Affliction (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter) - Laurell K. Hamilton Page 0,63

the door, as if happy to have an excuse to be away from Micah. Bram shadowed her to the door without anyone telling him to; you never left a door totally unguarded, especially if it was about to open. Micah was still trying to deal with the last few minutes. His father hadn’t been the heartbroken abandoned spouse but had been at least sleeping with his ex-wife part time. There was an implication of much more.

Nathaniel and I had moved up beside Micah, but I honestly wasn’t sure what to say. The look on his face said that part of his family history had just imploded. Nathaniel touched his arm. Micah didn’t seem to notice.

It was Jerry at the door. ‘You guys never lock the door until bedtime. What’s up?’

‘I didn’t lock it,’ Bea said.

‘We did,’ Bram said.

Jerry looked up at the taller man. ‘Why?’

‘A locked door gives us a few more seconds to react,’ Bram said.

‘React to what?’ Jerry asked.

‘Anything.’

Jerry shook his head and looked past everyone to Micah, who was looking at his brother now. ‘The look on your face; you met Frost?’

‘Yes,’ Micah said in a voice that was almost strangled with tension.

‘Surprise!’ Jerry said, arms wide in a ta-da motion.

‘You could have warned me.’

Jerry shook his head. ‘Oh, no, wouldn’t dream of it. This isn’t my explanation to give, I wouldn’t even try.’

‘Be nice, Jerry,’ Bea said.

‘Why? I didn’t know until Frost was three. I can’t believe I was so stupid.’

‘Jerry …’ Bea began.

‘No, Mom, just explain to Mike. I’m still working my own issues on this one.’ He moved until he was in front of Micah. ‘We both felt so sorry for Dad, remember. We were so mad at Mom for leaving him for the professor here, and all the time they were still seeing each other, still a couple.’

‘That’s not true,’ Bea said. ‘At first it was everything you thought it was. I loved Rush, but I couldn’t live with him anymore. I met Ty while we were separated. Rush could have dated, too, but he chose not to.’

‘He was waiting for you to come to your senses and come home, or let him come back home,’ Micah said, and that edge of old resentment was suddenly very clear in his voice. Some issues stay fresh every time you open them up. It’s like evil magical Tupperware – it stays fresh forever.

‘You are thirty years old, Micah David Callahan, too old to believe I can fix something that broke when you were twelve.’

Micah looked a little embarrassed but said, ‘So did you cheat on Ty with Dad, or what?’

She looked back at Ty, and he moved up to take her hand again. ‘She never stopped loving Rush, and by the time you left for good he was spending more time over here with us and the boys.’

‘I remember Twain’s fourth birthday party. I was so proud of all of you for being grown-up enough to give the younger kids such a family occasion.’

‘Yeah,’ Jerry said, ‘but what you and I didn’t know was that Dad was sleeping over.’

‘That long ago?’ Micah asked.

Jerry nodded.

‘You want to tell this story?’ Bea asked Jerry.

‘Nope,’ he said, and flopped down on the nearest couch.

‘Then stop interrupting,’ she said.

He spread his hands wide, as if to say, Sure, go ahead, I’m out of it.

She turned back to Micah and the rest of us. ‘I didn’t think I’d have quite this big an audience for the story.’

Bram said, ‘We can wait in the kitchen if you like.’

‘Thank you,’ she said.

He and Ares went for the bar stools around the kitchen. Nicky and Dev looked at me. I nodded, and they went to join them. I didn’t have the heart to tell Bea that with their more-than-human senses they’d hear everything she said anyway. Sometimes illusion is all the comfort you get for stories like this.

We all sat down on the nearly perfect square of couches. Ty and Bea were on one couch. The three of us sat on the couch opposite them. Jerry moved to the love seat that sat between them both. When we looked at him, he said, ‘I want to see everyone’s faces.’

‘Jerry, this is not a show for your entertainment,’ Ty said.

‘I just want to see one of my siblings learn about all of this the way I did, that’s all.’

‘Beth knew sooner?’ Micah asked.

‘She was only twelve ten years ago. She lived with Mom. When I asked her after I found out why she hadn’t