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“I thought you also wanted to be close to the college? Unless you’re in an expensive high-rise, or some kind of townhouse, which are all too small by the way, these are what gets you in the right area. Be glad we aren’t looking on Colfax.” Exasperation tinged Thatcher’s mood.
“I am glad of that. Don’t think I’m not, I just feel like there has to be better options.” Jonah seemed just as irked by the conversation as Thatcher.
Beck just grinned as he watched the exchange.
Even with the small amounts of bickering, everyone was pumped. Graduation was tomorrow, and I couldn’t be more excited.
The rest of the houses we saw were all the same. Someone didn’t like it for whatever reason, and we ended up moving on pretty quickly. The rental market in Denver was insane. At some point someone would have to settle because the inventory couldn’t be that much bigger.
I dropped Astrid and Thatcher off at his apartment. They were going to have an impromptu dinner with Trinity, then go to her graduation. We lucked out that our graduations were on different nights.
Otherwise, I wasn’t sure how Thatcher would have prioritized where to go and when.
Tonight, I had one last skating session with the team. An end to the best thing that had ever happened to me, prior to this year.
I’d just tossed my keys on the counter of the cottage and grabbed a water from the fridge when a knock came at the front door.
The water bottle had just touched my lips when I froze. Who would be knocking? Astrid had a key, and Jonah and Beck were going with them to the graduation.
Setting the water bottle down, I headed to the door, surprised to see my mother standing on the other side. Her tear stained cheeks and reddened eyes were the first thing I noticed.
Then her disheveled hair, her wrinkled dress, her missing jewelry.
“What happened?” I wanted to invite her in, but at the same time I didn’t. Not when she’d had a chance to be a mother to me since Dad was arrested, and she hadn’t.
“Did you know?” She wailed, a fresh bout of tears cascading from her eyes.
“Know what?”
“That your father was having an-an-an affair with that-that man!” She spit as she stabbed her fisted hands toward the ground.
There were so many ways I could have answered that. I could have been callous, or comforting, but she deserved neither from me. So, I settled on the truth. “I knew,” I whispered.
“You knew?” She stumbled back. “You knew,” She repeated, bringing trembling fingers to her lips. “Why wouldn't you have told me?”
“Why would I?” I shot back. “Mom. I love you. But you’ve not been around, mentally, you’ve been checked out. I was afraid what would happen if I told you.”
Had that really been my only motivation? I think now, looking her dead in the eye, my motives were more selfish than that. I think, subconsciously, I hadn’t wanted to show her any kind of love when she didn’t show me any.
“I—I can’t believe you’d keep this from me.” Mom turned her back, her shoulders hunching up to her ears as they shook with her sobs. “Why would he do that?”
“Why would you care?” I waited for sympathy to bombard me, but it was absent under a wave of disbelief. Their marriage had been a sham. Everyone could see that. There were no soft touches, no kisses, not even friendly smiles or conversation when they were at Dad’s events.
Why was she so shocked? Even if he wasn’t having an affair, she had to know there was nothing there.
“You don’t understand. I was trying to be the wife he wanted. I tried so, so hard. You didn’t hear the things he’d berate me on, or the way his associates would look at me when I would try to join their discussions.” Her voice was muffled under her hands, thickened by emotion.
For a second, I wanted to hug her. Because she had been a good, if distant mom when I was a kid. But somewhere along the way that had stopped. She’d just stopped.
Stopped showing up, stopped being involved, stopped caring.
She didn’t deserve my love. And she damn sure didn’t deserve my attention.
I purposely didn’t ask her why she never said anything, or any questions to verify if what she said was true. I believed her. The kind of man Stan Bennett was, he absolutely treated her that way. Instead, I focused on something that did interest me. As far as I knew, Astrid, the guys and I were the only ones that knew about the affair.
But Astrid’s dad had been making a scene lately. He could have let something slip to someone.
“How’d you find out?”
