Page 76 of Beneath the Scars
“I’d throw something at you if I didn’t have a baby in my arms,” I grouse.
“What’s Addie up to today? And also, why are you here so early? Not that we aren’t grateful. We were both about to lose it there for a second,” Carson says.
“Yeah, it was really nice to have a break for a bit.” Ginny’s cheeks heat as Carson gives her a dirty smirk.
I keep my laugh inside. Ginny wouldn’t appreciate me laughing at her embarrassment. I’m glad I could help them reconnect though. It seemed like things were about to get a little too tense.
“Addie is meeting with Zane today to talk about everything that happened. She’s ready to forgive him and move on. Coward that I am, I couldn’t be around while she did that. Figured I’d come see how you guys were holding up.”
It’s been two weeks since the revelation of my half brother’s return, and I still don’t know what I want to do about it. I don’t begrudge Addie’s readiness to forgive. He was her best friend for a long time, and in the end, he kept his connection to me a secret because he’d chosen to keep her as a friend rather than reconnecting with me. It was a little short-sighted, I suppose, but I would also do whatever it took to keep Adalaide in my life.
“It’s not cowardice if you’re not ready to talk to him,” Ginny says softly.
“My therapist said the same thing. It’s been tough to separate the past from the present. He brings up a lot of things I thought I’d put behind me.”
“Is he still staying with Levi and Hope?” Carson asks.
“Yeah. He might’ve lied, but he didn’t do anything truly wrong. He’s a good guy who doesn’t deserve half the shit he’s had to deal with these past few months.”
“You’ve handled this whole situation with more grace than most people would’ve,” Ginny says. “We’re really proud of you, Michael.”
I smile at my best friends, uncomfortable with their praise. “I’ve already tamed your wild child. You don’t have to keep buttering me up.”
They both laugh as I hoped they would. Ginny’s phone rings a few minutes later, her twin’s face filling the screen.
“Are you guys busy?” Gia asks without preamble.
“Nope. Carson and I are watching Michael take care of our daughter right now. What’s up?”
“I’m going to come back to that topic later.” Gia laughs. “I think I found something in Victoria’s journal.”
“Then we’d better gather the gang.”
“I’ll call Lottie and Teddy, you find Ryan, and we’ll all meet up at your place?”
“On it,” Ginny confirms before hanging up. She dials Ryan immediately, who happily accepts our invitation for a break from working on admin stuff at the shop.
Before long, everyone has found a seat in Carson and Ginny’s living room. Gia has pages of notes laid out on the coffee table, her face brighter than I’ve seen it in a while. Maybe this was what she needed to get out of her funk.
Ginny has taken Nina from me, snuggling her daughter into the crook of her neck. I oddly miss the weight of her in my arms.
I meant what I said to Addie earlier. I’d like to have kids of my own someday. I want the chance to give them everything I didn’t have. Even after Todd and Megan adopted me, I couldn’t enjoy my freedom for all the trauma I still had to overcome. And while I might’ve been able to move forward, it will always be a part of me. I’m grateful Adalaide is fully aware of that fact and wants to be with me regardless.
Gia’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts. “I took photos of Victoria’s journal entries and printed them out so I could make notes in the margins. I also used different highlighters to signify different topics: Colin, our mystery man, the repeated phrases from the letters, and things I wanted to research later. Some of this might’ve gotten lost in translation. She has a veryfrilly way of writing that I can’t be sure isn’t just part of the time instead of something meaningful.”
“I had the same issue when I noticed the repeated phrases,” Ginny adds.
“However, I think I found the identity of our mystery man.”
“Way to bury the lede!” Lottie exclaims.
Gia grins, pleased by her theatrics. She pulls out a few pages from her stacks. “I’m not positive, because she only names him once, but it’s the only logical conclusion I’ve found.”
Lottie takes the offered page and reads it aloud. “‘Mother has abandoned all sense of decorum as spring has begun to bloom. She’s in a frenzy over her gardens appearing drab. Never have I seen such a multitude of staff around our home, the majority of whom are bandying about without proper instruction. I shall have to take charge eventually. Mother is lost to her insanity, and her capability to lead is diminished. Perhaps benefits abound in the duty. Edward makes a fine gardener.’”
“It’s not much to go on,” Gia hedges. “But I don’t think she’d have come right out and said she had the hots for a gardener. Especially if she was betrothed to Colin.” She flips through other pages with green highlights. “But she makes several mentions of walking through the gardens and that she’s starting to fall for her companion. I think her hope was that if someone were to read her entries, they’d think she was talking about Colin instead of someone below her station.”
“It would make sense,” Ryan says. “One of the phrases that was used frequently was ‘the peony is about to bloom.’ It wouldn’t be a stretch to think someone familiar with flowers would use it as code.”
