AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Miranda put her hand on Nate’s arm, imploring him to understand. “I just wanted a little time without Summer here, so we could sort this out.”
“She’s right,” Cody said, shocking not just Summer, but Nate, too, judging by the look on his face. “This has to stop before it gets any worse.”
Those words hit Summer like a sledgehammer to the chest. She stiffened her knees to catch herself before she crumbled and gave in to the pain. Every heartbeat punched against her ribs. She tried to breathe, but it felt too hard to fill her lungs past the lump in her throat.
And with the pain came anger that he’d say something like that to her after all they’d shared and promised each other.
It hurt so much she didn’t know what to do with all the turmoil inside her.
“This is too much,” Cody said. “We don’t yell in this house. We don’t fight like this. We don’t hurt each other.” He’d had enough.
That hurt even more.
Miranda looked at Summer with her thoughts so clear in hereyes and face. Like Cody, she blamed Summer for this strife, just like she blamed Summer for what Natalie had done.
All this friction because Summer had come and changed things.
Cody’s gaze held a plea. He hated that his family was in upheaval. He needed the return of the safety and sanctuary of this home and the family he’d known all these years.
Summer loved him, so she took control, despite how her heart was breaking, and gave him what he wanted. “Mom, you had no right to come here uninvited, especially when you knew your presence would only result in this.”
“I just wanted to see you.”
Summer shook her head. “You want me to forgive you the way I always do, without any real consequences for what you’ve done. You want me to love you more than I love Dad and appreciate the life you gave me because you want to think you gave me the perfect life. But you didn’t. Though it is nice to hear that you actually do feel guilty about it. I appreciate that you apologized to Dad. But it’s not enough, and you know it. You’re going to have to earn it.”
“I am sorry, sweetheart.” Her mother really meant it this time.
Summer needed time to let it sink in and settle, because there was a lot more going on here than just her mother’s betrayal.
She looked at the rest of them. “I get that you all think my coming here is what caused all this trouble.”
“That’s not true,” Nate said, a plea in his eyes to believe that.
“Miranda thinks so.” She turned to her stepmother. “You actually asked me to leave, thinking that would make everything go back to normal.” She turned to Natalie. “You think I’m trying to take everything from you. The spotlight. Dad. Haley. Most of all, Cody. You’ve faked an ankle injury, reminded Cody every chance you get that I’m leaving, playing into his fear that someone he cares about will leave him again like his mother did, like Amy did. And when that wasn’t working fast enough to get him to back off, yousnuck into his bed to show him who really cares about him. The one who’s here, because you thought my leaving to attend a meeting in Texas proved your point so well. You’re probably plotting right now how you can turn this to your advantage, too.”
Natalie shook her head, her eyes filled with remorse. “I’m not. I swear.”
Summer didn’t believe her.
She turned to Cody. “She doesn’t have to do anything this time, though, because all those things you said to me: We’re in this together. We’ll find a way to make it work. That the thing you never thought you’d find was right in front of you.
“You meant them as long as this was easy and I was here. The second I left town, you had doubts. I wasn’t even gone a day.”
Cody winced.
She let the rest fall from her lips. “Today, the family is upset once again, and your first instinct is to say we should take a step back. Like that will make this all go away. I have felt alone and out of place my whole life, but never so much as you made me feel right now.” She looked at all of them. “You want a moment, you can have it without me taking up space, your time, being in the way, or asking you to believe that I just wanted to be a part of your lives, to be included like I belonged.
“But now I see it, the truth is so obvious. I don’t.” She turned to Haley. “Except with Dad and you.” She went to Haley. “Thank you for taking me into your heart with acceptance and love. You are so special. I love you so much.” She turned to the rest of them. “I love all of you. But as usual, that’s not enough.”
She turned and headed back to the foyer.
“Summer, wait,” Cody called out. “Don’t leave like this.”
“Go ahead and blame me for leaving, but you’re the one who pressed stop on all those plans we talked about.”
Cody held his hands out wide. “Look at what’s happening here.”
She turned to him and spilled the truth he didn’t want to admit. “Yes. Look what happened. My mother had a long-overdue argument with my father. Natalie hurt you, but I’m the one Miranda blamed and asked to leave. In this chaos that could all be worked out with cooler heads, you found a path to leave me before I can leave you because, let’s face it, that’s what you’re always expecting will happen. None of what happened tonight would have changed us or the way I feel about you, but you somehow think it does. You love your family. I’ve seen it every day that I’ve been here. I get that you don’t want to lose that and you want them all to be happy always. I just wish that included me.”
