Page 74 of My One
“Doug and Denise were college sweethearts, just like Jane and I were. We all attended UCLA before Doug went to medical school. Everything was perfect. We were the best of friends. When we graduated, Doug and Denise were engaged to get married, so were Jane and I, but instead of going through UCLA’s medical program, Doug got into Harvard. Your mom didn’t want to move to where it snowed, but they worked it out so that she’d stay in California. All was well until your mom met a man named Avery Moore.”
“We know about him too,” Nicole indicated.
Jimmy continued. “They fell madly in love, and she got pregnant with you. Doug had no idea that she was seeing another man. Denise didn’t know what to do because she was already engaged to Doug. They’d been together for so long, that she decided to end the relationship with Avery. Doug wasn’t the wiser about her being pregnant.”
“But he found out,” I stated.
Jimmy nodded. “It wasn’t until he found a letter from Avery when you were a kid that everything went down.”
“Why didn’t Denise stay with the man who got her pregnant?” Easton asked.
Jimmy shrugged and looked at Jane. “We don’t really know,” Jane admitted. “I know she loved Avery more than Doug, but something made her stay. I always thought it was because of money and giving young Avery a good life. The other Avery lived in Thousand Oaks, and maybe Denise thought if he were out of sight, she wouldn’t pine for him. But she did. I saw it in her all the time.”
“Okay, but why did Doug stay with Denise after finding out she cheated on him?” Nic asked.
“Because he’s an asshole,” Jane whispered as she rolled her eyes.
“I don’t understand,” I admitted. “My mom cheated on him, and he’s the asshole?”
Jimmy took a deep breath. “He was an up and coming plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills and cared more about what people would say about him than just getting a divorce.”
“But Avery died?” Easton asked.
“Ironically, Avery died in a car accident,” Jimmy advised.
My mouth fell open, and our friends sucked in a breath. “Really?” Brooke questioned.
A tear slid down Jane’s face. “We think Doug killed him.”
“Why do you think that?” Easton queried.
“Because the night Doug found out about Avery, was the same night Avery Senior died in the crash,” Jimmy stated.
“But the police said there was no foul play,” Jane clarified.
“Maybe it was just a coincidence?” I suggested, looking around the table to gain everyone’s assessment.
Jane shook her head. “At the time of the accident, Doug was nowhere to be found.”
“Still could have been a coincidence,” Brooke said.
“We thought that at first,” Jimmy explained. “But each day Doug became angrier and angrier. One night he threatened Denise and told her that he’d do the same to her that he’d done to Avery.”
My chest tightened. “Why did she stay with him after that?”
“Fear,” Jane stated. “She stayed because she wasn’t sure what he’d do to you if something were to happen to her.”
“So he started to resent me because I wasn’t his?” I asked.
“Yes,” Jimmy confirmed.
“Why didn’t you two do something?” Easton questioned.
“What could we do?” Jane countered. “It wasn’t like we could hide Denise and Avery.”
“Why not go to the cops? Get a restraining order?” Brooke probed.
“Because a piece a paper can’t prevent a bullet or a knife from killing or hurting someone.” Jane looked at me. “She wanted to stay because you were getting older and would be in college and out of the house in a few years.”
