between them as if he expected Kara to start fighting with him. “He is my Dad, Kara!”
She'd been wrong. It wasn't anger she saw in his face, only pain and fear. She threw her arms around him and pulled him tight against her. “I know, Sweety,” she told him. “Whatever he meant by what he said in there, he'll always be your Dad.”
Ron's didn't hug Kara back. His body remained unnaturally stiff with the pain of his father's revelations. She wanted him to let her embrace him. She wanted him to cry and hug her back. But she knew that wasn't going to happen. Why the hell had the Millers waited until today to share this with their kids: two adoptions and well, maybe she could understand why they hadn't shared Ron's paternity. Still it was an awful thing to dump on your children decades into their lives.
Ron's hands awkwardly closed on Kara's shoulders, not pushing her away, but not pulling her nearer either. He simply took hold of her and held on, as if he could ground his churning emotions by anchoring them to Kara.
His grip comforted her. In the midst of the most shocking revelation of his life, Ron was trying to reach out to her. “I love you, Sweety!” she whispered. “How can I help you tonight?”
Suddenly Ron pulled Kara very tight against him. His hands slipped behind her back and he crushed her against his hard chest. His right hand cupped the back of her head and pressed her face into his shoulder. His chest heaved as if he were trying desperately to contain a storm of tears. “I have to...” he began. “I have to find my Dad!” he told her.
His grip didn't loosen. It felt as if he were trying to merge their bodies into one.
“I know, Sweety,” Kara told him. “I wish I could help you with this.”
“You can!” Ron said, his voice gruff and thick with pain.
His hand on the back of her head slipped away, allowing Kara to look up at him. “Anything!” she promised. She'd regret that word in a very few seconds.
“My Mom ran off alone,” Ron told her. “She's held this in a very long time. I'm afraid she might do something stupid. And I want to know what really happened.”
The last thing Kara wanted to do was talk to Hanna Miller tonight, but the pain in Ron's eyes overrode her resistance. “I love you, Sweety,” she told him.
Ron's arms pulled her tight against him again, crushing her against his chest. “Thank God you're here tonight, Kara,” he told her.
She hugged him just as tightly. “I wish I could fix this for you,” she said.
“All of these years I've blamed him,” Ron whispered. “All of these years...”
Kara didn't think Ron's father was blameless in all of this. She didn't know what circumstances had led to Hanna cheating, but surely they didn't justify twenty-five years of tormenting her over it. Why the hell didn't he file for divorce? And why hadn't she? She just couldn't understand the full dynamic here. And she wasn't going to if she remained here hugging Ron. Secrets were being revealed tonight. By tomorrow, Howard and Hanna might close up again for the next twenty-five years.
She relaxed her embrace, and Ron followed suit. “You go check on your father,” she said. “I'll find your mother.”
Ron didn't immediately move to do as Kara had instructed. Instead he lifted his hand and lightly caressed her cheek with the tips of his fingers. “What did I ever do to deserve someone as wonderful as you?” he asked her.
Kara covered Ron's hand with her own, cupping it against her cheek. “I love you, too, Sweety,” she said again.
She squeezed his fingers for a moment, then let go of his hand and went off in search of his mother.
* * * *
* * * *
Kara found Hanna Miller sitting in the lodge bar getting drunk. It was not actually where she expected to find the woman and it was only an accident that Kara noticed her out of the corner of her eye as she returned to the lodge restaurant to begin her search. The older woman was sitting by herself with a shot
She'd been wrong. It wasn't anger she saw in his face, only pain and fear. She threw her arms around him and pulled him tight against her. “I know, Sweety,” she told him. “Whatever he meant by what he said in there, he'll always be your Dad.”
Ron's didn't hug Kara back. His body remained unnaturally stiff with the pain of his father's revelations. She wanted him to let her embrace him. She wanted him to cry and hug her back. But she knew that wasn't going to happen. Why the hell had the Millers waited until today to share this with their kids: two adoptions and well, maybe she could understand why they hadn't shared Ron's paternity. Still it was an awful thing to dump on your children decades into their lives.
Ron's hands awkwardly closed on Kara's shoulders, not pushing her away, but not pulling her nearer either. He simply took hold of her and held on, as if he could ground his churning emotions by anchoring them to Kara.
His grip comforted her. In the midst of the most shocking revelation of his life, Ron was trying to reach out to her. “I love you, Sweety!” she whispered. “How can I help you tonight?”
Suddenly Ron pulled Kara very tight against him. His hands slipped behind her back and he crushed her against his hard chest. His right hand cupped the back of her head and pressed her face into his shoulder. His chest heaved as if he were trying desperately to contain a storm of tears. “I have to...” he began. “I have to find my Dad!” he told her.
His grip didn't loosen. It felt as if he were trying to merge their bodies into one.
“I know, Sweety,” Kara told him. “I wish I could help you with this.”
“You can!” Ron said, his voice gruff and thick with pain.
His hand on the back of her head slipped away, allowing Kara to look up at him. “Anything!” she promised. She'd regret that word in a very few seconds.
“My Mom ran off alone,” Ron told her. “She's held this in a very long time. I'm afraid she might do something stupid. And I want to know what really happened.”
The last thing Kara wanted to do was talk to Hanna Miller tonight, but the pain in Ron's eyes overrode her resistance. “I love you, Sweety,” she told him.
Ron's arms pulled her tight against him again, crushing her against his chest. “Thank God you're here tonight, Kara,” he told her.
She hugged him just as tightly. “I wish I could fix this for you,” she said.
“All of these years I've blamed him,” Ron whispered. “All of these years...”
Kara didn't think Ron's father was blameless in all of this. She didn't know what circumstances had led to Hanna cheating, but surely they didn't justify twenty-five years of tormenting her over it. Why the hell didn't he file for divorce? And why hadn't she? She just couldn't understand the full dynamic here. And she wasn't going to if she remained here hugging Ron. Secrets were being revealed tonight. By tomorrow, Howard and Hanna might close up again for the next twenty-five years.
She relaxed her embrace, and Ron followed suit. “You go check on your father,” she said. “I'll find your mother.”
Ron didn't immediately move to do as Kara had instructed. Instead he lifted his hand and lightly caressed her cheek with the tips of his fingers. “What did I ever do to deserve someone as wonderful as you?” he asked her.
Kara covered Ron's hand with her own, cupping it against her cheek. “I love you, too, Sweety,” she said again.
She squeezed his fingers for a moment, then let go of his hand and went off in search of his mother.
* * * *
* * * *
Kara found Hanna Miller sitting in the lodge bar getting drunk. It was not actually where she expected to find the woman and it was only an accident that Kara noticed her out of the corner of her eye as she returned to the lodge restaurant to begin her search. The older woman was sitting by herself with a shot
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