Page 46 of My One
“She knew that, honey.” Edna patted my hand. “But leaving would have caused more pain, and your father wouldn’t have let her have anything.”
“Except they were married. There has to be some law or something that ensures he couldn’t have hung her out to dry,” Nic stated.
“Yes, but Doug would have prolonged the divorce for years, and since Denise was getting older, she felt it was easier to stay.”
“I would have provided for her,” I whispered.
“She knew that too, but she wanted to protect you.”
“Protect me from what?”
“She told me there are things you don’t know,” Edna replied.
“What things?” I asked.
Edna shrugged. “She wouldn’t tell me.”
“She mentioned something about hiding things from me in her letter.” I looked over at Nicole, and she arched a brow.
“How do we find out what she was hiding?” Nic asked.
“Some things people take to their graves, honey,” Edna replied.
We finished our drinks with Edna, and Nic and I walked back across the street. We’d gone to Edna’s for clarity, and now I was even more confused. My entire life, I knew my father wore the pants in the family, but I thought that was because he was the breadwinner. My mother never worked a day in her life that I knew of. I never realized that the control had gone as far as it apparently had. What father would prevent a mother from going to her son’s wedding?
So many more questions swirled in my head as I opened the door to my parents’ house. The moment I took in the stark-white living room, I crumpled to the floor, tears streaming down my face. For so long I didn’t feel love from my parents, but in reality, it was my father alone who didn’t love me.
My last message to my mother came flooding back to me. I was angry, pissed, and fuming. I was hurting. And I’d had no idea that my mother was hurting too.
And I would never be able to fix it.
Ishut the door behind me. When I turned around, I saw Avery crouched on the hardwood floor, sobbing. I moved to him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders as his sobs shook his entire body.
“I’m here,” I whispered.
No words came from Avery’s lips, just more weeping. I’d had a feeling that it was only a matter of time before he broke.
“Just let it out.”
I didn’t know what else to say. His father had apparently prevented his mother from being in his life. I couldn’t even imagine. My parents were like my best friends. My father was the one who helped me realize that Avery was the man for me. How could Avery’s dad be so cruel? And why? I was glad I’d never met the guy. If I had, I probably would have given him a piece of my mind.
We stayed on the floor for a long time. I didn’t know how long, but by the time his tears stopped, my knees were sore from kneeling on the hardwood floor. “Do you want me to drive us back to the room?” I offered.
“I just need time to think,” Avery replied, wiping his tears.
“Let’s get you off the floor and onto the couch then.”
“What the fuck is up with all the white?” he snapped as he stood.
“I don’t know, baby.” I really didn’t. Based on what I’d recently learned about his mother, maybe it was the way she viewed life without her son. The thought crushed me. My life had brightened the moment I met Avery on our first cruise, and I couldn’t imagine him not in it.
Avery sighed and fell backward onto the couch. “I’m just going to stay here.”
“Okay. I’m going to see if there’s water or something in the fridge.”
I left Avery and went into the kitchen. Doug Scott was probably rolling in his grave at the sight of his son laying on his couch—touching his property—in his house. I was actually smiling at the thought as I opened the fridge. Fuck his dad. I’d assumed I was going to get us bottles of water, but then I saw a bottle of Stella and decided that my husband needed a beer. We’d both had a drink with Edna, and I knew Avery needed more than a beer, but that would come later when we were back in the hotel room.
When I walked back into the living room, Avery had his arm across his face as though he was shielding the light from his eyes.
