormity of the things I could now was unlimited.
Fuck. I really had been selling myself short all these years because of fear.
Sliding on my house shoes, I padded my way to the kitchen, wondering if there was any booze in this place. The light was on, which didn’t surprise me as a guard was stationed here 24-7, but when I rounded the corner and found my naked mother canoodling with a man, I stopped, my face flaming.
“Um, sorry.” I turned, my eyes closed, and bumped into a chair.
“Topolina!” my mother exclaimed, giggling. “Looks like I’m busted.”
“Um, carry on. I think I’m just going to pop out for a bit and, um, see if I can find something strong to erase my mother topless in the kitchen. Just, um, keep it down. Lily’s sleeping.”
I didn’t wait for a response, practically running to my room to change. Quickly, I grabbed something out of the closet, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. I didn’t know why I was so disturbed. Maren Hart was still in her prime and hadn’t been with anyone in years. She deserved to be with a man who’d worship the ground she walked on. I just didn’t necessarily want to know about it.
When I got to the bathroom, I found a black miniskirt, a jean jacket, a slouchy tank top, and an old t-shirt. Opting for the skirt and tank top, I tossed the other random items onto the counter, figuring I’d deal with them later. Taking some root lifter, I scrunched it into my hair, hoping it would give me enough lift to get away with not fixing it. Applying some light makeup, I spritzed myself and headed out the door in under five minutes.
I checked on Lily one more time, but she was still snoozing, curled up with a stuffed animal that Beau had given her. My heart wanted to give into his kindness, but it quite frankly scared me. He was too good, and that made me doubt him. It was unfair, but it was the way my brain worked.
Slipping on some boots, I grabbed my purse and headed out the door. The light was still on, but I plugged my ears, closed my eyes, and made noises as I passed in case they hadn’t moved. Nope, I wasn’t going to chance it and be scarred further.
Once I was clear of the nightmare-inducing scene, I practically raced the rest of the way out. Now that I was leaving, I was ready to be wherever I ended up.
