Page 92 of Family Bonds- Garrett & Justine

“The funny thing is, she stopped that,” she said, frowning. “When we came back from college, she wasn’t drinking as much every day, but when she did drink she was just a bitchy mean drunk. I think the daily dinner wine was to prove to my father she didn’t need it. Unless she still had it and he didn’t know. They’d fight and most of it was because my father was trying to cut her off.”

“Did he try to get her help?” he asked. “Do you know?”

She’d told him how her father had scratch marks and bruises on him before and that she’d have to testify in court when the time came that she witnessed it.

He hated that for her and hoped that he could be with her when she had to do it.

“I think so,” she said. “I know it was brought up and every time it was, Elise would stop drinking for periods of time to prove he was wrong. But I often wonder if she was sneaking it without him knowing. He wasn’t around a lot.”

“And limiting her money,” he said. “He’d know if she was charging something like that, right?”

“Yes,” she said. “If she was charging it on the card my father paid. But Elise had a part-time job and her money was hers.”

He nodded. “I hope you don’t think back to things you wish you saw and could have pointed out to try to prevent this, Justine.”

She looked up from her plate. She’d been answering him but not making eye contact during it either.

He knew there was more going on in her mind and he was trying to figure it out.

“I went through that phase,” she said. “I think it’s normal. Jordan kicked my butt. She said that you can’t look for signs of things when people are sneaky enough to hide them.”

There was a tear in her eye when she said it and he let her blink it away rather than reach out to comfort her. He knew if he did that, that tear could fall.

“Your sister is right.”

“I’d like to think my father wasn’t sneaky but rather embarrassed.”

“That too,” he said. “I would be. Sometimes you love someone enough to try to help even if they don’t want it. But it doesn’t mean you want the world to know your business and judge you either.”

“Like you think I’m doing to him?” she asked.

“Never,” he said. “I didn’t know your father. You knew him, but we have to ask ourselves how well we know our parents. I think I know mine well, but there are parts to their marriage I don’t know and never will. Just like most people have in a personal relationship.”

Her head went back and forth while she chewed. “I’ve thought of that too. I want to believe he didn’t love her, but I know that is wrong. I do think he was in love with the idea of a nice marriage and a partnership more than he actually lived it.”

“Many people fall into that trap,” he said.

He would be guilty of that.

For putting up with Taylor longer than he should have.

He just thought she’d adjust. Or that she’d accept.

When he needed her the most she decided it was too much and she couldn’t handle how depressing it was to be around him.

A shot to the heart on a lot of levels.

Looking back, he didn’t grieve her like he should have and it only let him know maybe he was more in love with the idea of love than feeling it with Taylor.

Because gazing across at Justine, he knew what he felt for her was twenty times stronger than he thought he had with Taylor.

“I know,” she said. “I’m working through so many things with this. Her call set me off and I thought for sure I was going to spiral down again, but then Jordan stopped it.”

“Sisters are good that way,” he said, smiling.

She looked over at him. “Was Gabriela there the most for you last year?”

“Yes,” he said. “Not always helpful but appreciated looking back.”

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