Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 62610 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62610 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 313(@200wpm)___ 250(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
“The hell you are! You have no right to come into our lives and… and…” I feel a sob climbing up my throat and I grit my teeth, choking it down. I won’t let her see me crying—not this time.
“Karen, please… Let me explain,” she continues, this time lowering her voice. I always keep my guard up around her, but this time, I can’t help but hear a note of honesty in her voice.
“Let’s get out of here, Karen,” Colt says, getting up and looking at me. But, instead of just following his lead, I keep glued to my seat, staring straight into my mother’s eyes. “Thank you,” she whispers, a faint smile on her lips. What’s that in her face? Sorrow, guilt, shame?
“You and Daniel…” I start, lowering my voice as well. “You planned this together. You’re trying to leave me penniless. And Colt as well.” It's the only thing that makes sense to me right now.
“No,” she replies, shaking her head slightly. “You’ve got it all wrong, Karen. Do you really want to know why I'm here? I'm trying to protect you—both of you,” she says, looking from me to Colt. “As you found out, Daniel was already working to secure the money for himself. He probably told you some sob story about keeping the family business alive, but that’s not what he wants the money for, Karen. As soon as he got your signature, he’d be running for the hills and you’d never see him again.”
“Just like you did before,” I say, anger bubbling up to the surface. Is she telling me the truth? Was Daniel scheming against Colt and I all along? I feel that sob coming again and, once more, I choke it down. I don’t know how I’m going to take a betrayal like this… After the moments we shared, after everything… How could my own stepfather act like this?
“Just like I did before,” my mother admits, looking down. There’s sorrow in her face, and I know that my words hurt her. That was my intent, yes, but I’d take them back if I could. Somehow, I feel sad for the woman in front of me.
“You’re lying…” Colt says, trying to keep a semblance of hope alive. But I don’t think that even he believes what he’s saying. After my conversation with Mr. Williams, Daniel’s role as one of the good guys has become hard to believe … for both of us.
“I’m sorry, Colt… But that’s the truth,” she continues. “And he has set things in motion. Soon enough, I don’t think that even your signature will be enough to stop him, Karen.”
“But why…? Why is he doing this…?”
“I think that he got jealous, Karen. About you and Colt, I mean,” she looks from me to Colt, and then back. Perhaps seeing the surprise in my face, she continues. “Yeah, I know about the two of you. And I don’t care. I might've been a terrible mother, but you deserve all the happiness you can get. That’s why I came back… I needed to see you and your brother again. I wanted to be with my family. And when I realized what Daniel was planning… Well, I just couldn’t let him go through with it.”
“Thank you,” I find myself saying, the words coming out of me before I can stop them. I can’t believe that I’m actually having a conversation—and not a fight—with my mother. “How… how can we stop him then?”
Colt sits down again, still holding my hand but now ready to hear what my mother has to say.
“It’s simple enough. I already had a lawyer draft up a contract,” she pulls an envelope from the inner pocket of her jacket and then takes a folded sheet of paper out of it. She lays it flat on the table and casually waves her hand over the small print. “This basically says that, instead of having Daniel be responsible for the money in the trust, that you’ll hand over that responsibility back to me.” She pauses and, reaching across the table, grabs my hand. “Once that’s done and we clear the paperwork… I’ll make sure that every penny goes back to you, far away from Daniel’s reach. And then, maybe, you’ll give me a chance. I know that I’ll never be able to make up for lost time but…”
I bow my head. I need to tell her something more.
“Mom,” I say, with a pause. “Daniel and I…”
I can’t finish my sentence.
All of a sudden, Colt takes my hand.
“The three of us have been…intimate,” Colt says to her.
She looks at me. And then at Colt.
“You mean, you and my daughter, and my husband?” she asks. Colt nods. “All three at once?”
I nod.
Suddenly, her eyes well up with tears and I find myself holding her hand in mine and squeezing it. She pushes the contract across the table, taking a pen out of her purse.