Honest Betrayal (44 page)

He saw his mother staring at him as though she could read his thought. He grew awkward and took his hands out of his pockets. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like something drink?”

“Yes.”

“How about something to eat?”

“No, thank you.”

“So you’re sure you don’t want anything?”

“I want a lot of things, but right now all I want is to talk to you. You’ve become a fine young man.”

He felt his ears burn, and then became annoyed that her praise mattered to him. “Thank you.”

“So what did they tell you about me?”

Hunter sat down rubbing his hands against his trousers. “Does it matter?”

“You’re not even curious?”

“No.”

“I’m sure it’s because they’ve said horrible things and you’re afraid they’re all true. Well, they probably are. Yes, I was Orson’s mistress. I’m not proud of that, but he gave me the attention I desperately needed and he was a very determined man. He wanted me and he got me. He was so charismatic and in charge. Your poor father didn’t have a chance. No matter how he tried he couldn’t measure up to Orson’s rigid standards.”

“Did you know—?”

“That he was gay?” she guessed.  “No, not originally. Then one day Orson insulted him and hinted to the fact. We should have divorced then, but we decided to fool ourselves. We convinced ourselves that we could live with the charade. When I got pregnant, that was the beginning of the end. He knew the child wasn’t his.”

“He said he hated me the moment he saw me.”

“He also hated himself. Ultimately, it was the choice he made that destroyed him. The choices we all made. Lionel died because of my indiscretion, Curtis’ spirit slowly crumbled because of his secret and Orson’s choice to rule us caused his downfall. Even Ruby made a fateful choice. She married Curtis for the status and riches and paid the price of keeping secrets. There’s a certain freedom in living truthfully. It’s not easy, but it’s worth the risk.”

“They told me you were crazy.”

She laughed. “I was for a time. It took me a long time to crawl out of the abyss. I had to find myself again.”

“For years I’ve been trying to live up to a lie. It seemed everyone kept expecting me to fail and now I know why. There was no way to succeed.”

“You’ve forged your own path. You threatened Orson even when you were young. You had a will all your own. Only you could have broken the ties the way you did.”

They talked for hours, getting reacquainted, getting past the lies. They didn’t try to recapture the years lost but instead built a foundation for the years to come. Eventually, she had to go. They exchanged addresses and phone numbers then Hunter walked her to her car. He hugged her again this time without reservations, and then watched her go. She was no longer either a goddess or demon, but an ordinary woman. Someone he would like to have in his life.

Brenna arrived home an hour later.

 Hunter pretended to focus on an action movie on the TV. “How was your meeting?”

“It was great.”

“Good. What was it about?”

“Oh, nothing interesting.”

“You sure left in a hurry.”

“Yes,” she said vaguely. “Well, there was something that needed to be addressed.”

“Oh.”

She affected a casual tone. “So what did you do?”

“I read some magazines then watched a movie.”

“That’s it? Nothing happened?”

“No.”

“No one called or stopped by?”

He turned to her curious. “Were you expecting someone?”

“No, no I just…well I’m glad you had a quiet evening.”

She headed for the bedroom looking depressed. Hunter slapped his forehead as though he’d forgotten something. “Oh, there is one thing. My mother stopped by.”

She picked up a pillow and threw it at him. “You jerk! You knew I was waiting to hear that.”

He laughed. “I couldn’t resist. Since you wanted to be clever I thought I’d respond in kind.”

She sat beside him eager to hear the details. “How did it go?”

“Next time I want you to be here.”

She clapped her hands, thrilled. “There’s going to be a next time?”

“Probably.” He rested an arm behind her head. “How did you find her?”

“Daniel’s grandmother. She knew all about her brother’s secrets and helped me track your mother down. It wasn’t as hard as I thought.” She looked down at her hands, a sly smile toying with her lips. “Now if I remember correctly you have a gift for me.”

He clasped his hands behind his head, stretched out his legs and stared at the TV. “I’ve changed my mind.”

She unbuttoned his shirt. “You’d better change your mind back or else.”

He glanced at her a glint of amusement in his gaze. “Or else what?”

“Or else I’ll stay married to you for the next fifty years.”

He retrieved the box and handed it to her. “Make it sixty.” He sat down and rested his arm on her shoulders. “We tend to live long in my family and I’d hate for you to go before me.”

She sat there stunned, surprised by his words. “Do you love me?”

His eyes caressed her face. “I could no sooner name all the stars in the sky than tell you how much I love you.”

“I love you to.”

“Yes, I know. Even though I’m not your Prince Charming.”

“That’s true.”

His brows furrowed. “What do you mean by that?”

“Byron was my Prince Charming, but I needed a real man.”

He frowned. “I’m not sure I approve of that statement.”

“Too bad.”

He groaned. “I knew the moment I walked into your office you’d ruined my life. There was nobody else for me, but you.”

“You’re a perfect match.”

“Are you going to open the box?”

“It’s a carousel, isn’t it?”

His eyes widened. “How did you know?”

“Because you always give me what I need.”

In one motion, she was in his arms and his lips were on hers. Her body tingled with a bottomless feeling of joy.  She felt the power and strength of his love and returned it in kind. She cupped the side of his face. “My own true love.”

***

A year later they welcomed Martin Randolph who decided to arrive two weeks early on a winter day. The year after that during a summer rain they welcomed Edward Randolph.

In the hospital room, Brenna noticed Edward’s left leg was a little bent and felt a tinge of sadness. Hunter, however, balanced Martin on his lap while he held his second son with pride silently vowing to be all that his father couldn’t be to him. With eyes full of joy and a voice full of amazement he said, “He’s perfect.”

The End

More Books by Dara

Now available in ebook format

Table for Two

Gaining Interest

The Henson Brothers (Table for Two and Gaining Interest omnibus)

The Sapphire Pendant

The Daughters of Winston Barnett

About the Author

National bestselling author Dara Girard, began her writing career at the age of six with a ball point pen and her mother's diary. Fortunately, her mother loved the story so much her daughter escaped punishment. Writing on the walls, however, got her grounded. Dara loves to travel, eat French pastries and hear from readers.

Visit
www.daragirard.com
to contact the author and find out more about her current and upcoming books.