Page 80 of Love Lies Bleeding

“I didn’t realize at first, but now I see it.”

“See what?”

“You’re the one who broke my daughter’s heart.”

My chest feels like it’s filled with cement as she stares at me with all the unflinching determination of a Southern woman about to protect her child. She looks like butter wouldn’t melt and her voice is soft-spoken and sweet but I know from my time with Vivian, that looks can be deceiving.

I have two choices here, I can lie or I can admit the truth and hope it will grant me some kind of credit. “Yes.”

I can see I’ve caught her off guard with my honesty, and a huff of laughter falls from me. “No point lying, Mrs. Baker.”

“You were the reason she gave up her dream.”

“I was, and I’ve regretted my actions every single day since, and I will until I draw my last breath on this earth.”

“Do you love her?”

“With all my heart.”

Darla is silent for a beat before she speaks again. “Are you going to hurt her again?”

I shake my head, looking her straight in the eye with the respect she deserves. “No. I’ll never do anything to hurt her again. I’ll die first.”

“Hmm, something tells me that would hurt my daughter very much. My sweet Cherry Pie comes across as strong and invincible but she’s soft inside and when she loves, she does so with her whole heart. She protects, and she’s loyal like nobody I’ve ever met, but she often does it at her own expense.”

“I know.”

Her shrewd gaze meets my own and I feel a sudden kinship with this woman. We both love Cherry and it gives us a common goal.

“Make things right with my daughter. She deserves to be loved for who she is, not who she thinks she should be for those around her.”

“I agree. I just need to make amends first.”

“Then make them, and then stop her from going head-to-head with that crooked KLM. My daughter is the biggest love of my life, and my greatest achievement, but sometimes she can be so stubborn I want to tan her hide for her.”

My expression must have shown my surprise because she chuckles and it’s deep and rich.

“Ah, she thinks I don’t know, but people talk and I think Cherry forgets she gets that iron will from someone, and it isn’t her father like she thinks.”

“She just wants to protect you.”

“Protecting me isn’t her job. It’s mine to protect her, so I’ll say this once. Handle those crooks, before she gets hurt.”

“It’s in hand, Mrs. Baker.”

She stands and places a hand on my shoulder, the touch firm and full of warmth. “Call me, Darla.”

“Does this mean I have your blessing?”

“It means I won’t get my gun and shoot you for hurting my baby, but do it again and there won’t be any place you can hide. No matter who you are.”

A smile weathers my face, as I realize that my Cherry Blossom has more support than she realizes. “Can I ask you something, Darla?”

“You can ask.”

“Why haven’t you told her you know about KLM?”

“Because Cherry needs to be useful, she needs that control. When we lost her dad, she changed. She thought that if she controlled every emotion and everything around her, she could save herself from pain. When you broke her heart, it hardened that behavior.”

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