Paula gasps and covers her mouth while Jason’s eyes nearly pop out of his head.
“When the staff finally pulled me off the boy, I was covered in blood and he was unrecognizable.”
Spotting a server with a tray of champagne, I wave him down. Taking the glass from him, I place it in front of me on the table before giving everyone my attention again.
“If I did that over some rocks that I liked, what do you think I would do for my wife whom I love?”
I turn to Tiffany. Part of me expected fear or disgust from her, but all I see is curiosity shining back at me. There is a little concern tucked in her eyes but not disgust.
I return my attention to the table. They all looked absolutely terrified. They have no idea what to think. I don’t care if they believed me or not; it didn’t matter. By the end of the week, they would all be out of jobs. I was definitely going to make that happen. And they should be happy that was all I was going to do.
“Apologize to my wife,” I say. “And you better make that shit believable.”
Instantly they all start apologizing. You couldn’t even distinguish what any of them said because they were talking over each other.
Removing our combined hands from under the table, I bring them to my lips, placing a kiss on the back of hers.
Her brown eyes stare into mine. She opens her mouth to say something but gets cut off when the woman on the stage speaks.
In the end, Tiffany didn’t win the award. Chad Nickles did. My wife happily stood up and clapped for him as he received the plaque. The others at the table remained quiet the rest of the night.
Once the award was given, she turned to me and asked to leave. She was unusually quiet the entire ride. Instead of going in once we got home, I asked her to take a ride with me. I left all guards at home. I wanted to spend time alone with her.
Close to my property is a lookout spot. The view looks down over a valley. It isn’t anything spectacular. But it’s secluded. I drive the spider to the lookout spot and park. I glance over to the passenger side. She’s looking at me as if she wants to ask a question. I push the door open and step out. Making my way over to the front of the car, I lean back on it.
She takes no time to join me at the front of the car. My jacket is wrapped around her shoulders. It’s not cold tonight. In a few more weeks, it will be entirely too cold for outside activities.
“The story you told at the table,” she finally finds the courage to ask what I know has been on her mind. “Is it true?”
That clawing feeling makes me feel as if my throat is closing. I didn’t want to talk about my past or that fucking place. However, Mason’s words weeks ago ring through my head.
“You’re going to lose your wife running from your past.”
As much as I fear my past, I fear losing Tiffany more.
Scrubbing a hand down my face, I let out a deep breath and look up at the sky.
“Yeah, it’s true.” Even saying those simple words has my heart pounding and my throat feeling dry.
“After my parents died, I went to live with my godfather. He was also my father’s business partner.”
I have to tamp down the rage I feel anytime I talk about Walter Kelley. I’ve spent my entire adult life taking everything from Walter. But that’s a conversation for another time.
“I was angry after their deaths. Even went into a shell where I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I acted out at school and got into fights damn near every day.”
She reaches over and grabs my hand, causing me to turn away from the night sky and look down at her.
“Your parents had just died. You were hurt. It’s understandable.”
I loved her even more at that moment. She wanted to be on my side and support me. She has no idea how horrible this story gets. Lifting her hand to my mouth, I place a kiss on it again before continuing.
“I started to notice some small things. My parents weren’t rich by any means. They lived smart. A house that was paid for, reliable cars. They weren’t flashy. My father used to say, I’m saving all our money so that you and your sister never have to struggle the way your mom and I did.”
We lived comfortably as a middle-class family. Suburbia life, yearly family vacations, my sister and I got to do all the extracurricular activities we wanted. We never went withoutanything we needed. But we weren’t blowing money on fancy labels and sports cars.
“You see, Walter was the opposite of my father. He had a new young wife, and he loved expensive cars. Many times, I would overhear my father and Walter discussing his bad spending habits. The last conversation they had, Walter asked my dad to borrow money. My father told him no. Told him that his money is put aside for his kids.”
I shut my eyes, fighting the wave of rage that wants to take over me. I remembered that conversation clearly. They had no idea I was standing outside Dad’s office window. I was only there to grab my ball that I had kicked over near the area. I stopped when I heard the raised voices.
