for a few solid hours. She curls into me and I hold her, trying to make up for the time when I wasn’t her mom, but a monster in the place of her mom. She doesn’t care. She forgives me. She loves me, no matter what. She makes me realize that she is the most beautiful person I know.
By the time I get up, I’m not feeling a great deal better. In fact, my body hurts more, and all my muscles ache. I know it’s because of the crying, and the massive release of emotion, but still . . . it sucks. I get Penny some breakfast and settle on the patio with a coffee, waiting for Candy and Dusty to arrive. They said they wanted to talk to me about something.
An hour later, we’re all sitting around a table. When I say us all, I mean Candy, Dusty, my brothers and my father. Obviously, this is important. I’m bouncing Penny on my lap, not willing to let her go for even a second. I have big plans for us in the next few days; I want to take her to the park, to the beach, and anywhere else I can think of. I stare at my family, wondering what could be so important they all have to be here for it.
“The reason we’re all here, is firstly, because we want you to know we’re here to help,” my dad says. “I have a job going, Katia. If you want it, it’s yours.”
I nod, trying to smile, but I’m too emotionally drained. “Thank you,” I croak.
“You can rent a room here,” Ford says. “I don’t mind having you around and dad is buying another house so it’ll just be us.”
“Thanks, Ford.”
“And I have a car I fixed up that I don’t need,” Landon pipes up. “It’s yours.”
Tears burn under my eyelids. “Why are you all doing this?”
“Because you’re family,” my father says. “And we love you.”
I choke on a sob and hold onto Penny, pressing my nose to her cheek and inhaling.
“Unfortunately, we have some bad news.”
I lift my head and see my father has a yellow envelope in his hands.
“What’s that?”
“It’s divorce papers, Katia.”
My entire world stops spinning and my ears begin to ring. He sent me divorce papers, like he said he would. I never thought, not even for a second, that it would burn the way it is. I swallow back my tears and stand, gripping the papers to my side and balancing Penny on my other one.
“Thank you all for your kindness. I’m just going to take a walk.”
“Katia,” Candy tries.
“Honey,” Dusty adds.
I force a smile. “I’m fine. This is what I wanted.”
I turn and walk out, carrying Penny down to the barn. I sit down and let her scramble off my lap towards a butterfly fluttering over a flower. I stare down at the papers, my heart aching. This is what I wanted. It’s for the best. It’s the only way. I close my eyes, taking a deep, steadying breath.
Then I open it.
Seeing Marcus’s signature on the papers hurts. It hurts a lot.
“Are you okay?”
I look up to see Candy. She kneels down beside me.
“I’m fine,” I whisper.
“I know how hard it must be, regardless of everything.”
“I still love him, Candy. Even through my rage and betrayal, it burns so brightly. I didn’t realize it at first but now...I know this is for the best, but it hurts . . .”
“You’re only human, honey,” she soothes. “It’s allowed to hurt.”
I force a smile. “Yeah.”
“I wanted to ask . . .”
I look over to her. “Yeah?”
“Before you sign those, are you going to see if you’re entitled to anything?”
I shrug. “I don’t know.”
“For Penny’s sake, don’t you think you should work out something? It’s only fair.”
“I became a bad person for a while there,” I say, watching Penny giggling over the butterfly still. “I don’t know if I deserve anything.”
“You both did bad things, but in the end it’s fair for you to get something.”
“Maybe.”
“And Penny, are you going to tell him about her?”
“Yes, I think I have to.”
She nods. “You’re doing the right thing.”
“Maybe,” I whisper.
By the time I get up, I’m not feeling a great deal better. In fact, my body hurts more, and all my muscles ache. I know it’s because of the crying, and the massive release of emotion, but still . . . it sucks. I get Penny some breakfast and settle on the patio with a coffee, waiting for Candy and Dusty to arrive. They said they wanted to talk to me about something.
An hour later, we’re all sitting around a table. When I say us all, I mean Candy, Dusty, my brothers and my father. Obviously, this is important. I’m bouncing Penny on my lap, not willing to let her go for even a second. I have big plans for us in the next few days; I want to take her to the park, to the beach, and anywhere else I can think of. I stare at my family, wondering what could be so important they all have to be here for it.
“The reason we’re all here, is firstly, because we want you to know we’re here to help,” my dad says. “I have a job going, Katia. If you want it, it’s yours.”
I nod, trying to smile, but I’m too emotionally drained. “Thank you,” I croak.
“You can rent a room here,” Ford says. “I don’t mind having you around and dad is buying another house so it’ll just be us.”
“Thanks, Ford.”
“And I have a car I fixed up that I don’t need,” Landon pipes up. “It’s yours.”
Tears burn under my eyelids. “Why are you all doing this?”
“Because you’re family,” my father says. “And we love you.”
I choke on a sob and hold onto Penny, pressing my nose to her cheek and inhaling.
“Unfortunately, we have some bad news.”
I lift my head and see my father has a yellow envelope in his hands.
“What’s that?”
“It’s divorce papers, Katia.”
My entire world stops spinning and my ears begin to ring. He sent me divorce papers, like he said he would. I never thought, not even for a second, that it would burn the way it is. I swallow back my tears and stand, gripping the papers to my side and balancing Penny on my other one.
“Thank you all for your kindness. I’m just going to take a walk.”
“Katia,” Candy tries.
“Honey,” Dusty adds.
I force a smile. “I’m fine. This is what I wanted.”
I turn and walk out, carrying Penny down to the barn. I sit down and let her scramble off my lap towards a butterfly fluttering over a flower. I stare down at the papers, my heart aching. This is what I wanted. It’s for the best. It’s the only way. I close my eyes, taking a deep, steadying breath.
Then I open it.
Seeing Marcus’s signature on the papers hurts. It hurts a lot.
“Are you okay?”
I look up to see Candy. She kneels down beside me.
“I’m fine,” I whisper.
“I know how hard it must be, regardless of everything.”
“I still love him, Candy. Even through my rage and betrayal, it burns so brightly. I didn’t realize it at first but now...I know this is for the best, but it hurts . . .”
“You’re only human, honey,” she soothes. “It’s allowed to hurt.”
I force a smile. “Yeah.”
“I wanted to ask . . .”
I look over to her. “Yeah?”
“Before you sign those, are you going to see if you’re entitled to anything?”
I shrug. “I don’t know.”
“For Penny’s sake, don’t you think you should work out something? It’s only fair.”
“I became a bad person for a while there,” I say, watching Penny giggling over the butterfly still. “I don’t know if I deserve anything.”
“You both did bad things, but in the end it’s fair for you to get something.”
“Maybe.”
“And Penny, are you going to tell him about her?”
“Yes, I think I have to.”
She nods. “You’re doing the right thing.”
“Maybe,” I whisper.
Similar Books
