Love Survives (Love's Suicide #2)(115)

What really burned me up was the fact that she felt like sending me away would solve her problems. Whether I was there or not, they were still going to treat her like shit, and she was prepared to let them.

When I got back to the house, I didn’t really explain what was going on to my mother. I grabbed B and announced that we were going out for a little while. Once we reached the park I started to calm down. It didn’t help that she was going on and on about a puppy that was running around.

“Daddy, I pet doggy.”

“You can pet him. Be gentle.”

“Daddy, I want puppy.”

I watched the owners smile as B hugged the small vanilla Labrador. “You can’t have that puppy. He belongs to these nice people.”

She stuck out her bottom lips. The guy looked at me and laughed. “How do you say no to something that cute?”

I threw up my hands. “Clearly I don’t.”

B was sad when they walked away, making me wonder if we had room in our lives for a puppy. Then I stuck the thought aside, realizing we didn’t even know where life was going to take us in the future.

For a while after that, I pushed her in a swing. She went down the slide several times allowing me to catch her at the bottom. When she began to yawn, I knew it was time to head home.

“Did you have fun, bug?”

“Yes, but I want puppy.”

“I know you do. Maybe when you’re bigger we can get one.”

It was weird walking into the house with a cheery little girl and seeing two women crying. When I first saw them, I wondered if Kat was telling my mom how she couldn’t take me being around anymore. Maybe I’d overstepped and caused her to change her mind.

“It’s time I told you both the truth, because I can’t sit here and watch you two fall apart, when you’ve got a real chance at happiness.” I had no idea what my mother was talking about. What truth?

I whispered in B’s ear to go turn on her cartoons in her bedroom. When she ran in that direction, I gave them my attention.

“Look, Mom, I appreciate you trying to help, but if it’s all the same, I’m just going to head back to the barracks for the night.” I didn’t want to be told to leave.

Apparently my mom was in charge of whatever was happening.

“No, Brooks. You’re going to come sit down next to Katy and listen to what I have to say.”

When I refused to move, she pointed to the couch. “Now.”

I had no idea what my mom was about to say to us, but when Kat took my hand, I realized it had nothing to do with the funeral. Something else was going on, and from the look on my mother’s face I wasn’t going to like it very much.





Chapter 57


My mom had obviously just started a conversation with Kat. From what I could make it out seemed as though she’d had inquired about something. I felt lost at first.

“Katy, I know why your mother went to visit your father that day.”

I felt the need to protect Kat. “Do you honestly think this is going to solve anything that’s going on now? Don’t hurt her more with the past, Mom. Whatever it is, just leave it be.”

Kat squeezed my arm. “No. I wanted to know since it happened. Please. Tell me why she was there.”

My mother broke down right in front of us, hiding her face as she spoke. “I just want you to know that no matter what, I do love you like you’re my daughter. I’ve never done it out of guilt.”

I was at a loss for words, and obviously so was Kat. “What are you talking about?”

“We didn’t know she was there. She told your dad that she had a PTA meeting at the school. We wanted to tell her, in fact that’s why I was there.”

Kat put her hands in the air. “What are you talking about? Where were you? Who were you with? I’m so lost.”

I took her hand, feeling like I knew where this was going, finally, and if it was what I thought, things were about to get really depressing. “I think I know what you’re going to say. Mom, please don’t do this to Katy. Don’t do this to our family.”

“Your father has known since the night before they died. I told him first. We had decided to separate, and I walked next door to tell your father.”

Kat kept looking down and then over at me, but I wasn’t about to share what I’d suspected.

My mom cried harder. “Katy, I loved your father. I wanted to be with him, and I had ended things with Walt thinking that he wanted to be with me too.”

I tightened my grip on Kat’s hand, making sure she knew she wasn’t in this alone. “Please don’t tell me that you were having an affair with my father. He wouldn’t. He loved my mom. I know he did.”

I could tell she was about to go off the deep end. Kat had always pictured her parents as being the perfect people. My mom was now confirming a huge sin her father had committed. This wasn’t going to help Kat understand the past. It was going to haunt her forever.

“I saw you kiss him and you told me that I was mistaken. I believed you. That’s what I saw wasn’t it? You lied right to my face.” I felt it was important to bring it up in case she mentioned it.

“You both need to understand that we’d all been friends for so long. It just happened and we couldn’t stop it. I tried to stop, I swear I did.”