Page 91 of Sanctuary

Lori sighed deeply. “I don’t want to talk about her anymore. The auction will mark the end of that for me, once and for all. It’s Gabe I’m angry with now.”

Her mom smiled. “I brought it up because it’s important to see how much you’ve changed since Gabe came into your life—maybe not so much changed as recaptured your spirit. It’s like she’s switched the light on so that you can see the beauty of your life again. Your dad and I saw it when you picked us up at the airport.” She reached over and squeezed Lori’s hand. “I can’t tell you how wonderful that was. And your soul practically levitates when you’re around her or talking about her. Your dad says that you look like he felt when we first met—and every day since.” Her mom looked off into the distance, like she was watching old memories play out on the walls. “It’s all we’ve ever hoped for: for you to find the kind of love that we share. It’s a luckier discovery than any hidden treasures found at the bottom of the sea.”

Lori placed her hand over her mom’s, finding the solidness she needed. Could she dare to hope that she and Gabe could be as symbiotic as her parents? Maybe she could have before tonight’s big reveal. “You and Dad aren’t cheaters though, Mom.”

“Well, that’s not strictly true…”

Lori narrowed her eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Her mom looked away and inspected her nails.

“Mom?” She’d heard this story a hundred times, and there’d never been any hint of impropriety.

“I wasn’t sure your father was serious. I mean, he was a hunk, and I was smitten?—”

“Ew, Mom.”

Her mom shook her head. “I swear children are programmed to believe that they really are delivered to parents by storks.”

“I don’t think that,” Lori said. “I just don’t want to think about it at all.”

Her mom waved her protestations away. “Well, anyway, I had a lot to lose. Ryan and I were engaged to be married, and my parents thought the sun shone out of his butt. His parents were rich and influential, and they were grooming him for a career in politics.”

“Which worked, didn’t it? Isn’t he a New York senator?”

Her mom nodded. “Indeed he is. Which is why my parents were so set on us marrying. But your dad was less…conventional, and he had a bit of a love ’em and leave ’em reputation. I wasn’t sure I wanted to risk the stability of the life that had been planned for me just for…well, just for something you don’t want to hear me talk about.”

Lori rolled her eyes. “Then maybe you could skip that part and get to the rest of the story that you’ve never told me before.”

Her mom gave Lori’s knees a light shove. “I’m giving you context, sweetheart. These things don’t happen in a vacuum. Circumstances are very important.”

Lori tucked a pillow between her head and the sofa and settled against it. “Okay. Please continue.”

“So we saw each other while I was still seeing Ry?—”

Lori bolted upright and stared at her mom, open-mouthed. “You cheated on Ryan with Dad?”

Her mom nodded. “I had to be sure. I didn’t want to throw my future away for something that was only powered by lust and something that burned bright but wouldn’t burn long. We’re not proud of how we started, but we accept that it simply was what it had to be.”

“How long?”

“How long what?”

“How long did you cheat on Ryan before you made your decision?”

“Six months. Before me, the longest your father had been with anyone was…” She flicked her hand in the air. “Well, let’s just say that he hadn’t proven himself to be a keeper.”

Lori squeezed her eyes shut. Once she had the detail, she could never let it go, but the curious child within her was desperate to know almost everything. “I may as well have the full picture since you’re ruining my fairytale.”

Her mom chuckled. “I do love your dramatic side. Are you sure?”

Lori nodded, and her mom gave a naughty grin, something Lori had never seen before and wasn’t sure she’d want to again.

“Forty-eight hours. The weekend was all anyone else ever had. Until me.”

So the grin was pride. “You’re pleased with yourself because you changed the leopard’s spots, aren’t you?”

“In a way, I suppose I am. But your father, by his own admission, was untethered and floating through life. I became his anchor, something to ground him but also someone to fly with him too.” Her mom chuckled and winked conspiratorially. “And what brought us together hasn’t faded yet.”

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