Page 115 of Always Us

“Are we going sledding now?” Lilly asks.

“Yeah. Let’s go.” I take her hand and we meet Jade by the door.

“Do you still have the sled?” Jade asks as we walk down the stairs.

“I’ll have to ask my dad. Why don’t you two go out in the snow and I’ll find the sled and meet you out there.”

“Yay! We’re going sledding!” Lilly jumps around in circles.

Jade smiles at her. “Let’s get our coats on. We’ll build a snowman while we wait for Garret.”

They go down the hall toward the back patio. Jade is so great with Lilly. I wish she could see how good she is with kids so she’d stop worrying so much about being a mom. I know it’s different caring for a baby. The constant crying might get to Jade and make her nervous and stressed, but I’d be there to help her out. If the kid’s screaming, I’d take over and let her have a break. I’m more patient with stuff like that than she is.

I walk into the foyer and see my dad’s office door open. He’s in there working on his laptop.

He notices me in the doorway. “Come on in. Lilly was looking for you.”

“Yeah, Jade and I are taking her sledding but I don’t know where the sled is. You didn’t throw it out, did you?”

“No, it’s in the shed out back where the gardeners keep their supplies.”

“Good. I thought Katherine might’ve gotten rid of it. Speaking of Katherine, where is she today?”

He types something, his eyes on his laptop. “She’s staying with her parents this weekend. She left last night.”

“So what’s going to happen to her? Do you know yet?”

He types some more, then turns to me. “She won’t be allowed to continue her relationship with Lyndon Tate, the senator she’s been dating. As I mentioned before, he’s slated to be the next vice president, which was very appealing to Katherine. But given her recent actions, she’s no longer allowed to be with him. Being the wife of a vice president is a role that comes with many benefits and Katherine is no longer deserving of those benefits.”

“Does Tate know he can’t see her anymore?”

“Yes, but we can’t tell him what she did because he’s not one of us. But given what we’re doing for him in the next election, we basically own him now and he needs to follow orders. He knows this, and he’s agreed to stop seeing her.”

“What about the divorce? It’s still going to happen, right?”

“She killed my father, so yes, it’ll be approved. They wouldn’t make me stay with her after what she did. And they don’t want her benefitting from my money.”

“How do you think Lilly will take the news?”

“I think she’s already expecting it. She knows her mother and I don’t get along. And I think Lilly will be okay with the fact that her mother isn’t getting custody. Katherine has never been a decent mother.”

“You’re being too nice, Dad. Katherine’s a horrible mother. Thank God you’re getting custody. Even though you’re at work all the time, you’re still a better parent than Katherine.”

“Yes, well, I’m not going to be spending so much time at work. I need to establish more normal work hours so I can be here with Lilly in the evenings and weekends.”

“So is Katherine planning to buy a house around here?”

“No. She’s thinking of moving to France for a few months and living with her sister. After that, she might get a place in Manhattan. Or she might stay in France. She hasn’t decided yet.”

“She doesn’t want to see Lilly?”

“She’ll see her. Just not very often. And frankly, I’m glad she won’t be around. I don’t want Lilly turning into Katherine the way Sadie turned into Victoria. By the way, I had no idea Sadie would be here last night.”

“Yeah, that didn’t go well. Sadie found out about Jade.”

“How did that happen?” He leans back in his chair. “Did Jade tell her?”

“No, Sadie overheard Grace calling Jade her granddaughter. Instead of being nice to Jade, Sadie was a total bitch. She called Jade’s mom a whore. It was bad.”

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