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“What’s done is done. I didn’t come here to defend my choices. I came to collect my daughter.”
“You could at least apologize,” Nate interjected.
Her mother held her hands up, a diamond tennis bracelet sparkling along with the gigantic wedding ring, and something came over her that changed her expression to one Summer had never seen. Contrition. “There isn’t a word for how sorry I am.”
Summer felt her mother’s deep remorse and saw it written all over her face.
The atmosphere in the room changed.
“I never intended to hurt Summer, or you. I simply wanted to leave the past in the past and move on with Summer. Do you have any idea what it’s like to carry the mistake you made at eighteen year after year? How hard it is to look into your daughter’s eyes and not be able to give her the one thing she wants because it means disappointing her again?” She met Nate’s intense gaze. “You want to make me pay for what I did? Believe me, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about it and what I’ve done. I’ve had to bear Summer’s discontent for a long time, knowing I’m the one who caused it.”
“Yet you didn’t do anything to assuage your guilt or make our daughter feel better by telling me about her, because you don’t think about anyone but yourself.”
“If that’s how you feel, then I guess you understand this wasn’t personal.”
Nate took a step toward her mother. “Oh, this is very personal, Jessica. You thought I was beneath you. You thought I didn’t matter. You thought I wouldn’t want my own daughter. You thought because I didn’t have money I didn’t have anything to offer her. But the deeper truth is that you feared she’d rather be with me than you because I know how to love someone and you don’t. So go back to Texas. Enjoy your money and your new husband while he lasts andbefore you go looking for another dead-end relationship, because who could love someone who doesn’t love you back.” Nate’s words hit home.
Jessica put her hand to her chest, frowned, and quickly hid the hurt in her eyes, then went on the defensive again. “Oh, I’m leaving and I’m taking Summer with me.”
“No, you’re not,” Nate snapped.
“You can’t just take her away from Nate again,” Miranda said over Nate.
Natalie spoke her mind into the din, telling Summer, “Maybe you should go.”
Miranda heard and added, “This mess is getting even worse. Our daughter was half naked in Cody’s bed, throwing herself at him because of you.”
“You did what?” Haley’s eyes rounded with shock.
“Stay out of it.” Natalie glared at her sister, then turned to Miranda. “How could you just blurt that out?”
Nate cut off whatever Miranda was about to say. “We’ll talk about this later.”
Haley stared wide-eyed at the scene, sadness and worry in her eyes.
Summer felt for her youngest sister. This had turned to chaos with everyone’s emotions so high.
“You can’t have her,” Jessica shouted at Nate.
He shouted right back. “You can’t make her go.”
Cody stepped forward. “Enough!”
Nate turned to him, then looked at Summer, regret and remorse in his eyes. “I think we all need to take a moment.”
Cody agreed. “This whole thing has gotten out of hand.” Cody raked his fingers through his hair and met Summer’s gaze. “What’s happening here? This isn’t right. People yelling at each other. Your mom wants you home, Natalie wants you gone, your grandfather wants you in the office.”
“Miranda asked me to leave this morning,” she blurted out, her heart still aching because of it.
Nate glared at Miranda. “You did what?” He held his arms out, gave her a what-the-hell look, then dropped them. “How could you?”
Miranda tried to explain. “Nate, I’m sorry, but ever since she got here, Natalie has been acting out.”
The pain and worry in Cody’s eyes held her attention. “How did it come to this? Everyone upset...”
Because of her, Summer filled in, her heart sinking.
Because Summer and Cody were together, Summer wasn’t in Texas where her mom and grandfather wanted her, Natalie was heartbroken, and Miranda wanted her gone.
