Only You (Adair Family #5)(49)

I glanced over my shoulder at the sharp word. “What?”

“Why would you want to find that auld bastard?” Venom tinged every word.

So much for her docile mood.

This woman had treated me like crap my entire life because of Dad’s abandonment, but she hated him just as much as she resented me. “To make peace.”

Mum gave a snort of disdain. “Well, it’s too late for that.”

“It’s never too late.” At the hard glint in her eyes, my stomach dropped. “What is it?”

“He’s dead.”

My heart missed a beat in fear. “What are you talking about?”

Taking a casual sip of her tea, she waited to reply calmly, “He called me about six years ago to tell me he was dying of cancer and wanted to get in touch with you. I told him he could rot in hell.” She took another sip of her tea like she’d just told me Morag’s was out of fresh bread.

I wanted to slap that cup out of her hand.

My skin felt suddenly cold. “You’re lying.”

Mum’s eyes flashed in rage. “Why would I lie? Look up his death in the registry. He died rotting from the inside out, just as he should have.”

No.

No, no, no.

“He wanted to talk to me?”

She shrugged. “Said he wanted to see how you were doing. Said he had things to say. I told him he was getting nowhere near you after he abandoned us.”

Had things to say?

Had Dad wanted to apologize?

To make peace?

To give me peace?

To give himself peace?

And she’d stolen that from us.

Tears of fury brimmed over my lids. “Tell me you’re lying.”

Her eyes widened. “Och, don’t give me that after everything that man did. I was protecting you.”

I laughed in disbelief, and it was such an awful sound, even she flinched. “You’ve never protected me in your entire life. You did this out of spite. You never told me my dad was dead. For six years!”

“He was never a father to you!”

“No, he wasn’t. But maybe we could have talked.” A sob burst out of me, a wail that didn’t sound like me at all. “We could have made peace.”

She scoffed. “You’re living in a dream if you think that would have happened. Look at you. Melodramatic girl.”

“You know, you’ve always been a shitty mum, but you’re also just a terrible, horrible human being!”

“How dare you speak to me like that! And over that man!”

“That man broke me in so many ways, Mum … and I needed that last talk with him. I needed that. I needed to forgive him. And you stole that from me!”

“Some people aren’t worth forgiving,” she hissed.

In an instant, something snapped inside. A calm came over me as I grabbed my purse and keys and stood over her to lean in and hiss back, “You remember you said that.”

I turned and strode for the door.

“Where are you going? I need help with my tea.”

I stopped and looked back at her. “Help yourself. I won’t be back.”

“Monroe!” she yelled as I marched out of the room toward the front door. “Monroe!”

I yanked it open.

“You selfish, ungrateful wee bitch!”

Closing my emotions to her screaming, I slammed her door and got into my car.

Every muscle in my body ached as I forced myself to remain in control. I drove from her house to the caravan, parked, and stepped out to feel a blustery, icy breeze sweeping up the sand dunes from the water.

I pushed into it, eager for its swift caresses through my hair as I stumbled down the dunes and onto the beach. My strides were quick as I walked across the sand toward the shore. As if the universe knew I needed the solace, there was no one else here.

My feet hit the shoreline, the water soaking my boots as all the emotion I’d pushed down boiled up inside me. My chest heaved, my shoulders lifting as I struggled to breathe through the magnitude of it.

A scream tore from my lungs, turning into a sob as my knees gave way and I hit the wet sand. Pain so old and deep had finally ripped its way out, and I couldn’t have stopped my body’s wracking cries if I tried.

“Roe!” I heard the voice like a memory in my mind and ignored it.

“Roe!” It sounded louder now.

Then I jolted as strong arms wound around me, and my chin was forced upward.

Brodan.

“Roe, what the hell happened?”

I couldn’t speak, couldn’t think. Just collapsed against him as the sobs spilled out from that corner of my heart I’d locked up for so long.

His arms tightened around me, and I felt his chin on my head. “Fuck, Sunset, you’re scaring the hell out of me.” When my crying didn’t ease, he squeezed me tight. “I’m here, Roe. I’ve got you. Shh, it’s okay. I’ve got you.”





I didn’t know how much time passed in Brodan’s arms on the cold beach, but eventually my sobs eased, even as the pain circled my ribs like the past was holding on far too tightly.

Then realization sunk in.

Who was comforting me.

Someone I did not want or need comfort from ever again.

I shoved Brodan away and stumbled to my feet as he fell on his arse in surprise. He gaped up at me, looking so much like the young boy I used to love that I felt my heart breaking all over again.