Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 100226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
“I was consumed, but it wasn’t with classes.” I shake my head and drink my tea. “I was so confused. His whole personality just did a one-eighty, and I didn’t trust myself with people after that. I didn’t trust my own judge of character.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” She squeezes my hand, and I hold on tightly. It feels so good to share this with her.
“I know that now.” I’m not going to tell her why Holden came to me about this fake marriage. Not yet. I haven’t discussed with him how he wants to handle that part, and it’s his family business. “Over the past couple of years, I started to soften toward him. He’s been flirty, and nice, and since his dad died, he’s sort of back to himself, the man I knew during that month before it all fell apart. And then, after we went to the ranch yesterday, and Dad did what he did, I was so upset. So Holden took me to his special place at his ranch, with a view of the exact mountain I go to.”
Mom’s mouth tips up into a smile.
“And he apologized again and finally told me why everything happened the way that it did.” Her eyes widen and then fill with tears as I relay the story of Holden’s dad threatening his sister and me. And when I finish, she has to wipe tears from her cheeks.
“That poor boy,” she whispers, shaking her head. “What a horrible man.”
“That’s too good of a word for what he was.” My voice is full of anger, but I can’t stop it. “He tormented those kids all their lives, Mom. Made them suffer. And I don’t even know half of what he put Holden through, but I bet it was pure abuse, plain and simple.”
“I suspect you’re right.” She sighs and presses her fingers to her forehead. “And now, after all this time, you’ve found your way back to each other.”
Leave it to my mom to be the romantic.
“Yeah, I guess you could put it that way.”
“I’ve always liked the Lexington kids,” she says. “I know they’re all adults, not kids at all, but I like them. And I really loved their mom. She was so much fun in school. She loved the drama club, and she was a cheerleader.”
“I didn’t know that you knew her.”
“Sure, Barbara and I were in the same class. She was funny and full of life. And then she married that man, and we hardly ever saw her around town. I don’t think she was allowed to leave their ranch much, and when I ran into her at the grocery or around town, she was kind, but the light was gone from her eyes. It made me so sad. Her husband…what an asshole.”
I nod in agreement and let my mom talk it out. Obviously, she has a lot of feelings about this.
“When she died—”
“Wait,” I put in. “How did she die? She was young.”
“She was only in her thirties,” Mom agrees. “Charlie was hardly walking, if I remember right. Officially, it was reported that she fell down the stairs.”
I gasp and cover my mouth with my hands. “Oh, my God.”
“Your father and I have suspicions, though.” She sips her tea. “And I’m sure we’re not the only ones.”
“What kind of—oh, God, do you think he killed her?”
She stares into her cup for a moment and then looks up at me. “Yes. I do. In my gut, I do think that. I told your father, even back then, that I wanted to run over there and scoop those kids up and bring them home with me. Of course, there was no legal reasoning to do that, and I hated that they had to stay there.”
My lip quivers. I wonder if Holden saw…I can’t even think about it.
“Well, damn,” is all I can say as I wipe a tear from my cheek. “I’m selfishly glad you didn’t, because then I would have been raised with Holden as a brother, and…yikes.”
She laughs at that and pats my hand. “Your father will struggle with this for a long time, my love. I hate that he took it out on you, and I told him as much. I saw the shame in his eyes, but whatever happened between those two men sparked an intense hatred and fierce protective instinct in your father. He’s going to need a lot of time.”
“That’s what Holden said,” I reply softly. “That he needs time.”
“Your husband is smart.” We’re quiet for a moment, and then she adds, “He’s also quite handsome.”
I grin at her. “I know. Damn it, I tried to not be affected by his chiseled jawline and hot blue eyes, but I failed miserably.”
Mom laughs again and sips the last of her tea. “No one could blame you. Not at all. Now, you need to stop worrying so much and trust that all of this is going to work out.”