Midnight Hour (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4)(108)

couldn’t divorce her because of his inheritance and because of Ireland’s no-divorce rules. He said he wanted to be with me and our child, but

he couldn’t turn his back on Mary Esther or their child. He swore he’d never touch her as a wife again. He offered to change his name, and I

could take that name and we’d live as husband and wife. We could even say we were married.”

Her voice shook. “I accepted it because I loved him and I wanted you to know your father. But every time he left to go to Ireland, every time

I knew he was with Mary Esther and Tabitha, I was petrified that he would decide that he loved them more. When she moved to the States so they

could be closer, I almost lost it.”

Her mom stopped rocking. “Over time that hurt, that fear, grew. I couldn’t blame him, because I accepted his deal. I refused to take any

blame—refused to acknowledge that if I’d just asked questions about his damn pager none of this would have happened. Instead, I blamed Mary

Esther and Tabitha.”

She sat silent for a few minutes, her tears still falling. Miranda felt her mom’s pain. She couldn’t imagine how hard it would be to see the

man you loved leave to take care of someone he’d once loved.

Her mom must’ve felt so insecure. And while the thought sliced into Miranda’s heart like a paper cut, Miranda knew that while her mom would

never admit it, this was the reason she wanted Miranda to be perfect, the reason she hadn’t been able to accept Miranda’s dyslexia. For if

Tabitha proved to be the better daughter, her father might have left them.

“The therapist says it will take time to completely let go of what I feel, but I’m working on it. Already I can honestly say that I don’t

hate Mary Esther or Tabitha. I don’t think I ever hated them. I hated the part of your father that he gave them—the time, the consideration,

the money. I felt it belonged to you and me.”

Her mom took Miranda’s hand again. “I’m not proud of how this has … I’m not proud of the type of mom I’ve been.”

Wow, her mom was going to admit it.

Now, Miranda’s tears almost equaled her mom’s. Feelings, old resentments, hurts rose to the surface, and her love for her mom, love that

meant everything, kicked the resentments’ asses. Forgiveness was bliss.

Her mom started talking again. “I’m going to change, Miranda. I promise. Forgive me, please?”

Miranda stood and pulled her mom into a tight embrace. It was a good one. A healing one. “I forgive you. Maybe you haven’t been perfect, but

you told me you loved me every day. You taught me to be kind and not to be prejudiced against any race or species. You hugged me every day. You

never left me at a mall and let total strangers raise me.”

That last statement required some explanation, but what was important was that Miranda not only had made peace with her mom, but some old

grudges she hadn’t even admitted having were gone.

Before her parents left, Miranda felt her skin tickling, her tattoo wanting to come out and play. She put her hand around her cast and

whispered, “Not now.”

Her mom and dad had enough shock for one day. They didn’t need to see their daughter covered in tattoos.

*

Perry took a deep breath and walked up to Jax’s house. He’d flown back to Houston early, expecting his dad to set up a time to meet and leave

together. He hadn’t texted until almost five, giving Jax’s address and telling him to meet there directly. The same house he’d shown up to

yesterday.

He realized what this meant. Jax trusted him.

Keep that up, brother.

A guard pushed the door open.

Perry’s mind went straight to the Italian guard he’d gotten placed on Jax’s hit list. Burnett still hadn’t gotten anything on him but wasn

’t giving up. Perry didn’t like knowing he might’ve gotten the man killed.

Entering the hall, he saw three guards standing court in the corner of the room. Then he saw Jax. He breathed through his right nostril,

letting it out his left. He couldn’t lose it now.

His gaze shifted. He spotted his mom and dad seated on a sofa. Yesterday the room had been empty, now it held furniture, the kind that came

with price tags that Perry knew he could never afford.

He nodded a greeting and eased into the room.

He settled into one of those French-looking chairs with embroidered cushions. A glance at his mom showed she still had pimples. She’d tried to

hide them under her bangs.

Was he wrong to find joy from that? Hell no.

He realized he hadn’t told Miranda thank you. Maybe tonight. If he returned.

Honestly, he was exhausted. Holding her was heaven, but not conducive to sleep, and the trips back and forth were draining him. But he’d use

his last little bit of energy to do it. As long as he wasn’t being followed. And he’d been more careful than ever.

Jax spoke up. “Mom and your dad were telling me you have a girlfriend.”

“I do.” He glanced at his mom. “What’s wrong with your forehead?”

She scowled at him.

Jax laughed.

Her father just looked at him. Odd-like.