Page 94 of The Grizzly Situation
“Anton and I live in California, on a ranch. We have two girls, Madeleine and Gentry. I’ve told them all about you, and they’d love to meet you at some point.”
Brent turned and pulled her to his chest. “Mom, I’m so sorry. I hated you for so long, because I believed his lies. He said you never wanted to see me, and when you left you were glad to be away from us.”
She squeezed him harder. “I’d kill him if I could,” she snarled.
“Did you leave him for Anton?” I asked.
“What? No!” She sounded horrified. “I would have stayed with him for Brent, but he wouldn’t have it. He said I was tainted and that no one would ever want me. Even though I hadn’t been with anyone else, I believed him. It took about five years for Anton to talk me into giving him a chance, because I hoped one day to get my son back.”
It was quiet then, and I didn’t find it at all soothing. My mind was racing, worrying about Brent, his mother, how this would affect their relationship going forward. And, maybe, hating his father a little bit, which made me feel bad. I never wanted to hate anyone, and now this dead bastard had tainted my heart, even if only planting the seed.
Strong arms surrounded me and pulled me close. “Let it go, baby. He’s dead and can’t hurt us anymore.”
“He made me hate,” I whispered, the pain of that thought radiating throughout me.
“That was his superpower, I think,” Brent said softly. “And he made it so easy to do.”
“He did,” Bea confirmed. “Could I convince the two of you to have some lunch with me? I’d love a chance to talk some more, if you’re willing.”
I wasn’t sure how Brent would answer. Today he’d had a festering boil of pain and betrayal lanced, and all of it was seeping out of him.
“I’d like that,” he said. “Uly? Would you come too?”
“Well, you have the keys to the plane, so where you go, I go.”
We all laughed over that, and some of the tension bled away. Not enough, but maybe it was a start.
BRENT
“Brent was such a spirited child,”Bea said, sipping her latte. “There weren’t many other children around, and Gavin kept him pretty much locked up in the house. So he’d make up games with imaginary friends. They’d play tag or hide and seek. It broke my heart to watch, and I tried to talk to Gavin many times about it, but he always dismissed my concerns.”
I remembered that. A vague recollection of running around the mansion, being told I had to be quiet because that asshole was working. I recalled Mom doing her best to play with me, but him cutting that short and making her go do something else. I always believed that my hatred started much later, but I’d hated him even back then, I just didn’t understand what hate was.
My whole life I was certain of things. Chaim and Benjy were my only real friends. My father hated me. My mother abandoned me. I was bullied. I seethed in my anger, and it grew. Only Chaim’s words about being kind brought me back to an even keel. Then I met Jenna and she showed me what love was. How to live in the moment and let go of the past. I was mostly successful, and then the boys were born and my life took an entirely new direction. I grew. I loved. I became the man I was proud of.
And now? I was back to that place of loathing. I wanted to dig up that bastard’s grave and torch his body. Uly must have known, because he took my hand under the table and gripped it tight.
My mom wasn’t like I remembered her. She wasn’t the scared rabbit I recalled, but had become a vibrant woman, sure of her place in the world. Whoever this Anton was, he’d done her a world of good. Like Uly had done for me.
“He’s an amazing adult,” Uly said. He told her about our meeting, about tracking him down to offer him a job, despite the fear he had that he would never be good enough for anyone. And, he says, I showed him how wrong he was. He told her how he discovered about bear shifters, and she laughed at the idea of finding two bears behind his legs when he woke up.
I had a feeling that she and I would move beyond this. We would stitch together the family. And we would prosper again.
I couldn’t wait for that to happen.
Chapter Twenty-Five
EPILOGUE: TEN YEARS LATER
ULY
“Happy anniversary, Uly!”
I turned to find Amelia coming into the room, a small slice of cake with a candle on it glowing faintly. She was all smiles as she swept in and set the plate down in front of me.
“Thank you,” I said.
Why I was so choked up, I don’t know. She’d been warm and welcoming since the day I moved into the mansion, and not one thing had changed in the last ten years. After Brent and I married, she’d been nothing but sweet and friendly. She’d also been very affectionate, constantly hugging me, telling me she’s glad I’m here, and showering me with compliments.
