Page 15 of Rex's Honor
“She wants me to forgive, forget, and erase the past,” Rex said. “My mother has this perception of what happened and can only see it from her eyes. She has always refused to see it from mine. How can she expect me to forgive her when she can’t see what her choices did to me and everyone else?”
“Don’t go getting all pissed off.” Kent held up his hand. “But maybe you only see this through your truth and not anyone else’s. I’m not saying what happened wasn’t shitty. And of course, your mother could have made more appropriate choices before having an affair. But her marriage isn’t any business of her children.”
Rex cocked his head. “Does that mean any woman you date doesn’t directly affect Elle?”
“Of course it does. She’s not an adult. There’s a big difference,” Kent said. “We all know I don’t date much because Elle’s needs are more important to me than my sex life.” He waggled his finger. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t have one. Or don’t want a girlfriend. And if I ever found the right woman, it would be a dance. Elle would probably like her right away and then hate her guts until she loved her. It’s how these things work. My point is you were put in a shitty situation. You were hurt and angry. But that was a long time ago. It’s time to make it right before you no longer can.”
Rex nodded.
“Daddy!” Elle called. “The boat’s all ready.”
“Time for me to go,” Kent said. “If you need another one of my amazing pep talks, you know how to reach me.”
“Enjoy your day.” Rex watched as Elle greeted her dad with big wide-open arms and a kiss.
Their relationship was pretty incredible, even if Kent was worse than a paranoid mother and his dating life was actually nonexistent.
Tilly smoothed down the front of her dress and sucked in a deep breath. She should have thought about what the morning after would have been like, especially when she woke up alone inhisbed.
“Are you ready?” he called from the deck, his suitcase in hand. “The traffic on ninety-five is going to be a bitch.”
She took his hand, climbing the steps in the same dress she’d shown up in. All she could hope for was that none of his friends would bear witness to her walk of shame. She chomped down on her lower lip. Since when did she care what anyone but her family thought?
“Mind if I drive your rental?” he asked.
“That depends.” She slipped her feet into her pumps and followed him down the dock. The sun shone bright in the morning sky as a few pelicans made their perch for the day on the tall dock posts. “Do you still drive like an old lady?” she asked, trying to ease the tension.
“I never drove slow, but you tended to drive like a racecar driver. Not to mention, you were the queen of tailgating.”
She snagged the keys to the mid-size sedan from her purse, tossing them to him. “I hate Florida drivers, so you can drive.”
Slipping in the back seat, she zipped open her overnight bag.
“What are you doing?”
“Changing my clothes,” she said, pulling out her jeans and designer blouse, along with her fancy sneakers. “Keep your eyes up front.”
He laughed, glancing in the rearview mirror as he pushed the shifter into reverse. “I saw you naked last night.”
“I’m serious.” She reached around her back, pulling down her zipper. Holding up her shirt, she slipped her arms out of her dress. As soon as he focused on the road in front of them, she shimmied out of her dress, pulling her top over her head and hiking up her jeans. She found her makeup case and climbed over the seat as he pulled out onto the highway. “Did I tell you we’ve got your father’s jet?”
“You neglected to tell me that little piece of information,” he said, handing her his phone. “Would you mind canceling my flight?”
“Why bother? You’re going to lose your money anyway.”
“Not on this airline.”
She snapped her head in his direction. “Since when do you fly a discounted airline?”
“Since I don’t live off my father’s money.”
She laughed. “Because you can afford an Absolute luxury yacht on your salary. Not to mention I saw a Harley Davidson Ultra Limited in the parking lot and Porsche, which were both your dream vehicles.”
He shook his head. “All right. I’ve used some of my trust, but I don’t live off it. I pay my own bills.”
“I’m just teasing you. I might have roughed it for a few years, but that didn’t stop Mommy and Daddy from sending me care packages with goodies, including a fancy coffee machine that I couldn’t use and donated to the local hospital.”
“You’ve always been a bit of a do-gooder.”
