Page 99 of In Your Wake

“I do, though.” His eyes meet mine. “Especially after everything he did. I know I couldn’t have done the same.”

“Time’s a funny thing.” I stare down at my glass, turning it slowly in my hands. “I realized that I could spend my life hating him, hating my mom for what they did, but in the end, what would it change?” I sniffle, then chug the champagne and put the empty glass down on the floor. “Your mom needed support. And Bill, well…” I shrug lightly. “I guess holding onto anger for so long gets exhausting.”

“Don’t I know it,” he says without any hint of animosity. “So, you just forgave them?” His words drip with disbelief.

“I can’t say that I have. I can’t say that I trust them either. But after you left—” I stop, glancing up. He’s staring at me, sadness turning his eyes glossy. “I trust Robyn. She was hurting so much more than I was. I mean, her husband and her best friend?”

I grimace while Mitch slowly nods, but he still looks conflicted. “I’m not as good at that as you are.”

“What, forgiveness?” I wait until he nods, then continue. “That’s okay.” I smile kindly. “You never were.”

His chuckle eases some of the tension slightly after that. It’s not gone, but seems less dominant in the small room.

Mitch leans against the dresser across from me. “I still don’t understand how you stuck around at all.”

“I ask myself that sometimes, too.”

“No, seriously.” His brow furrows. “After what he did?”

I consider it for a moment before answering. “It takes two to tango. My mom played her part, don’t forget. But despite everything, I didn’t want to leave. Oakwhite is part of me and will always be my home.” I pause, glancing out the window. “And your mom never stopped working. She didn’t give up on the inn, even though it was part of him. So, I knew I couldn’t either.”

His face softens at that.

“She was hurting too,” I continue. “We were all hurting in different ways.”

Mitch looks down, crossing his arms. “Still doesn’t change what happened.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

A heavy silence follows.

“I think part of me still feels… betrayed.”

The honesty in his voice catches me off guard. I’m not sure if he’s talking about his dad, or me. I nod slowly.

“And I hate that.” He rubs a hand over his jaw. “Because, let’s face it, I did the same to you. I hurt you, too.”

I swallow past the lump in my throat. The sadness on his face seems to mirror my own.

“You did.” I twist a strand of my damp hair around my finger. “I was angry,” I admit. “And embarrassed. And I didn’t know how to face you after everything fell apart.”

Mitch studies me. “You really thought I hated you?” he asks gently.

A humorless laugh leaves me. “Didn’t seem impossible.”

“I didn’t hate you.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” I exhale slowly, tension pulling at my shoulders.

Another silence grows between us, but this one is different. Not like the wall that’s been between us for years, but more like the beginning of us fixing the cracks within it.

Mitch glances down at my empty champagne glass. “How much have you had to drink?”

“Considering what I’ve just admitted to you, probably too much.”

He shakes his head with a subtle smile. “I’ve noticed you’re not biting my head off yet.”

“Careful now, there’s still time,” I reply with an arched eyebrow.