AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I didn’t know the full details of what had happened that night. The truth was out there, maybe hiding between the clips and colorful words that were purposely crafted to make Cadence—Honor Monroe—be the bad guy that the world wanted her to be.
I vaguely remembered stories about that party and the events that happened afterward, but I hadn’t been there, didn’t care enough to ask questions. But now, things were different. I had to know but I had to hear it from her.
twelve
Cadence.
“What am I supposed to do now?”
“You pick up the pieces and move on with your life. You don’t let him or this change anything.” Val sat across from me at the kitchen table. I glanced to the ceiling where Gracie was above our heads playing in her room.
“She’s going to be just fine, Cadee. She has you and you have me which means you both have someone who’s willing to go down fighting in your corner.”
I smiled softly and nodded but I couldn’t stop the emptiness I felt from knowing that I wouldn’t havehim.
Pain loomed in my chest, squeezing tightly to remind me that I’d had happiness for half a second. When I exhaled a sigh, Val shook her head and aimed an accusatory finger at me.
“Don’t you dare.” Her spine straightened and heat blazed in those brown eyes of hers. “He has no room to judge anything or anyone. Don’t mourn him if he turned his back on you and Gracie.”
“He didn’t turn his back on us,” I whispered lowly and dropped my eyes to the mug of tea sitting in front of me. “I turned my back on him.”
And walked out instead of giving him answers.
“What does that mean?”
“He was asking questions. Wanted answers I couldn’t give. I turned my back onhim. I left. Ran so fast he won’t want me back.”
“What answers did he want, Cadee?”
I found the strength to look at her again and tears streaked my face. I wasn’t sure why I was crying. If it was because I’d lost him or if I was scared of what would happen next. “He wanted to know who Gracie’s father is.”
“And you didn’t tell him?”
“No. How could I when I barely remember what happened that night?”
Her face blanched and I would bet my life savings she was remembering what a mess I had been when she’d landed in New York. There because I’d called, frantic and broken with no clue what to do with the mess that was my life.
“You don’t owe him anything. You don’t owe anybody anything. What happened all those years ago was terrible. It could have ruined you but it didn’t, Cadee. You’re here, still standing and you’re stronger than ever. You have Gracie and she’s lovely and beautiful and so perfect. No regrets, remember.”
“No regrets,” I whispered. “But I thought maybe…”
I could be happy. That I deserved to have something good, something real. I saw the moment she understood. The determined look in her eyes was proof.
“I’m not going to say anything to make you feel worse than you already do but he was never the end game. He couldn’t be. Just something to do. For you to live in the moment, have a little fun and then move on.”
“I know.”
She offered the saddest smile which settled into my soul like a sand bag. “But it was more than that. I get it. I didn’t want you to get hurt. To end up here in this place again.”
“I know.” I choked on a laugh which was laced with arrogance. “You were there when things were bad. When I was at my lowest and barely hanging on. You would never want that for me again.”
She shook her head. “No, but I was there back then and I’m here now. I’m not going anywhere, Cadee. We’ll figure it out.”
“Those articles are out there again. And now they’re attached to pictures of me and Gracie. Our lives now, here in Coleman. I don’t want to leave, but I don’t want her mixed up in my bad decisions. I don’t want her growing up in the shadows of the whispers that will be attached to me. It’s not fair.”
“Gracie is going to be fine,” she assured me.
“You don’t know that for sure. And what happens when she’s old enough to read those articles. They things they said about me. About the person I was.”
