Page 47 of Stealing It
I run a hand through my hair and focus on the road in front of me. “You were given wrong information. It’s fine.” I’ve dreaded this conversation. Not because I don’t want to have it, because I’m not sure how to tackle it—the appropriate thing to say, or how to talk about my feelings.
“It’s not. I made my own mother miserable because I thought you were going to leave,” Kendall says, looking at the side of my face. “Not only did you not leave, but you also proved just how much you wanted to stay.” Her voice catches. “You saved my life, Aidan. I never should have believed those things he told me.” She looks forward and I see her cross her arms on her chest. “I’ll never talk to him again because of it.”Thank fuck,I think. “I’m so used to shitty things happening that when faced with something good and honest, I don’t want to believe it. She deserves it, though. My mom deserves a loyal man. I’m sorry I’m rambling on. I’m just sorry. For everything. The funeral got to me and seeing Andrea’s family twisted me in knots.”
“Me too, kid. Me too. You don’t have to worry about me going anywhere. I’ll always be around,” I say. It’s a stiff promise that shocks me to the core. I won’t break it, though. “I may have trips or a deployment here or there, but I’m going to stay.” I turn to meet Kendall’s eye and she smiles. “Be there for you and your mom.”
The smile falls quickly. “My dad will be here by now. He called and told me he wanted to visit after the fire. I told him to stay away because I didn’t want to see him. Jenny said he called her and told her he was coming anyways regardless of what I want. Not really sure what to expect. Figured you might want to know.” She shrugs as I pull into the parking lot.
“Are you okay with that? With seeing him? Your mom told me everything so let me know if you want me to run interference or whatever,” I reply, turning off the engine.
“It’s time. We’re all starting over. I feel good. Mom though. I hope she’s okay seeing him. With her.” Kendall closes her eyes tightly.
“Don’t worry about your mom,” I say because I think it’s what Magnolia would say. “Let me worry about her, okay? You focus on you.” I knew going into this I was going to have to talk to Paul. This scenario probably isn’t the best, and I haven’t had time to think of exactly what I’d like to say to him, but Kendall is right. This is as good a time as ever. “We’ll get through this.”
Kendall looks appreciative as we walk into the cold, sterile building and sign in at the visitor’s desk. I garner oogling looks as I’m in my uniform, but I ignore them as best I can. We get to Magnolia’s room and I’m not sure what to expect so I set a reassuring arm on Kendall’s shoulder. “You’re okay, kid. You got this.” I give her a pat.
She leans into the embrace as we open the door. “Thanks, Aidan. I’m sorry again,” she says, looking up to meet my gaze. Amends have been made and it feels good. It feels official. Like nothing can stand in my way. Smooth sailing from here on out. Paul’s gray gaze is scorching as I walk into the room with Kendall.
“What the hell is he doing here? In uniform to boot. Here to finish her off, soldier?” Paul snarls, looking back to the bed where Magnolia is sitting up, face flustered—red. From crying. I twitch as his intonation grates when he calls me the wrong label. “Get over here, Kendall Sager. That guy is bad news.” Paul waves, trying to get his daughter away from me. Something my childhood did prepare me for was dealing with two douchebags in the same day without breaking a sweat.
I furrow my brow. “I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of meeting before,” I say. “Not sure I’m bad news either.” The smile Magnolia loves is the one I flash at Paul.
“This is Aidan, Dad. The guy who pulled me from a flaming building,” Kendall drawls, slowly, like she’s talking to someone who is hard of hearing. “Nice to see you, too. Some greeting after all this time.” Her grip tightens on my arm. Magnolia looks relieved to see me. Or Kendall. I don’t know, and it doesn’t really matter. Ignoring Paul’s next insult, I walk toward the bed in the corner and take my place in the armchair.
Kendall sits on the bed and kisses Magnolia on the forehead. “I’m sorry. We left as soon as we could after the funeral. I wanted to be here before he got here. Didn’t work out that way. I’m so sorry.”
Magnolia scoffs, smiling. “Please, I’m a pro at dealing with your father. I’m just sorry I couldn’t make Andrea’s funeral.” Her smirk falls and is swiftly replaced by sorrow. I lay a hand on her arm. “Paul stop pacing,” Magnolia says, exasperated. “Coming here was a mistake if you only want to argue. We don’t want to. Don’t have the energy to either.” The harrowing circles under Magnolia’s eyes add the believability to her request.
“I didn’t fight you when you wanted to move here with Kendall, Maggie. Figured it would be best for a change of scenery but I can’t accept this.” He gestures to me, grimacing. “You traipsing around with all of these men, almost getting yourself killed, putting our daughter in danger.” Paul stops to stand at the end of the bed. He glares at us. All three of us. A united front. He shakes his head and anger abates to make way for pain—a displaced sense of betrayal.
Magnolia lets out a long breath I can tell rattles her chest. “Accidents happen. We’re fine. As you can clearly see. Don’t be dramatic. We love our life in Bronze Bay.”
“We do,” Kendall chimes in. It’s very obvious that seeing her father isn’t comfortable. I bet she’s envisioning what she walked in on. I hate that she has to bear that, but I’m glad that Paul seems to realize this fact, too. Fucking asshole. “We are happy here. Mom’s going to get better and we’re going to go back to living it.”
“No,” Paul says, hands on hips. “You’re coming back with me, Kendall. I’ve been too lenient. I should have forced my hand earlier. It doesn’t matter what you saw or how you feel. I’m your father. You’ll live half the year with me and the other half with your mother. I’ll let you finish out this school year, but this summer you’re moving back home.”
Kendall laughs. “I’d never.”
Paul glares at Magnolia. “I’ll take you to court. I’ll drag it out. Make it expensive and painful. You know I’m right. The girl needs her father.”
Her face wilts. “One, I have more money than you. Two, you’d really do that to us? Knowing it’s not what she wants? She’ll be eighteen soon, Paul. Remember? It’s not even worth the effort. She’s not a little girl who wants to stand on your shoes while dancing in the living room. Those days are gone. I don’t want to fight you, but I’d think after all these years you’d have the decency to respect my role as a mother. I’ll always do what is best for her.”
“You’re in a hospital bed, Magnolia. Who is caring for her?”
Kendall stands. “No one needs to take care of me, but if you must know Aidan and Jenny have been helping out since I left the hospital. I’m not moving in with you, Dad. You won’t take Mom to court, either. I’ll tell them every gory detail. I’ll spread that story like gospel. No judge would put me back in your house for any length of time knowing how much it would damage me emotionally. I thought you came here to make amends. You’re still the same selfish person you’ve always been. Where is the other woman?” Kendall sneers, bringing that catty teenager out to play. I cringe.
“I need to talk to my family,” Paul says, directing the statement to me. “Alone.”
Magnolia shakes her hand putting her hand on my arm. “He’s staying. Anything you have to say to us you can say in front of Aidan.”
“Seriously, Maggie?”
I clear my throat. I’ve sat silent long enough. Paul isn’t an opponent in any sense. His salt and pepper hair is long and shaggy, and he’s long and lean. I could dispatch of him so quickly I’d be considered a lethal weapon in a court of law. Instead, I say, “Magnolia is serious.” Had she wanted privacy in this fucked up family moment I would have respected it. Could even understand it a bit. They were an established unit far before I came into the picture. “It’s probably best if you go.”
“Fuck you, man. Get out of here. These are my girls,” Paul says, eyes glinting challenge. That’s all it takes. I didn’t fight hard enough for them in the past, but it’s obvious this where I’m supposed to be. My fight.
I stand up, to my full height and take two steps toward Paul. He wobbles as he tries to step away from my looming presence. “These aren’t your girls. Not after what you did. You lost them a long time ago. This is what happens when men do bad things, Paul. Good men swoop in and steal the things they used to care about. These are my girls now. I care about them. I love them. I would die for them. I almost did. I will fight for them and with them until I take my very last breath. Magnolia is wild and beautiful—the special kind of beautiful, because when I met her, she had no idea of her worth. I did though. I saw every scar and every memory she shared with me as my chance. As the wrapping paper of a gift I’ve waited my whole life for.”
Paul takes another shaky step backward. I step forward in time with his backward movement. I nod at him, “You will let Kendall stay where she wants. You won’t give Magnolia anymore grief because she doesn’t deserve that. No,” I say, choking on my words. “Because she’s good, Paul. Not like you.”
