Page 39 of Fury

“Okay, so when Dad read the riot act, you did everything you could to stop him, right?”

“It was a hard decision,” snaps Dianna. “We didn’t know what to do, and we agonised over it for hours. But in the end, we had to put you first.”

“Putting me first would’ve meant keeping Reese with us.”

“We didn’t know the rules on it all,” says Dianna desperately. “We didn’t know if it would all come out and affect our fostering chances.”

“Oh god, so you sent him away because you didn’t want to mess up your clean record?”

“That’s not true,” Dianna yells angrily. “I loved that boy like my own.”

I hang my head and take a few deep breaths. I’ve never felt parental love like I did when I lived with Dianna, and her words are a painful reminder of everything I lost.

“I loved him,” Xanthe screams, and my head shoots up in surprise. “And you sent him away and broke my heart.” She bursts into tears, and I grab her hand, gently squeezing it.

Dianna fights to hold her tears in. “I hated myself,” she whispers. “And if I could change it, I would.”

“It’s in the past,” I state. “I didn’t mean to come back and cause problems.” I push to stand, releasing Xanthe’s hand. “Again.”

“Where are you going?” Xanthe sniffles.

“Finish your dinner. I’m gonna wait outside.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“It was good to see you again, Dianna. Sorry for the trouble.”

I head for the door. “Wait,” Dianna demands, and I pause, turning back. “Let me explain, please.”

I sigh heavily. It’s been a rough day and I’m exhausted, but the plea in her eyes has me nodding in agreement. She points to my seat, so I lower back into it. “I tried to keep you,” she admits. “I knew Xanth would be heartbroken, and I argued with Mack over the decision. I hate to put the blame on him when he can’t defend himself, but he was adamant it wouldn’t work. I wanted to wait and see, but he was worried you’d both fall out and things would get ugly.” She sighs heavily. “I told him that young love was messy, and if you didn’t break her heart, someone else would. But she was his baby girl, and he wanted to protect her. He felt you’d disrespected us by sneaking around.”

“It wasn’t his fault,” says Xanthe.

“It’s fine,” I cut in.

“No, it’s not,” she snaps. “Mum, I wouldn’t take no for an answer. I liked him and I wanted to be with him. He said no because he liked living with us. He didn’t want to risk it.”

Dianna smiles. “I knew it would be down to you and your demanding ways.”

“If I’d have known what would happen, I would’ve waited.”

“And if I’d have known how much you liked one another, I’d have fought harder.” She brings her eyes to me. “I’m so sorry if you felt abandoned.” Her voice breaks, and a sob escapes her. She slaps her hand over her mouth. “It haunted me for years after. When I knew you’d run off, it broke my heart, and Mack’s. He was racked with guilt.”

I reach a hand over the table and take hers. Knowing the truth feels good, like a weight is lifted. “I’m sorry too. I should’ve come to you and talked about it.”

“The past is the past,” she states, using her free hand to wipe her tears away. “What’s important is the future, and I hope you’ll stick around so we can get to know you again.”

I give a nod, and she smiles wide. “And maybe . . . with you both being single . . .”

“Mum,” Xanthe screeches, “stop.”

“I’m just saying that maybe some things are meant to be.”

Xanthe

We finishdinner while Fury tells Mum all about boxing. I sit back and listen to how animated and passionate he is, wondering why we haven’t talked about any of that. Apart from all the drama, I know nothing about his life now. I make a mental note to spend the next couple days putting that right.

We spend an hour with Mum before it’s time to head off. Fury drives us to the clubhouse, and once we park up, I turn to him. “I’m terrified,” I admit.

---