Chapter 26 #2
“Frank said he’d make Cassidy’s death look like an accident. And Bob ...” Her voice broke. “He said that bastard, Bob, would help him cover it up. Just like he had with the father of my baby … my daughter, Sally.”
“Sally?” Cassidy’s voice broke. “You named your baby Sally.”
Mom’s eyes glistened as she nodded. “Yes. I named her after your mother.”
Cassidy covered her mouth as she sucked in air.
“Sally will be twenty in a couple of months. She lives in Adelaide and is finishing her degree in veterinary medicine. She ...” Mom smiled slightly. “She wanted to come with me, to meet you all. But I thought this was already overwhelming enough. She’ll visit soon, if you’re willing.”
What the fuck. We have another sister?
I clenched my fists. This was all too much.
“Why now?” I asked, my voice hoarse. “Why come back now?”
“Because it’s finally safe.” Mom looked at each of us again.
“After I heard that podcast, I knew Frank was in prison and confined to a wheelchair. And I know Bob is on the run, but he can’t protect Frank anymore.
For twenty years, I’ve been watching from a distance.
Rose has been my lifeline, sending photos, updates, and telling me about your lives.
I’ve watched you all grow up, fall in love, and build lives. I’ve been here, just ... hidden.”
Hidden, while we grew up thinking she was dead, or had bailed on us. The word felt like a slap.
“You should’ve come back sooner,” Declan said, but his voice had lost its sharp edge. “You should’ve protected us. We needed you.”
Mom spread her hands on the tabletop. “I saw Frank murder Shane, the father of my baby. I knew what he was capable of. But I also knew he would never touch you boys. You were his legacy. Cassidy was the only one in danger. I left to keep her safe. I couldn’t risk him killing Cassidy and my baby to punish me. ”
Cassidy cleared her throat. “You protected me. Even though I wasn’t yours.”
Mom gasped. “You knew?”
“I’ve known since I was fourteen. I overheard you and Frank arguing at the hospital, after I had my appendix out.”
“Oh my god, Cass. I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t have heard that.”
“I heard the lot. Including you screaming at Frank that I was your daughter, no matter what, and he’d never change that.”
“Of course, and I meant it.” Mom’s eyes filled with tears. “Your mother was my best friend. When she died while bringing you into the world, part of me died with her.” Mom swallowed hard. “But the moment I held you, I knew. You were hers. But you were mine, too, in every way that mattered.”
Cassidy released a sob, and Xavier pulled her close, running his hand over her hair.
Sapphire’s hand tightened on mine. I gripped back. Hard.
Christ. Frank had wanted to kill my sister. He wasn’t just a bastard. He was a monster.
“I thought Frank wouldn’t hurt you boys,” Mom said.
“But he did fucking hurt us.” I slammed my fist on the table.
“I know.” Mom flicked a tear from her cheek. “And you have no idea how sorry I am.”
“Sorry? You’re sorry?” My chest felt like it was going to implode. “Sorry is not enough.” I clamped my jaw so tight, my teeth ached.
“I don’t know if you can forgive me.”
“Fuck no.” The words came out like daggers.
“How can we forgive you? In twenty fucking years, you couldn’t write just one note?
Just one note to let us know you were alive?
Rose was in contact with you. She could’ve slipped us a note.
One lousy line on a scrap of paper. Anything. Was that too much to fucking ask?”
Mom flinched like I’d slapped her.
Sapphire squeezed my thigh. “Kayden ...”
“No.” I didn’t take my eyes off my mother. “I grew up believing you fucking abandoned us. I was twelve, Mom. Twelve. And you just pissed off. Don’t tell me you didn’t think of me. Of all of us. For twenty fucking years.”
“Oh, Kayden, I thought about you, about all of you, every single day. I wanted to write or call you so many times. But Rose stopped me. And she was right. Rose risked her life to keep in contact with me. If Frank had found any evidence that I was talking to you, to any of you, he would’ve killed Cassidy, and then he would’ve hunted for me and killed my daughter and me, too. ”
I spun to Rose, glaring at her. “How did you talk to her? Huh? All this time, Rose. I trusted you, too.”
Rose’s shoulders sagged. “We both have PO boxes. That’s where we sent letters and photos. We couldn’t risk Bob tracking us down.”
“Wow, so you planned this?” I glared at Mom.
“No. God no. I would never have left you if Frank wasn’t such a monster.”
“Exactly, Mom. You left us with a monster.”
“Kayden.” Mitch eyeballed me.
“What? Are you okay with this, Mitch? Oh, of course you are. You fucked off and left us, too.”
Mitch’s jaw flexed. “Yeah. I left because of Frank’s bullshit, too. That bastard ruined us all. But we’re here, and we survived his fucking crap.” He eyeballed me until I looked at him. “Forgiving is hard, but can you accept that Mom had no choice, Kayden?”
I clenched my jaw. I couldn’t answer.
“Kayden, calm down,” Sapphire whispered.
I turned to her. “Why should I?”
“Your mother had to sacrifice everything to save Cassidy and her baby. Think about that.”
“Sapphire’s right,” Declan said. “You would’ve done the same to save Cassidy.”
The anger drained out of me in a flash. Declan was right. I’d kill for Cassidy. I’d die for Mitch and Declan. I’d done plenty of stupid shit over the years for this family, and I’d do plenty more.
If Frank had put Cassidy or any of my brothers in his crosshairs, I’d have done the same as Mom. Run. Hide. Lied for the rest of my life if it kept them breathing.
I let out a long, shaky breath. “Yeah. You’re right, Dec. I would’ve. I still would.”
I looked at my mother, really looked at her, for the first time since she’d walked in. Not the woman who’d abandoned us. The woman who’d been trapped.
Tears spilled down Mom’s cheeks. “I’ve been hurting for twenty years. Every single day.”
We sat in silence with the weight of twenty years pressing down on us.
All the birthdays and Christmases that we hadn’t celebrated after she’d left.
All the bruises and cuts and broken bones she hadn’t tended to.
All the protection we kids needed when Frank’s whiskey had brought on the fists. She’d missed all of it.
Mom stood like she was a hundred years old and walked to the grandfather clock in the corner. The one that had stopped ticking the day she’d left and had sat silent ever since. We’d all tried to fix it over the years. I’d even taken it apart and put it back together. But nothing had worked.
Mom opened the glass front, adjusted the hands to the correct time on her watch, then set the pendulum swinging with a gentle push.
The clock started ticking.
The sound filled the room. Steady. Rhythmic. Alive.
We all looked at each other, then at the stupid fucking clock.
“We all tried to get that thing going. I can’t believe it was that simple.” Mitch shook his head.
“Not everything has to be hard.” Edith turned back to us, tears streaming down her face.
“I know my apologies and time won’t erase what I did.
I can’t undo the years we lost together.
And I never expect you to forgive me. I don’t deserve that.
But maybe we can have a new future. If you’re willing.
If you can find it in yourselves to let me be a part of your lives. ”
Cassidy stood and crossed to the woman who’d been the only mother Cassidy had ever known. As they shared a hug, Cassidy squeezed her eyes shut, like she was trying to hold in decades of emotions. “Welcome home, Mom.”
Mom released a loud sob.
Cassidy eased back, nodded at Mom, then stepped away, trying to discreetly wipe her eyes, but her tears and emotions were impossible to miss.
Cassidy would forgive Mom. She’d literally saved her life.
“I don’t know if I can forgive you,” Mitch said, his shoulders sagging.
“I understand,” Mom said. “I’m not asking you to.”
“I can’t either,” I said.
“I ... I don’t know. I just don’t know.” Declan shook his head like he had the weight of the world crushing his brain.
Mom’s face crumpled. “I can’t imagine what you’re all thinking, but I accept whatever decision you make about me being back in your lives. I deserve any punishment you want to dish out.” Her voice cracked.
Rose watched from her chair, tears streaming down her weathered face. I suspected Rose had hoped this would go better, but twenty years of damage couldn’t be undone in one dinner.
Mom looked at each of us. “You’re all so strong.
You survived Frank … and Bob. You kept strong for each other.
And now ...” She glanced at the ticking clock.
“Now that Frank’s behind bars, we have time to heal and rebuild.
You are already a wonderful family, but if you’ll have me, I’d like to be part of this family again. ”
Sapphire laced her fingers in my hand under the table and nudged her shoulder to mine.
Mom must’ve noticed because she smiled through her tears. “You must be Sapphire. Rose has told me about you. About all of you.” Her gaze moved to Charlie, Bella, and Xavier. “The partners my children chose. Thank you for loving them.”
“Hard not to,” Xavier said, squeezing Cassidy’s shoulder. “They’re pretty lovable.”
“You okay?” Sapphire whispered in my ear.
Shock, grief, and anger were all crashing around in my mind, tangling into a goddamn mess. This family was too fucking complicated.
“I don’t know,” I admitted.
She leaned her head against my shoulder. “Yeah. I get that. But you will be.”
The damn clock kept ticking.
I wasn’t sure Sapphire was right. How would we all survive so many lies? And deceit. And murder.
But maybe, with family beside me, the one I’d been born into and the ones we’d found, we could survive this, too. Those ticking seconds proved that no matter what happened, time kept moving. Life kept happening.
And for the first time in twenty years, this family actually felt whole again.