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“I’m going to need you to explain all of this to me, son.”
“I’m not your son,” I spit. “Right now, I have no idea whose son I actually am. You stand there judging me for this, but none of you are any better. How long were you fucking my mum, huh? How long were you going behind my ‘father’s’ back? And what about Krystal? I spent years calling her my fucking auntie, and then I find my dad balls deep in her. How about you start spilling some home fucking truths?”
“Jesus,” he mutters, scrubbing his hand down his face before moving to sit on the coffee table in front of me. “I love your mum, Reese. I have for… I have for a long time.”
“Great, good for you. But that doesn’t answer any of my questions.”
“No, of course it doesn’t.” He sucks in a deep breath. “I really think your mum should be the one to tell you all this.”
“Maybe, but she’s not the one who’s here, is she?” And honestly, if she was here, I’m not sure I could handle it.
“Fine,” he relents. “Your dad was with Krystal before he was with your mum.”
“I gathered that when Krystal said they’d been fucking for the best part of twenty years.”
Christian’s expression gutters. “Do you think you’re the only one with a complicated love life, Reese? Oakley is your best friend, but that didn’t stop you, did it?”
“I guess not,” I mutter.
“Your dad and Krystal broke up after she went to a different university, and your mum and dad started spending more time together. She fell pregnant with you, and they embarked on life as a family. They wanted you to have everything you deserved, and they believed them being together was a part of that.”
“But they didn’t want to be together?”
“They were happy. For a lot of years, everything worked for them. But eventually, their friendship wasn’t enough. Krystal came back into town, and your dad realised that he never really got over her.”
“So he cheated?” I spit, a hint of the betrayal I felt on Friday night coming back to me.
“No. Your father never cheated. Just like your mother and I never did. Everyone was aware of the situation.”
“Everyone?”
“They agreed it was best for you if your parents were to show a united front.”
“While getting their kicks elsewhere?” I scoff, hardly able to believe what I’m hearing.
“Reese, you’re more than aware that life in this town is complicated. Your mum had married your dad, and in your grandfather’s eyes, that was how it was going to be.”
“Fucking bullshit traditions.”
“When Jeremy died, we all started making plans for our future.”
“But I fucked that up by walking in on you fucking my mother six ways from Sunday.” He gasps, telling me what I already knew. He had no idea they had company that day.
“Uh… yeah. We all just want to be happy, Reese. And we want our kids to be happy too.”
“And that involves me being forced to marry a girl I barely even know?”
“That arrangement has nothing to do with me, son.” He holds his hands up. “That’s between your mother and Judge Bancroft.”
Silence falls between us, a million and one unspoken words, accusations and threats hanging there.
“So what now?”
“Now, you all calm down. And if you’re telling me the truth that you didn’t release those images, then you need to find a way to prove to me, to Oak, and most importantly, to Olivia.”
“And what about me and Olivia?”
“I don’t know, Reese. That’s something we’re all going to need a little time to process.”
