Page 5 of Wild Ever After
“Riley…”
“Mom is going out tonight with some people from work. They’re throwing her a little party at one of the pubs.”
“How did they manage that?”
“Threats.”
“Has she changed that much?” he asked, his heart hurting for the pain his Bella had suffered.
“She keeps to herself a lot. She’ll go out to dinner or a movie, but she’s not close with people. She doesn’t have a network of friends like she did back home. There are a couple of teachers at the college, but…”
“So, getting her to go to this pub…?”
“Professor Wallace had to work at it.”
“I see.”
“You really do plan to come up?”
“I’m already in the air.”
“Dad?”
“Yeah, Pumpkin?”
“You didn’t know that woman was going to do what she did last year, did you? You didn’t know she was going to say those things and release those pictures, right?”
Harry’s throat closed briefly before he could get air to pass through. Noah had asked similar questions, but Aaron and Riley had kept their thoughts to themselves, except to wonder how he could hurt their mother the way he did. Both in play and in the form of a public scandal.
“No. I didn’t know. Not until it was too late.”
“Mom still won’t talk about it.”
“I’ll have to see what I can do about that this weekend. I can’t put the family back together if she won’t talk to me.”
“I still think you should let me tell her you’re coming.”
“No.”
Riley sighed again and it was the cutest sound, one she always made when she didn’t get her way. She was going to be a handful for any man who tried to tame her. “I’ll be here tonight when she tosses you out on your ear.”
Harry snorted. “Always so supportive. Thank you, Ry. I’ll see you soon.”
She was right about one thing. If he went to Bella’s place, she could very well toss him out and he wouldn’t be able to do a damn thing about it.
Looked like he would be getting a drink and meeting some of her friends at a bar instead.
