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“What’s the point of this, Drew?” He startles slightly at my raised voice.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, why are you doing this? What are you trying to prove? Whatever it is, it won’t change anything. Mom left over twenty years ago. We haven’t heard from her since, and speculating about what happened between her and Dad, or Dad and Doreen, isn’t gonna alter a damn thing.”
“Other than the fact that neither of our parents knew how to be faithful.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Why else would Mom have left us all behind? It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“Is it?”
He nods his head. “I know you think she faked that accident to get away, but who’s to say there wasn’t a guy waiting for her somewhere, and that he didn’t want her bringing her kids along for the ride?” I can hear the bitterness in his voice and it makes me soften mine.
“Maybe that’s true, and maybe it isn’t.” I stand and walk around the table between us, sitting beside him. “I get how much of a hole she left in our lives, Drew… but we’ve been okay, haven’t we?”
He leans in to me. “Sure, we have.” He looks up, giving me a half smile. “Why do you always defend her?”
“I don’t. I just don’t judge her. If she was sitting here now, I’d have just as many questions as you and Ella.”
“Would you?”
“Yes. Only I can’t see the point in asking them when there’s no-one to give us any answers. I know you think I’m looking back with rose-tinted glasses, but I’m not. When she left, it hurt. I was angry, and confused, and lost… just like you. But the thing is, I don’t recall her having a cruel bone in her body. I don’t think she’d have gone if she didn’t have to.”
He frowns. “You think Dad made her go?”
“Maybe not in the literal sense. He may not have thrown her out, but he made her life so damn miserable, she had no choice but to leave.” He opens his mouth, but I hold up my hand, stopping him before he can say anything else. “Speculating won’t get us anywhere. We’ll never know what happened between them, and frankly, I don’t particularly want to waste my time theorizing about two people who aren’t here anymore.”
He lets out a long sigh and nods his head, and although I’m not convinced I’ve gotten through to him, I think he’s gonna let it lie… for now.
It’s hot tonight, despite the breeze, and I lie naked on top of the bed, not bothering with the covers. I’m tired. In fact, I’m desperate for sleep, but my mind won’t stop churning.
I hadn’t realized the relationship between my dad and Doreen was so serious… or even that there had been a relationship at all, come to that.
What bothers me more, though, is the similarity between Dad’s situation and my own. Okay, so I’m not married. I don’t have children. But other than that, the parallels are obvious. And, for someone who’s always prided himself on being different, that thought makes me very uncomfortable.
The problem is, there’s nothing I can do, other than remind myself that I’m not him. I’m still me, and I’m still in love with Livia… even if I am her boss.
Chapter Six
Livia
“You didn’t say your new car was a Mercedes.”
Mom comes out to greet me, staring at my car, although she takes the time to give me a hug.
“I thought I’d surprise you.”
I open the trunk, using the key fob, and she chuckles. “That’s impressive.”
“I know.”
I rescue my bag, carrying it into the house, and she follows, closing the door behind us. Dad’s in the living room and I dump my bag in the hall and go straight in to him. He gets to his feet, but I’m across the room before he’s even halfway out of his chair.
“Don’t get up, Dad.”
He lowers himself down again, and I lean over and give him a hug. He returns it with his left arm only, and I let my cheek rest against his before I stand up straight and look down at him.
