Page 16 of Conner's Choice
Lydia Bennett resembled her daughter with her dark hair and gray eyes. Of medium height and weight, she carried herself with the military precision Elizabeth had come to recognize in both her parents. Its familiarity comforted her as her mother embraced her.
“Honey, I’m so glad you’re home. Are you hungry?”
“Ravenous. You know I’m never able to eat while running an event.”
She followed her mother into the large kitchen and sat at her usual place while Lydia fixed her a plate of leftovers.
As Lydia handed Elizabeth her food, she said, “Your father and I are sorry we missed your birthday, sweetheart, but he’s still under the weather.”
Elizabeth took a bite of her mother’s grilled chicken and shook her head. “Don’t apologize, Mom. How is Dad?”
“He’s having trouble getting rid of a nasty cough and chest congestion, but I know he’s anxious to see you.” Lydia paused to study Elizabeth, probably noticing the bags beneath her eyes and the strain on her face. Touching her arm, she continued, “What is it, darling? Is it Kevin? We heard on the news he’s defending the man who murdered the Parkers.”
“Mom, I’m too tired to talk about it tonight. May we put this off until tomorrow?”
“Of course. Your room is ready whenever you’d like to head upstairs.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’m so glad to be home.”
Elizabeth slept soundly in her old bed for the first time since discovering Kevin’s dark side. She awoke around ten-thirty the following morning, took a warm shower, dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt she found in her closet, and headed downstairs where she found her parents enjoying brunch in the sunroom. Her father sat with a throw blanket wrapped around him. She was taken aback by how frail and weak he looked, and tears brimmed in her eyes.
Hugging him fiercely, she kissed his pale, weathered cheek and murmured, “I’m so sorry you’re sick, Dad.”
He patted her arm. “It’s nothing, sweetheart. Just a nasty cold, that’s all. Sit down and tell us what prompted this visit.”
Elizabeth poured herself a cup of coffee from a silver urn and filled a plate with scrambled eggs, bacon, and two of her mother’s mixed berry muffins. She sat across from her father, and in between bites of her brunch, she told her parents the hard truth about the current state of her marriage. Neither said a word until she finished speaking.
Edward’s voice resonated with anger and regret as he spewed a few expletives. “You should have come to us sooner with the truth,” he chided her in a calmer tone. “Why didn’t you tell me what was happening before it reached this point?”
Elizabeth didn’t want to hurt her father, especially when he was ill, but he needed to know how deeply his values had impacted her life. “Because you instilled loyalty, fidelity, and faithfulness in us, Dad. I loved Kevin, and I know you did, too. I wanted to be the good wife, stand by him, and give him the benefit of the doubt. I kept hoping I was wrong about his adultery and hoping he would change and become the man we all wanted him to be.” She paused and took a deep breath. “But he’s not, Dad. In fact, he’s worse than you can possibly imagine.”
Briefly, she summarized what she’d found on Kevin’s laptop. Lydia’s hand flew to her heart while Edward sat immobile, his face as hard as granite.
“I tried. I tried to be the woman, the wife you both wanted me to be. But you also taught me to have pride, and I cannot continue to allow Kevin to humiliate me anymore. He’s dangerous, and I’m scared of him.”
Edward Bennett was a tough guy who only cried once in his adult life that Elizabeth knew of. A year ago, both his sons, EJ and Grant, who were in the same Special Ops unit in the Marines, were ambushed on a mission in Afghanistan and presumed dead along with their entire team. With tears streaming down his face, he’d arranged for a C-130 to fly him overseas and vowed he wasn’t coming home without his boys. Using all the military technology and intel at his disposal, he’d found his sons and the rest of their team, who’d survived the attack, holed up in a cave. They’d gone days without food or water, but they were alive. Thanks to their training and Edward’s unflagging determination. Now, Elizabeth could see tears glistening in her father’s dark eyes, and he trembled beneath the throw blanket.
Leaping from her seat, she rushed to hug him. Her own tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Dad! I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“Hurt me?” he repeated incredulously. “No, my beauty, you haven’t hurt me. I’m so damn angry at Kevin for doing this to you that I’d like to hurt him. Where it hurts the most. His balls.”
Elizabeth sagged with relief and choked back a laugh. “So would I.”
“You said you have a lawyer? Conner O’Donnell?”
“Yes, sir. He’s a prominent, well-known divorce attorney. Conner is doing his utmost to help me and keep me safe.”
Edward and Lydia shared a quick glance. “Conner?” her father inquired, arching a heavy eyebrow.
Elizabeth blushed. “Yes, well, dropping formalities came about naturally.”
“Naturally?” Edward repeated with a slight smile.
“Well…yes.”
“You know I’m going to check him out, my beauty.”
“I know.” She smiled at her father, who would always protect her.
