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“Now I just need to run some small tests to ensure you are well enough to go through the operation. Boys, please give us a moment,” Dr. Wilson says, effectively dismissing us like we are twelve and no longer required for the adult conversation. Harrison clenches his hands and Ben cracks his neck.
“Let’s go to the waiting room,” Tennyson growls, and we walk out of her room, one after the other, and strut down the hall. You can see our frustration in the way we’re carrying ourselves. People give us a wide berth as we make our way farther down the hallway into the familiar room that has been our haven since we arrived. I can’t see Pinkie, but I follow my brothers quickly before the door closes behind us.
“I want to punch that asshole in the face,” Harrison says as he walks back and forth in the tiny room.
“You and me both,” Tennyson says.
“How long do you think it has been going on for?” I ask, knowing that Mom and Dr. Wilson had an affair, but my mind too consumed these past few weeks with Pinkie to really think about it.
“Hard to say, but I would guess maybe thirty years,'' Ben says, slumping on a chair.
“Thirty years?” That would mean they were sleeping together before I was born.
“Makes sense. He was around all the time growing up. He was there with her when Nanny Helen died,” Tennyson says, the accusation hanging in the air, and I see his jaw clench. I know that cuts him deep.
“I remember being home on vacation and always seeing him around, especially when Dad wasn’t home,” Ben says, running his hand through his hair.
“Remember when Mom went away for a few months traveling with Grandma?” Harrison looks at Ben.
“She missed my sixth birthday and didn’t even call. Maybe they went away together then,” Ben spits out, the memory still raw.
“Have either of them admitted it?” I remember Dr. Wilson being around too, but I was too young to really think anything of it.
“No. But it is pretty fucking obvious now. The way he dotes on her, holds her hand. Fuck, Mom blushes every time he walks into the room. She never blushes. Ever,” Tennyson snarls.
“To think that all these years, Dad was painted as the villain. The one who had a woman in every city. Multiple women, multiple affairs,” Harrison says, shaking his head.
Our parents are less than stellar in their loyalty and love for each other. Not anyone we wish to aspire to be in that regard.
“Yet Mom was doing the same thing. Or even worse, because it wasn’t just a fling. She has been with the same man for years. Clearly, she and Dad were just not meant to be together,” Ben says.
“An arranged marriage?” I ask. It would makes sense. My grandparents were wealthy and had a special way of doing business. I remember what Mom told me a few weeks ago when talking about marrying Valerie Van Cleef. Not marrying for love.
“Who fucking knows. But I swear, if he talks down to me or any of us again, I will lose it. He is not my dad and doesn't get to berate us,” Harrison snarls, and I can tell he is really upset by this. Probably because when Dad died, he was the one who took on the head of the household role, stepping into my father’s shoes.
“They both hid what happened to Nanny Helen. They can both rot in hell,” Tennyson says, his voice harsh, but there is a lot of pain that sits within him. “How soon can I get the fuck out of here?” he asks, looking at Harrison. At this point, he is only here to support him. The future of his political campaign can’t have any of us boys stepping out of line. We must remain the caring sons of Diane Rothschild in the eyes of the outside world. Even though I know both Tennyson and Ben don’t give a shit about her anymore.
“Let's just get through this hospital visit. Once she is out of the hospital, and she has a clean bill of health, and things calm down with Pinkie, we can get to the bottom of everything," Ben says, the voice of reason.
“Fuck, our lives are hectic. Are you sure you want to run for president one day?” Tennyson asks Harrison, and he looks up and smiles.
“All of this is my training. Do you have any idea how many different policies and ideas and communities there will be in this country for me to try to support and represent if I become president?” He huffs out a laugh, and I see it then. His stature, his confidence, the air of integrity and surety. He will be president. I know it. I smile then. Feeling proud of him.
“Well, you get my vote,” I say, grinning at him.
“Mine too.” Ben nods.
“I’m voting for the other guy…” Tennyson teases.
“What other guy?” Harrison’s eyes thin, as he no doubt runs through the mental list of potential opponents. We all laugh. There is only one man suitable for the job and that is the one sitting opposite me.
CHAPTER FORTY - KATIE
Brian and I sit on Eddie’s sofa, looking at the mountain of shopping bags around us.
“That was such a full day,” I say to him as we both lie back, exhausted. I toe off my shoes, needing a foot rub, and Brian sucks on some champagne Eddie handed him.
“Looks like you two had fun,” Eddie says, his smile wide and his eyes sparkling. When he told me that he had arranged for Brian to come over and take me shopping for the afternoon, I wasn’t sure what to think. Then Brian arrived and practically dragged me out the door, and I didn’t look back. Armed with Eddie’s black credit card and Tony as our chauffeur, Brian had me giggling all day, and it was just what I needed. To feel normal for a day. Like a girl would feel shopping with friends.
