Page 21 of Suzanna's Surrender
“I’m so glad to meet you.” Suzanna put both hands over Megan’s stiff one.
“Thank you.” Feeling awkward, Megan drew her hand away. “We’re looking forward to the wedding.”
“So are we all.” After a bracing breath, Suzanna let herself look down at Kevin, the half brother to her children. Her heart melted a little. He was taller than her son, and a full year older. But they had both inherited their father’s dark good looks. Unconsciously Suzanna reached out to brush back the lock of hair that fell, the twin of Alex’s, over Kevin’s brow.
Megan’s arm came around his shoulders in an instinctive move of defense. Suzanna let her hand drop to her side.
“It’s nice to meet you, Kevin. Alex and Jenny could hardly sleep last night knowing you’d be here today.”
Kevin gave her a fleeting smile, then glanced up at his mother. She’d told him he was going to meet his half brother and sister, and he wasn’t too sure he was happy about it. He didn’t think his mother was, either.
“Why don’t we go down and find them?” C.C. put a hand on Suzanna’s shoulder, gently rubbing. Megan noted that Lilah had already flanked her sister’s other side. She didn’t blame them for sticking together against an outsider, and her chin came up to prove it.
“It might be best if we—”
She never got to finish. Alex and Jenny came clattering down the hall to burst into the room, breathless and flushed. “Is he here?” Alex demanded. “Aunt Coco said he was, and we want to see—” He cut himself off, skidding to a halt on the freshly polished floor.
The two boys eyed each other, interested and cautious, like two terriers. Alex wasn’t sure he was pleased that his new brother was bigger than he was, but he’d already decided it would be neat to have something besides a sister.
“I’m Alex and this is Jenny,” Alex said, taking over introductions. “She’s only five.”
“Five and a half,” Jenny put in, and marched up to Kevin. “And I can beat you up if I have to.”
“Jenny, I don’t think that’ll be necessary.” Suzanna spoke mildly, but the lifted brows said it all.
“Well, I could,” Jenny muttered, still sizing him up. “But Mom says we have to be nice ’cause we’re family.”
“Do you know any Indians?” Alex demanded.
“Yeah.” Kevin was no longer gripping his mother’s hand for dear life. “Lots of them.”
“Want to see our fort?” Alex asked.
“Yeah.” He sent a pleading glance at his mother. “Can I?”
“Well, I—”
“Lilah and I’ll take them out.” C.C. gave Suzanna’s shoulder a final squeeze.
“They’ll be fine,” Suzanna assured Megan as her sisters hustled the children along. “Sloan designed the fort, so it’s sturdy.” She picked up her rag again to run it through her hands. “Does Kevin know?”
“Yes.” Megan turned her purse over and over in restless hands. “I didn’t want him to meet your children without understanding.” She took a deep breath and prepared to launch into the speech she’d prepared. “Mrs. Dumont—”
“Suzanna. This is hard for you.”
“I don’t imagine it’s easy, or comfortable, for either of us. I wouldn’t have come,” she continued, “if it hadn’t been so important to Sloan. I love my brother, and I won’t do anything to spoil his wedding, but you must see that this is an impossible situation.”
“I can see it’s a painful one for you. I’m sorry.” Her hands lifted then fell. “I wish I had known sooner, about you, about Kevin. It’s unlikely that I could have made any difference as far as Bax is concerned, but I wish I had known.” She glanced down at the rag she was gripping too tightly then put it aside. “Megan, I realize that while you were giving birth to Kevin, alone, I was in Europe, honeymooning with Kevin’s father. You’re entitled to hate me for that.”
Megan could only stare and shake her head. “You’re nothing like I expected. You were supposed to be cool and remote and resentful.”
“It would be hard to resent a seventeen-year-old girl who was betrayed and left alone to raise a child. I wasn’t much older than that when I married Bax. I understand how charming he could be, how persuasive. And how cruel.”
“I thought we’d live happily ever after,” Megan said with a sigh. “Well, I grew up quickly, and I learned fast.” She let out another long breath as she studied Suzanna. “I hated you for having everything I thought I wanted. Even when I’d stopped loving him, it helped get me through to hate you. And I was terrified of meeting you.”
“That’s something else we have in common.”
“I can’t believe I’m here, talking to you like this.” To relieve her nerves she wandered around the ballroom. “I imagined it so many times all those years ago. I’d face you down, demand my rights.” She gave a soft laugh. “Even today, I had a whole speech planned out. It was very sophisticated, very mature—maybe just a little vicious. I didn’t want to believe that you hadn’t known about Kevin, that you’d been a victim, too. Because it was so much easier to think of myself as the only one who’d been betrayed. Then your children came in.” She closed her eyes. “How do you deal with the hurt, Suzanna?”
