All awkwardness had dissipated by the time dinner was served. Conversation was smooth and Mallory nearly forgot how long it had been since she’d sat at that table and shared a meal with these people. Her father was retired and adjusting well, andSheila was relieved to not worry about him every time he went to work.
“We’ve been taking cooking classes together,” Sheila went on. “Michael bought us a few classes over a year ago for our anniversary, and we decided to keep it up. It’s a lot of fun.”
The mention of his name sent a wave of pain through her. One thing remained on her mind. “Did Michael know?”
“No, sweetheart. Just Sheila. She wanted me to tell you, but you know how I can be. I thought I knew what was best. My mistake caused both of you pain. I want you to forgive me, but if you have to be mad at someone it should be me, not your brother or Sheila.”
“God,” Mallory muttered.
As she recalled the last time she’d seen her brother, her heart sank even further. Getting everything off her chest had been a long time coming, but she had been pretty terrible to him. Had she known the entire story, she might have reacted differently. It wasn’t necessarily what she’d said, but how she said it.
“What is it?” her father asked, his eyes creased with concern.
“Did you know I saw Michael the other day? Is that why you showed up at work looking for me?” she asked.
He swallowed. “He mentioned it.”
“Did he tell you what a bitch I was to him?”
Her father chuckled nervously. “He didn’t use those words. But he did say things didn’t go well.”
Her cheeks flushed as she realized what started their argument. If her dad knew Michael had overheard Christian and her having sex, she would die right then and there. She immediately regretted mentioning that interaction.
“It’s okay. You didn’t know. And neither did he. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”
His statement made her feel confident that he wasn’t privy to the details surrounding their disagreement, which allowed her asigh of relief. The interaction had been so charged with emotion she completely forgot the reason behind it.
“Do you think he’d talk to me?” she asked quietly.
Her dad reached across the table and took her hand. “Talk to him. I know for a fact there’s nothing he would want more. All he ever wanted was a relationship with you. I should have told him. If I did, I know he wouldn’t have allowed all this time to pass. I’m so sorry for that.”
Talking to him was definitely up next on her agenda. It just couldn’t be the same day. She needed some time to process everything; time to catch her breath. What she needed was Christian’s comforting embrace, and she hated that she allowed herself to get there.
“I’ll talk to him,” she promised. “I will. Just not yet.”
CHRISTIAN
Chris felt like a complete dick for giving Mallory the brush off the past couple days. She’d mentioned wanting to see him, but he was too caught up in his own shit. He finally told her she could stop by if she wanted. That was one of the reasons he hadn’t allowed himself to get into any serious relationships. When he was going through something, he shut everyone out and handled it himself. Alyssa had been the first person to break through any of his walls, and then Mallory managed to slide in through the cracks.
He left his bedroom to open the door when he heard Mallory knock. He hadn’t told her that he was leaving for Florida, but he couldn’t keep avoiding her. He opened the door to find her standing on the other side holding a bag of takeout. The unfamiliar sensation of guilt rose from his chest.
“Hey,” she said with a shy smile. “You said you were going through something, and I thought maybe you haven’t had achance to eat. I picked up sandwiches from the deli around the corner.”
He was a jackass. “Thanks. Come in. I haven’t eaten all day, actually.”
He took the bags from her hands before leading the way to the kitchen. It wasn’t until he set the bag down on the table that he turned to look at her. Her eyes were filled with uncertainty as she watched him. He could tell she was reading his mood. She knew something was up.
“What’s wrong?” she asked after a long silence hung over the room.
He remained quiet while he removed everything from the bag and took down a couple paper plates. He wasn’t sure how he wanted to navigate this. It would be a total dick move to shut her out, but he really needed to handle things himself like he always did. After a heavy sigh, he turned to face her. Her unease was palpable. Without thinking about it, he pulled her into a comforting hug, squeezing her tight to comfort himself as much as to comfort her.
“I need to go away for a few days,” he said hesitantly.
“Is everything okay?”
“Not really,” he admitted. “But let’s eat, and I’ll tell you about it. It’s kind of a long story.”
Chris started from the very beginning as he explained the situation. The fact that he and his daughter were inseparable before Vivian moved them clear to Florida was important, so she could understand the situation. She listened attentively as he described the phone call. Even after having time to digest everything that was going on, he couldn’t think of anything worse than his daughter needing him while he was unable to get to her immediately.
