As much as I didn’t want to go over there, I did. This time, I put my hand on Weston’s lower back, letting him know I was there. He didn’t miss a beat, though, as he cupped my right cheek and leaned down to whisper in my left ear, “They’re asking a lot of questions about the kids.”
I nodded against his stubbled cheek, and a shiver went through me. There was no denying this man was gorgeous, sexy, and worthy of anyone’s attention. But was I worthy of him? If Miri hadn’t said anything, I would’ve been too blind to notice him flirting. He was subtle in his ways, and I appreciated it.
“You wanted to talk,” I said very pointedly. “Talk.”
“Maybe we can go inside,” her father said. I glanced at the house Miri had loved so much and began to shake my head, but having this conversation outside wasn’t the smartest idea.
They followed me. I scanned the living room for Nova and then my sister.
“They’re napping,” my mother said, as if she knew who I was looking for.
Cutter stood when he saw who was behind me. Flinn was still with him, and even he knew the heaviness of the moment.
“We’re going to be at the table.”
Should I have asked Cutter to go upstairs?
Maybe.
But he was less than two years away from being an adult and deserved to hear what these people had to say.
I sat at the head of the table, and my father sat opposite me, with my mom next to him. Cutter leaned against the wall, with Weston nearby. I didn’t care that Weston was there and appreciated that he’d stayed.
Miri’s parents took the chairs opposite my mom, which put her mother right next to me. I wanted to move, to go stand far away from them, but I stayed and clasped my hands in my lap.
It was hard to think there was ever a time in my life when I knew these people, but now they were nothing but strangers.
“I guess my first question is, Why you didn’t call us?” Kenneth asked. I raised my eyebrow and cocked a look at Victoria.
“As I told your wife, Miri didn’t want me to.”
She made some audible but indecipherable sound and dabbed at her eyes. “Did she leave us a letter or anything?”
“No, why would she?” I asked, looking at them. “What would she say?”
“The last time we saw her, we both said some things—”
My dad interrupted Kenneth. “I believe the last time I saw you, the day I brought her over to pick up what little clothes you allowed her to take, you told her she wasn’t welcome in your home.”
“We only wanted what was best for her,” Victoria said quietly.
“Cutter was best for her,” I said, motioning toward him. “She loved him before he was even here. We all did. He didn’t ruin her life. You did. You were so damn worried about your image, you never stopped to think about what you were doing to your only child. You broke her when you told her she had to choose your path. You also lost everything that day,” I reminded him. “Miri succeeded despite you.”
“Having a child when you’re still a child is hard.”
“How would you know?” my mother asked Victoria. “Did you do it?”
Victoria gasped as if she was offended. Her mouth opened to say something, but I didn’t give her a chance.
“You had years to make amends,” I pointed out. “You could’ve easily gone to my parents and asked them to get word to Miri, but you didn’t.”
“I was ashamed,” Victoria said quietly.
Good. She should’ve been.
Victoria looked at Cutter and offered him a smile, which he didn’t return. I watched him closely to see how he’d react to his other grandparents. He was close with mine, as they were there from the beginning, and my parents doted on him and Nova.
“We’d like to get to know you and your sister,” she said to him. I’d suspected that was why they’d shown up.
