She frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“She’s spent the last twenty-six years leaning on Colt, relying on him for the support she didn’t get from her husband.Anywoman he brought home was going to pose a threat to her relationship with her son. That’s why she was only kind to you until she realized you weren’t going anywhere. It has nothing to do with you as a person.”
She looked down at the remaining dough in the bowl. “She told me it was because I wasn’t strong enough for Colt. That I’m weak because I couldn’t handle being the wife of a Marine while also managing the stress of IVF…and I made him sacrifice his career for me.”
“That’s bullshit, and we both know it. She says that to justify the way she treats you. Deep down, she knows she’s wrong—and calling it ‘being a protective mother’ is justanotherway of justifying all her wrongdoings.”
“When did you become so wise?”
“Genetics. It skipped you.”
She chuckled and threw a chocolate chip at his head. He caught it with his lightning reflexes and tossed it into his mouth.
When the cookies were in the oven, Indie took her coffee and cell to the couch and Noah sat beside her. Still, she itched to call Colt.
“He’s okay,” Noah said quietly.
She looked up at her brother. “How do you know?”
“Because I just need to hit the shit out of a heavy bag too sometimes. He’ll come back feeling better.”
She sighed. “I hope you’re right. Distract me. Tell me something that will blow my mind.”
An odd expression crossed his face.
She straightened. “What?”
“What do you mean, what?”
“You had that same look on your face when I was sixteen and you told me you broke the new necklace Colt gave me for my birthday.”
“Damn, you have a good memory.”
“Only for things like that.”
There was a small pause. “I’ve been trying to get in contact with Bonnie.”
For a moment, shock made the air feel stuck in her throat. “But she disconnected her old phone.”
“Jesse has a friend who’s good at finding information. They tracked down her new number.”
Her chest rose in a silent gasp. Noah had their sister’s number. He’d called her. Or at least, she assumed he had. “Did you talk to her?”
It had been years since either of them had spoken to Bonnie. And even though Indie was still mad as hell at her for leaving, she also missed her.
“She answered. Probably because she didn’t know it was me.”
She’d actually answered. Noah had heard their sister’s voice! “And when she realized itwasyou?”
The muscles in his jaw clicked. “She made some excuse about why she had to go and hung up. But I’m not giving up. I’ll give it a week or so and call again. I’m making sure our sister knows that she’s welcome back home anytime.”
Indie’s brows dipped. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to feel about that. She and Bonnie had such a complicated relationship. While Indie had been the responsible one, Bonnie was the wild sister. Never listening to authority figures. Sneaking out in the middle of the night. Underage drinking.
But then Bonnie’s high school boyfriend died, and a few short months after that, their parents. Then in true Bonnie fashion, she’d left town, not caring about anyone she left behind.
What would happen if she came home?
CHAPTER 20
