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Typing the code into the security gate, I make my way up the familiar drive, the scent of Chinese food filling my truck cab. A fancy silver BMW is parked in front of the house, which tells me Kate’s houseguest still isn’t gone. I don’t like her being here, not when she has a habit of making Kate feel inadequate at times, but what can I say? She’s not my mother and this isn’t my house. All I can do is be there for Kate when everything explodes and the dust starts to settle.
And something tells me it’ll definitely explode.
But not us.
We’re stronger than that.
I’m not letting go this time without a damn good fight.
With food bags in my hand and a duffel flung over my shoulder, I head for the front door. I’m just about to ring the bell when I hear the arguing. Kate is clearly upset. It’s evident by the muffled sobs. Without giving it a second thought, I throw open the door and come face to face with Kate and her mother. The look on Kate’s face guts me. Tears stream down her stunning, makeup-less face, a look of pure anguish marring her soft features.
“What the hell?” I ask, dropping my duffel on the floor and setting the food on the entry table.
“Jensen, this doesn’t concern you.Why don’t you head home and Kathryn can call you tomorrow,” Annabelle demands, not even bothering to glance my way.
“Uh, actually, I think I’ll be staying right here,” I reply to her without so much as a look her way. My eyes are glued to the woman I love. “Kate, what’s wrong? Why are you upset?”
“She just learned the hard truth about her father, Jensen. She needs time to accept the fact he wasn’t who she thought he was,” Annabelle states on Kate’s behalf.
“I’m talking to Kate,” I snarl, placing my hands on her shoulders and gently turning her to face me. “Hi,” I whisper when her eyes connect with mine. They’re full of sadness, and fuck, if I don’t want to kill whoever put it there.
But something tells me it was her mother, and killing her mother probably isn’t the best course of action right now.
“Talk to me,” I say softly, watching helplessly as the light dims from her hazel eyes.
“His affairs.” She whimpers softly in the Kleenex crumpled in her hand.
My blood starts to pump. I’m going to put an end to this right now. “He wasn’t having any affairs, Kate. Your mother was.”
A gasp is heard behind me, but I keep my eyes focused on the one I love. “Excuse me, young man, how dare you!”
“Don’t listen to your mother, Kate. Those letters you found weren’t from a mysterious lover to your father. They were to your mother,” I state.
“What? How do you know?” she asks, her eyes pleading for some ounce of the truth.
“Because the letters were from my dad.” I hate saying the words aloud, admitting my father played such a huge part in Kate’s departure from town.
“That’s a lie!” Annabelle insists behind me. “Kathryn, don’t you listen to a word of filth this man is spewing! I would never—”
Kate’s eyes are wide with shock. “She did. I went and talked to my dad, Butterfly. I recognized the nicknames. I overheard my dad on the phone once and he kept calling the person he was speaking to Pookie. Since I’m pretty sure my dad and your dad weren’t having the affair, I deduced it had to have been your mom.”
Kate looks past me toward her mother. When I turn, I see the defiance mixed with her guilt. “Mother?”
Annabelle is silent for several long seconds, and I start to think she’s not going to say anything. But eventually, she does. “Fine. It was me.” She shrugs her shoulder as if it was no big deal.
“What? Why?” Kate gasps, wiping away the remnants of tears on her cheeks.
“Why? Your father was always working or spending time with you. I came in third in my own marriage.”
“But… Daddy was always trying to get you to go away with him. I heard him ask you.”
“To the mountains? On some fishing expedition in Canada? What kind of trips are those? I wanted Tahiti or Bali. Paris for a month, not just a week here and there.”
“Do you even hear yourself right now?” Kate gasps, looking at her mother as if she doesn’t even know her.
Annabelle rolls her eyes. “Stop acting so high and mighty.”
