Harmony's Healing (Downtown Book 2) (14 page)

“Me too,” I smile back. “I’ve missed your cooking,” I say in a jokingly way.

“Ha! Is that the only thing?” She crosses her arms and cocks her head to the side.

“Sure,” I shrug and take my last bite of the roast. “Missed my old room too.”

“Oh you!” She laughs and shoves my shoulder.

“No, seriously,” I chuckle, then wipe my lips with a napkin. “I’ve really missed you and being home. It’s good to be here.”

“I miss having you home too, but I am so proud of how your life is turning out. Though I don’t like how everyone is treating you.”

“Meaning
everyone
, you’re talking about the ones that like to tell stories and make up shit?”

“Language,” she scolds me. “...and yes, the media. I’ve been trying not to get sucked into the drama, Daniel, but this is all so new to me. I’m not used to seeing my boy being splashed all over the place. Especially being seen with a stripper.” She ends on that last word with such bitterness. I don’t want her thinking Harmony is trash.

“Mom, she’s not a stripper. She works at Faith’s hotel as a manager...she’s a good person,” I quietly argue.

Mom takes a drink of her mango margarita and nods her head. She usually doesn’t judge anyone until she’s met them, so I’m surprised she did just that with Harmony. But she quickly gets interested after I defend her. “What’s her name?”

“Harmony.”

She squints her eyes and gets suspicious without question. “You like this girl.”

“Yes, Mom, I do,” I finish off my beer and help clear the table off. I know she’s curious to find out more about Harmony, but since I haven’t got a clue myself about what the hell is happening between us, I end the conversation. “I’m gonna head into the shower. You want to watch some
Breaking Bad
on Netflix?”

“Sounds good. I’ll slice us up some peach pie, you go get cleaned up.”

The next day we went out and shopped for a Christmas tree, had some egg nog, played some holiday tunes and decorated the tree. Once we were done with the tree we watched
Ellen
and the debut of our band. Good fucking God I still cannot believe we were on that stage, and on that show. My mom was squeezing my hand and squealing like a teenager she was so ecstatic over it. It was a great show and I’ll never forget it. After the show was over I spoke with the guys and Lyric. They too were over the moon with elation. Lyric told me the local news stations wanted to do some interviews with me since I was home for the holidays, but she kindly turned them down. I was not home to do any shows. Then, later on in the week I helped put up the lights outside on the house and went for a secret trip to the mall to buy my mom a gift. She is always telling me not to buy her anything, yet I always do. I cannot have her wake up on Christmas morning with nothing to open. I hope by this time next year she’ll be waking up in a brand new house in a better neighborhood. Maybe I can convince her to move to San Diego to be near me? I really don’t know what’s holding her here besides her job.

While shopping, I come upon several jewelry stores. I look inside the windows and gaze at the shiny and bright diamond rings. My head slips into thinking about marriage and having a family. The only person I can think of spending the rest of my life with is Harmony. In such a short amount of time I can’t imagine being with anyone else. Why I feel such a strong connection with her is beyond me. She won’t let me talk to her, see her, or get close to her. Yet I still want to be with her. My eyes move away from the rings and land on a bracelet; single lined, diamond music notes that connect into a perfect piece of jewelry. It’s fucking beautiful and it reminds me of Harmony. There is no question. I have to buy it. Once I get my gifts I notice a few people are starting to recognize me, so I hurry the hell up and get home.

Christmas morning started out with Mom cooking up my favorite breakfast of cinnamon-French toast, eggs and bacon. I scarfed the food down and was ready to open presents. Mom gave me my yearly stock of underwear, socks, and t-shirts; a bottle of cologne, a stack of new bath towels, and a few dvd movies. I got her a pair of heart shaped, gold earrings, which she immediately put on, and a couple of scarves. She has an obsession with scarves, layering them with her blouses and t-shirts. Once we were finished with the presents I played some songs on the piano. Mom purchased an old baby grand piano when I was learning how to play as a young kid. She urged me to always practice and to fill our house with music. It’s been awhile since I’ve played, so getting my hands on the keys again excited me. Once I settle myself in my new apartment, I am definitely going to get myself a piano. My life is not complete unless I have music in it.

Presents have been opened, an early dinner has been eaten and the soft music in the background is playing as Mom and I lounge around. She’s resting with her eyes closed in her big comfy chair and her legs propped up on the matching ottoman while I lay on the couch, contemplating all the changes that have been happening in my life. Everything is finally falling into place, except for one thing - Harmony. She is always on my mind, and the fact that we haven’t communicated in nearly two weeks is killing me. I think about that music note bracelet, imagining giving it to her; she would hug me fiercely and then she would kiss me. After that I would put the bracelet on her delicate wrist and then demand her to get naked. I’d want her to lie down on my new king-sized bed and ravish her body until she came multiple times.

I snap out of my day dream and adjust the front of my jeans; I gave myself a hard-on. I hear a ping from my phone.
Sweet fuck, there must be a God
- Harmony sent me a text.

“Merry Xmas”
Damn.
Just from that one text puts a huge grin on my face.

I immediately text back.
“Merry Christmas. I’ve been worried about u, plus I miss talking and you listening.”
I do. I really do miss talking with her. She has helped me open up like I never thought I would have. She doesn’t respond right away and it’s driving me a bit crazy. I want to call her and hear her voice.

A minute later I receive another text.
“I miss u talking & me listening 2. I am so sorry I’ve been avoiding u. I’m ok. But I’m ready 2 talk this time, while u do the listening.”
She has no idea how fucking happy she just made me. I text her back and inform her I’ll be coming home in a couple days and she responds back with a smiley face.
I should send a selfie. Yeah, why not?
I send her a goofy selfie of myself, crossing my eyes and sticking out my tongue. She writes back,
“Hahahaha. U big dork. See u soon.”
See you soon - you bet your beautiful face I’ll see you soon.

As much as I have loved spending time with my mom, I really want to get home and see Harmony. I’m itching to have her in my arms again….that is if she’ll allow me to. I have no idea what is going on with her and Wayne, but I hope she’s ended things with him. I haven’t contacted Wayne my whole time back in Arizona. Maybe I should? I’ll just wait to talk with him once I’m back home, and I’ve had a chance to see Harmony.

Searching through my duffel bag I come across the letter and will. I hadn’t intended to wait this long to show my mom the letters. Honestly I’d forgotten about them. Although I don’t want to ruin my last day with her, I need her to see them.

My mom just finished cleaning the dinner dishes when I come back into the kitchen. I tell her I have something to talk to her about. She grabs a couple mugs and fill them with coffee. We head into the living room and take a seat on the couch. “I’m sorry I waited until after Christmas to show you these.” Her brows furrow as I hand the letters over to her. “I haven’t opened them. Not sure that I can.” I lean on my knees and hold my mug in between. My moms face becomes a bit pale. She places her coffee on the end table and rubs the envelopes like they’re a special gift. Yet she looks upset. “What’s wrong?”

Her voice hitches. “He left you something? Gordon put you in his will?” She’s just as surprised as I was when I had found out.

“I was surprised too,” I shrug.

She discards the will onto the coffee table and looks at the envelope that has the letter inside. She looks super worried. I am waiting for her to say something, she’s very quiet over this. “Daniel…...I have something to tell you.” She looks over at me with tears forming in her eyes. What the hell is wrong?

I get rid of the mug in my hand and place it next to the will. “Mom…..what?” My brows furrow. I am completely confused and getting worried that something is not right. She’s hiding something from me, I can feel it and I can see it in her eyes.

“I have a feeling whatever is in this letter…..it’s something I’ve kept from you since the day your dad had left,” her voice chokes at the end.

What is she talking about? Why can’t she just come out and tell me? I make her jump when I shout, “Will you please tell me!”

The tears leak from the corner of her eyes when she admits her deepest, darkest secret. “I was your father’s mistress.”

I AM SO TAKEN ABACK
by this statement, it feels as if the wind has been knocked out of me. I really hope I didn’t hear what I thought I had just heard. “What did you say?” Shaking my head to clear the confusion.

My mother is wringing her fingers together, obviously scared about my reaction. “I was the one who was having an affair with your father. We were never married.” Is this for real?
Fuck!
I didn’t want her confession to be anything like this. I can’t sit here and listen to this shit! I stand up from the couch and start pacing the living room. “Oh Daniel...I am so sorry,” she pleads with me.

“Why in the hell would you lie to me?” I shout at her.

Mom stands up as well and shouts back, “To protect you!”

“From what!” I throw my hands up. “From your own guilty conscience and to make me hate my own sister!”

“Now you listen to me, Daniel!” She moves up in my face, while I look down into hers. She is clearly angry at my sudden outburst. “That was your own doing. I told you years ago she wasn’t at fault, but you had it stuck in your head she was to blame. A child for Christ sake! You chose to be angry, to take your anger out on things that were out of your control, even though I told you over and over again it wasn’t her fault. If there is anyone to blame, it is me,” she points to her chest.

She’s right. I blamed an innocent kid and that’s on me, but I can’t even think straight right now, I’m so pissed off. “He was to blame too!”

“Yes, he was,” she says matter-of-factly.

I start pacing again, outraged with this crazy ass news. Learning that my mother had an affair with a married man sickens me. Yet why didn’t my dad just leave his wife, to be with my mom instead? Obviously they meant something to each other. “So, what happened? Why did he leave us? Why didn’t he just stay with us?”

“Because his other family came first, so I told him to leave and never come back; to leave us alone.”

“You what?” I spin around and scowl. This story just keeps getting more demented by the second. “You told him he couldn’t be in my life? To let me believe he didn’t love me?”

She takes a step toward me. “I thought my love would have been enough!”

“You thought wrong, Mom!” The house echoes with my shouting, I bet the whole neighborhood can hear me. “Goddamn, I can’t believe this! What else are you hiding from me, huh?!”

“Do not disrespect me, Daniel Jay Montgomery!” I haven’t heard her say my whole name since I was a child. To hear her say it again makes me cringe, and she can see it on my face. She knows how much I despise the Montgomery name. “I am still your mother, so don’t you dare speak to me as if I am the bad guy,” her voice cracks and her eyes tear up. “I put my heart and soul into raising you. I have loved you from the moment you were born. I don’t regret anything and will never regret keeping you away from that man! He was becoming ruthless and greedy. I couldn’t be with someone like that. Furthermore, my si - Faith’s mother needed him more than I needed him. Plus they were married.” I hear everything she has mentioned; Faith, and even Lucky told me how horrible Gordon was, but I didn’t want to believe it. Yet there is something else -
my mom stumbled upon a word.
“I didn’t want you growing up having people talk about you like you were a bastard. It would have ruined your life. I wanted to protect you.”