“Your family?”
He hums his acknowledgment happily. “I’m one of five siblings. You know Dane, obviously. But there’s also Angie, Isaiah, and Ivy. Oh, that’s right! You know Ivy,” he chuckles. “My younger sister who is also my girlfriend according to you.”
I bury my face into the nearest pillow. “Stooooooop,” I groan. He yanks it away and immediately throws it at my face, and I giggle. “I’m sorry.”
Jonah settles back against the couch and crosses his arms. The smirk he can’t wipe off betrays his fake outrage. “There’s also my dad, who you met already.” I nod, remembering the day Jonah brought Ginger home and my girls went flying over there. There’s a long pause before he breathes deep. “And, my mom died when I was three. Car accident.”
“Oh. I’m so sorry,” I reply in a whisper. The words are automatic, but when the meaning truly sinks in, it’s nearly crushing. It’s impossible not to think of myself leaving behind my children like that. “That’s tragic, Jonah. I know you were only three, but do you remember her at all?”
“Not much, but she left these diaries about each of her babies. We didn’t know about them until my dad gave them to us recently. When I read it though, I can see her so clearly. I can feel her warmth—which sounds so crazy to say.”
“No. That’s not crazy.”
Even with a defined jawline and strong features, there’s a softness to his face when he watches me. A moment or two pass in comfortable understanding before a thought etches itself between his eyebrows.
“I remember you saying your dad died, too?”
I nod. “He had a heart attack six years ago.”
“I’m sorry. Were you close?”
A sense of self-loathing tightens around my heart. “Once upon a time. I hadn’t spoken to him for at least four years before that. Haven’t spoken to my mother since then either.”
“Why not?”
My heart races, and for a brief moment, I consider changing the subject. I swallow the lump in my throat and force myself to tell him the truth. “My former husband, Greg, convinced me my parents used me for their success. That I was just a pawn in their game and the love they showed me was all an act.”
“Was it?”
“No,” I reply confidently. “But I really did believe him. I know now he was trying to separate me from them, from everyone except him. He wanted me to be totally reliant on him so he could manipulate me however he saw fit.
“When Delta was born, my parents flew in, but Greg refused to let them in the hospital room. After that he filed a restraining order against them and my sister.”
Jonah gapes at me, utterly shocked and unable to speak. “So, the girls have never known their grandparents?”
It hurts to admit, but I shake my head. “He’s been gone for two years, but the shame I feel for being manipulated and staying in that toxic hellscape for so long still eats me alive. I haven’t reached out to my mom; I haven’t tried to bridge the gap or make amends. I’m too scared.”
Sorrow is evident on his face and the silence between us only compounds my hurt. “I’m so sorry,” he says. “That must be a tough thing to navigate. What about Amber? Does she talk to her?”
“She’s in a similar situation. She’s a recovering drug addict, and my parents cut her off financially because she wasburning through their money, lying to them, using them. Right before she moved in with me, she got clean, but she has a lot of shame around the way she treated our parents. I think she’s been working up the courage to address it with our mom, but it’s hard—for both of us.”
“So how did you and Amber reconnect? I thought your ex had a restraining order against her too.”
Chapter 24
The Funeral
Renée
Six Years Ago
As soon as we’re in the lobby of the theatre, I can sense the weight of everyone’s stare. Hundreds of people are already here to pay their respects to my father, and even with the low volume at which everyone speaks, when we enter, silence falls over the crowd. I swallow and hold Loretta a little closer to my chest while Delta clutches at my hip.
“I told you,” Greg whispers in my ear.
Yes, he did. Many, many times since I first told him I wanted to fly to Nashville and attend his funeral. Even through his sharp, discouraging words and bruising hands, I had to try.
Sure, what my parents did to me as a kid wasn’t right, but the pull—the need—to be here today outweighed keeping the peace with my husband. From the bottom of my heart, I knew I had to come today—everyone’s judgmental stares and Greg’s intense desire to shield me aside.
