Nothing about my parents talking calmly in the same house was normal. He had ripped my mother’s life apart and sent Amanda into a depression when he’d gotten Tawny pregnant and run off with her. Now, four years later, he’s hanging out in the house I grew up in like this was totally okay. It wasn’t f**king okay.
“Fine,” he replied, and turned to follow my mother back into the living room.
I watched as my dad did exactly as my mother said.
Beyond confused, I went into the living room.
“Sit down, Marcus,” my mother said, pointing to the sofa across from the one she and my father had sat down on.
“No, Mom, I think I’ll stand,” I replied, shoving my hands into my pockets and staring at my parents like they were aliens. Which was how they were currently acting.
“Jeff, you start,” Mother said, and leaned back, crossing her legs. She was completely composed.
“Tawny and I were getting a divorce. She had . . .” He stopped and looked at my mother, who nodded for him to continue. Then he turned his attention back to me. “She had found out I was coming here the nights I got home late. I admitted to her that she was a mistake I had made during a hard time in my marriage. I wasn’t in love with her. Larissa was the only reason we were together.” Dad held up his hands and shrugged like this was okay. “She took it well. She said she hated being married and trying to live up to the expectations set by your mother. Not that she ever came close. She wanted out too. She agreed to joint custody of Larissa. She was thrilled over it, although she tried to hide it. I had the paperwork drawn up and everything was going smoothly. Until she found out yesterday that the prenup she had signed said that if we have joint custody of Larissa, she will not get child support. I will take care of all Larissa’s needs, but I won’t give Tawny money. It also states that she doesn’t get anything—no money at all from me. I told her that I would leave her the house in Mobile because I wanted Larissa to have a safe home when she was with her mother. Tawny screamed that she needed more than that and didn’t want to be stuck in that house in Mobile.” When he stopped, my mother reached over and wrapped one of her perfectly manicured hands around his. As if this were some insane dream, my father opened his palm and threaded his fingers through my mother’s. What the f**k?
I pointed at him, then at my mother. “Are you saying . . . that you’ve been here like BEEN here?” I asked, my voice raised.
Mother looked almost guilty, and my father squeezed her hand. “Yes, Marcus. That’s what I mean. I’ve been in love with your mother for the largest portion of my life. When work stress got to me and I was working more than I was at home, I made a mistake that would have destroyed most families. But your mother was there for you kids. She kept the three of you together and helped you heal.”
I stared at my mother. “And you’re just . . . letting him back in?” I asked, remembering the days I had held her while she cried and I swore I would hate my father for the rest of my life.
“I didn’t let him in easily, if that’s what you’re thinking. He worked for it for a while. But I love your father. A small portion of what happened was my fault too. I had neglected his needs and put my organizations above him. I’m not giving him an excuse, because what he did wasn’t excusable, and I swore I’d never forgive him. But I have found that when you love someone, you can forgive just about anything. Eventually.”
This time I sat down. I needed a minute.
“This isn’t how we wanted you or Amanda to find out. We were going to go through with the divorce and slowly ease you both into having family dinners where I attended. We intended to be careful with your emotions and let you accept it over time. However, Tawny decided to run off, so everything changed.”
“So you’re still married to her?” I asked, looking at my parents’ hands still joined.
“No. She left the signed divorce papers on the kitchen table with a note that she couldn’t take Larissa. And that was it. Nothing else.”
Shit. How was the woman I adored more than life related to this heartless bitch? It was a question I had asked myself more than once over the years.
“Larissa is going to come stay here. With us,” my mother said, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“What?” I asked, again thrown into shock.
Mother tilted her head and leveled her eyes at me. “You know I love that child. Once I got over everything, I started letting Amanda bring Larissa around. I’ve grown attached. She needs a mother right now, and I intend to give her the love she needs. If Amanda is okay with it, I’m going to turn her room into Larissa’s. My hope is Tawny will grow up and come back to be a part of her daughter’s life. But until that day comes, I will be this little girl’s mother. She laughs like my own baby girl did once, and when she smiles she looks just like the daughter-in-law I love dearly. She even has Willow’s mannerisms. And then I see your father in her too. Nothing about that little girl isn’t lovable.”
Larissa was charming. But my mother was willing take her in? And love her? Holy shit, the woman really was a saint. I’d always put my mother on a pedestal, but now I saw that she deserved it. Shaking my head, I stood up. I needed to go home and talk to Low. She would help me deal with all this.
“I can’t . . . I just . . . I need to go,” I said, then turned and walked to the door.
“I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry that I lost myself and that I put too much on you as you were growing up. I messed up, Marcus. I’m sorry, Son. But I do love you, and I am so damn proud of the man you’ve become. You have a wonderful mother.”
I stopped and turned to look at him. I needed to say this, and I needed to say it now before I let this fester until I blew up.
“Cherish her, then. For the rest of your goddamn life you’d better cherish that woman. If you ever hurt her again, you won’t get a third chance. I’ll make sure you don’t get much of anything. I was a kid when you left her last time. I’m a grown man now, and you’d better not f**k this up.”
I didn’t wait for him to speak. I left the house.
Willow
Larissa was tucked in tight on the bottom bunk of Eli’s bunk bed. She had been asleep for the past ten minutes. Eli, on the other hand, was just now finally giving up and closing his little eyes. I knew he was waiting on Marcus, and I tried everything I could to get him to go on to sleep. But he was determined to kiss his daddy good night.
The front door opened and closed, and Eli’s little eyes snapped back open. He looked at me with a sleepy smile. “Daddy’s home?”
I nodded. “Yeah, baby, he is,” I whispered.