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It’s a cloudy day, and windy, the breeze tugging strands of Catie’s hair free from her bun, so they snap across her face. She tugs her jacket close to her, and I slide my arm around her too. The path runs around the lighthouse, but we sit on the grassy bank, overlooking the sea.
Ahead of us, the Tasman Sea to the west meets the Pacific Ocean to the east, the waters clashing and producing an area of frothy foam.
I give her a squeeze. “Are you okay?”
She nods. “I still can’t believe it.”
“Yeah, I get that. It was quite a shock.”
She sighs and looks out to sea. “I’ve been thinking about Greta.”
That surprises me. “Oh?”
“William said that Hooper & Sons contacted her to tell her that my grandparents had died, but she never replied.”
“Yeah, so she must have known and chosen not to tell you.”
She shakes her head. “I know she resented my father having an affair with my mother. But I was innocent of that. Why did she hate me so much?”
“Did she ever meet your mother, or see a photo of her?”
“I brought photos with me from Christchurch. Greta threw them all out, but she must have looked through them first.”
“What did she look like?”
She smiles. “Like me.”
I kiss her temple. “Then I’m pretty sure the reason she disliked you so much is because you’re beautiful, and she and her daughters aren’t. It was jealousy, pure and simple.”
“I’m not beautiful.”
“Yes, you are. In both body and spirit. Every day, she would have looked at the face of the woman her husband cheated on her with. She would have compared your looks and behavior and character to her own daughters and found them severely wanting.”
Her lips curve up. “You didn’t think they were attractive?”
“Eesh, no.” I shudder. “I can normally find something beautiful in every woman, but even I struggled with those three.” I give her another squeeze. “Has it helped you decide what to do about the money she took from you?”
She nods. “I’ve decided I don’t want their money. And I don’t want to prosecute them.”
My eyebrows rise. “Seriously?” That has surprised me. “Even though she didn’t tell you about your grandparents?”
She looks out to sea again, and her hand rises to rest on her bump, although I don’t think she’s aware of it. “I want to put it behind me, Saxon. I’ve just found out that I have money, and that I have an aunt who wants to be a part of my life. And I have our boys, and I don’t want the main emotion I feel while they’re inside me to be hate and resentment. I want to feel hope and contentment, and love. Does that make sense?”
My throat tightens, and I nod.
“And I have you,” she whispers. “I love that you went to see her, and that you’re prepared to go to war for me. But we’ve just gotten married, and I don’t want that to be a part of our life together.”
“I understand. But you don’t think she ought to be punished for what she did? She abused you, Catie. Mentally, physically, and emotionally. She shouldn’t get away with that.”
“She’s alone. Unhappy. And wretched. She’s not getting away with it. I didn’t understand that until I met you. Even if she were to meet another man, she’d never know the joy of what I have with you. She’s poor in every sense of the word, and she deserves pity. I’m not there yet.” She frowns. “I don’t know how to describe it.” She places a hand over her heart. “It’s like there was a thunderstorm in here. Does that make sense?”
“Yeah.”
“And there are still clouds, but they’re clearing. You fill me with sunshine, Saxon. And I know our boys are going to blow away those last wisps, and it’s going to be a brilliant day.”
Tears prick my eyes. “Are you trying to make me cry?”
She turns to face me and lifts her arms around my neck. “I love you so much.”
