Epilogue #2
It took a little while, but my mom finally reached out a few weeks after Skylar’s birthday.
She admitted to everything, and as I suspected, she was more ashamed than anything else, but she was also deeply apologetic.
She explained that she was sick of the way my dad treated her, that she was willing to do anything to get him sent away.
She didn’t realize he had mirrored her phone and was able to see all her text messages until it was too late.
I guess her plan worked in the end. My father was found guilty on charges of coercion and attempted murder.
He was sentenced to fifteen to twenty years without the possibility of parole.
Nicole ended up getting a plea deal for her testimony.
She’ll still serve time, but not nearly as much as she would have, which is bullshit if you ask me.
It sounds like my father was blackmailing her, but she still made the decision to get in that car and run Skylar into a tree.
The civil suits from all the businesses he took advantage of have been put off because of his criminal trial, but eventually he will be held accountable for that too.
Last I heard, Claire is running the company.
I hope she does it honestly, but hope is all I can do. I want nothing to do with it anymore.
After everything, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to completely forgive my mother for putting Skylar in harm’s way, but we’re talking, working through our complicated relationship, and that’s what counts.
“I think their flight gets in at three,” I finally answer Kat, taking a sip of the coffee she made me. She and Dave don’t drink it, but they always make sure to have some on hand when we visit.
“I wish I could put them up here,” she says. “But living by the beach means sacrificing space here in good old sunny California.”
“It’s not a problem. They found a hotel only ten minutes from here. Thank you for having us all for dinner. I know they’re both excited to catch up with you.”
Skylar’s warm hand finds my thigh under the table. She’s always so in tune with me. She knows seeing my mom is still hard.
“I can’t wait to see Victoria again.” Kat gives me an easy smile. “It’s been far too long. And your sister? She must be all grown up now.”
“Oh, she is. Just graduated from college this summer.”
Skylar’s hand tightens on my thigh, and I swing my arm around to rub her back. Relief spreads over me like a warm blanket, and I realize that this dinner, our families meeting? I can handle it. With Skylar by my side, I can handle anything.
Skylar
Dinner goes better than either of us expected.
Victoria and Amelia chat with my mom and Dave about everything from the best way to grow lilacs to Amelia’s medical school applications.
She’s taking a little break after the crazy year she’s had, but she is starting to apply for next year.
My mom asks if there’s anyone special in her life, and Declan grits his teeth as he nearly crushes the glass of water in his hand.
We were both shocked when we discovered what Amelia had been keeping from us this past summer, but Declan is slowly coming to terms with it.
My stepbrother, Matt, tells us about the colleges he’s interested in and how he wants to be a software engineer.
Everyone chats excitedly, sometimes talking over one another, and I watch as my mom beams the whole time.
This is what she’s always wanted. Family dinners that are a little chaotic, but real, rather than the sterile reserved dinners the three of us would have if my dad even made it home in time.
Most nights, she would leave him a plate warming in the oven.
My relationship with my dad has always been complicated.
He pushed me to do things that were out of my comfort zone, but I never knew if it was because he wanted me to be stronger or because he wanted me to be more like him.
I still don’t know. His words in that card I opened all those months ago haven’t left me.
If you’re reading this, I may not have gotten a chance to say it to your face, and I’m sorry for that.
I’m proud of you.
When I was growing up, I would have killed to hear those words from him, but he never said them.
I strove for his attention, but not enough to change who I was in order to please him.
He wanted a son, someone who would get a business degree and follow in his footsteps.
I wasn’t so na?ve that I didn’t realize that.
When I came back to live with him after college, something had changed.
He was softer, a little more understanding.
He gave me the locket, and we’d eat dinner together sometimes.
Still, he didn’t say the words. Like a coward, he wrote them down in a letter I would only read after his death.
It’s weird being angry at someone who is no longer here to defend himself.
I once thought you needed to have someone strong by your side in order to be successful, but I was wrong. You are strong enough on your own. I know that now, which is why I took the marriage clause out of your inheritance.
He did tie my worth to marriage at one point, but he changed his mind. Why? Was it because he saw that I could hold a job, rent a house, and live on my own without a man? Does that make it better? Would he ever have told me these things if he were still alive?
I don’t know if I’ll ever get the answers I’m looking for.
What I do know is that I’m thankful that he worked hard and was able to leave me with the means to help my stepfather.
I’m happy that he realized his mistake and changed his will in the end.
I’m grateful for the time we spent together before he died, and that will have to be enough for now.
I officially sold my father's house, my childhood home, to a nice couple with two teenage girls. At least my old bedroom will see some life again, as the girls were already giggling and sharing secrets on their phones as they walked through the halls.
It’s only eight when Victoria and Amelia excuse themselves to go back to the hotel, citing jet lag.
They thank Mom and Dave, hug both Declan and me, and say their goodbyes to Matt, who gets picked up by a girl in a jeep with bright purple hair.
My mom and Dave tell us they’re going to turn in early because they have a big day of selling flowers at the festival tomorrow.
We say goodnight, and they head upstairs, my mom giggling as Dave pinches her side and whispers something in her ear.
It warms my heart to see her so happy and in love.
She’s sacrificed a lot and deserves happiness more than anyone I know.
“Hey,” Declan says when we hear the snick of their bedroom door closing. “Come here. I want to show you something.”
He takes my hand, leading me out the front door. It’s still warm out, cicadas buzzing in the distance. I think he wants to show me something, but then he pulls me over to the truck we rented, opening the door for me.
“We have to drive there,” he explains.
I nod and get in the car, and he reaches over to click my seatbelt into place.
We drive in comfortable silence, with him drumming his fingers on the wheel and me watching the palm trees whiz by.
After about forty minutes, the scenery looks familiar despite the years.
I recognize the burger shack on the side of the road and the gas station on the corner, notorious for attracting students with the munchies. We’re in my college town.
I look over at Declan, but he keeps his eyes on the road, not giving anything away.
Finally, we turn onto a side road and enter the parking lot for the drive-in movie theater.
I haven’t been here in years, but I used to drag my roommate every Thursday night.
Classics night. I notice right away that there are no other cars, which is weird because it’s Saturday, usually a big night for the theater.
There’s also no movie playing, so maybe it’s closed?
“What are we—” I start, but Declan is already putting the car in park and hopping out of the driver’s side. He walks around the truck to open my door and offers his hand.
He leads me to the back, and that’s when I notice the blanket set up in the bed of the truck.
He pulls down the tailgate, helping me up, and I’m able to take it all in.
Pillows are propped up in the back, fairy lights spread along the sides of the blanket, and a wooden crate overflows with Red Vines and white cheddar popcorn.
“Declan,” I say, turning toward him, my voice clogged with emotion. “This is…” The words get stuck in my throat.
“It’s a little late, but happy six-month anniversary,” he says, taking his phone out and typing something before pocketing it. Then he takes my hand again, pulling me down to the blanket. “Let’s get comfortable. The movie should be starting any minute.”
I look around again. There’s still no one here. “Did you—” He takes a package of Red Vines out of the crate, ripping it open and handing it to me. “Did you rent out this whole drive-in? For us?”