Page 115 of Liars and Liaisons

“Sometimes, when he disappeared for weekends at a time, I’d just sit up all night and pray that he was out having affairs rather than spending our money.”

Her laugh this time is sad, hollow, and I put my head back on her chest. Laurel scoots closer, his wet nose touching mine.

“Imagine my surprise when that prayer actually seemed to work, and suddenly, your father was coming home, smelling like Chanel No. 5.”

Finally, she sighs, twisting out from under me so she can look into my eyes when she speaks.

“I found out I was pregnant with Alec around the same time Kallum’s mother did. I didn’t… your father insisted he didn’t want anything to do with the baby because he loved me and didn’t want his mistake to define him for the rest of his life.” She blows out a breath, wringing her hands together. “But it wasn’t right to just abandon that boy. So, I contacted your grandfather, aware that there was a hefty trust he’d set up many years before, and asked him to transfer it into Kallum’s name.”

I blink. A part of the reason Kal reached out to me as an adult was an attempt at giving me some of that money from our grandfather. I’d always just figured the man hated my brothers and me and gave it to Kal to spite our family.

“And I tried to make it right. I tried…” She breaks off on a small sob, tears springing to her eyes. Sniffling, she wipes them away and shakes her head. “I’ve never forgiven myself for allowing your father to turn that boy away. Not as a baby and not as a thirteen-year-old, grieving the loss of his mother. I tried to find him after that, but the people he lived with… they wouldn’t allow contact. The woman, his foster mother or something, threatened to have me scalped if I attempted to intervene in his life again, so I sort of gave up, hoping he’d come around one day.”

As if summoned, like Death himself, Kal appears in the open doorway. Watching the two of us, the dark night rippling off of him like an aura of shadows. He doesn’t say anything, and I wonder how much of this he heard.

“Ihopedthat you’d find him, Violet. Or that he’d find you. I didn’t care how it happened, but I knew that if someone was going to bridge this family together… it’d be you.” She smiles, reaching out to kiss my forehead, and then slides off the bed.

Her gaze stays on Kal, even as she approaches the door, and I note the complete lack of fear or trepidation in his presence. As if she doesn’t see the man he grew into, the criminal he’s rumored to be, and instead thinks of the child he was.

The one who only ever wanted a family.

He steps to the side, clearing a path for her. After a short pause, she nods, dropping her chin and exiting the room.

Kal takes a few seconds, staring off into space before entering.

His hands are stuffed in the pockets of his suit pants, and he glances slowly around the room, raising his brows at the dead potted plants near the balcony and the bloodstained clothes in the corner of the room.

“A little depressing, don’t you think?”

I nod, running my hand down Laurel’s back. He flips over, presenting his belly, and I give him a couple of solid scratches, watching his tail thump enthusiastically.

“Agreed. If I have to stay here, it needs a definite overhaul. Any suggestions?”

He makes a face, like he’s surprised I’m asking for his opinion. “I’m not much of an interior decorator.”

Shrugging, I press my lips together. “Guess I’ll just have to drag Elena and the girls out with me one day for a family shopping spree. I bet they have great taste.”

A small, almost-imperceptible smirk tugs at one corner of his lips. Like he understands the olive branch being extended and doesn’t care about the past, so long as the future looks brighter.

Forgiveness is mostly for us after all.

Later, most of the people at the South House have left or gone to their respective beds, after ensuring there are no more psychos lurking in the shadows—at least not the malevolent kind. My mother takes up residence in the room across from mine, and I go in search of the reason I’m still here at all.

I find him sitting outside by the pool, his pants rolled to his knees and legs dangling over the edge. He stares down at his reflection, brutally silent, as if soaking in the serenity after the excruciating day we’ve had.

Dropping down beside him, I kick off my slippers and drape my feet over the edge. The water is warm and soothing as small waves stroke my calves.

Grayson doesn’t look at me. “Everyone gone?”

“Yep. Your mother took Priya and Sydney back to the mainland, and Kal went home to his family. My mom, Cora, and Alistair are in their rooms. I don’t want to think about what Cora and Alistair are doing, so please don’t ask.”

He smiles, but the gesture doesn’t reach his eyes. It’s wooden, and given that I’ve only gotten one or two smiles from the man in the first place, it’s completely unsettling.

“Nate wasn’t always like that,” he says finally. “We used to get along. Used to even be…friends. Our father loved pitting us against each other, but I never thought…” Sighing, he shakes his head. “And my mother and Priya helping keep Sydney right under my nose? In myhome? After faking her death, all because she was afraid of my dad. Janus working with them, my father trying to kill me,hurtingyou—”

“Hey.” I nudge him with my shoulder, kicking my feet in the water. “I’mfine.”

“I wouldn’t blame you if you never wanted me to touch you again.”

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