Page 43 of Decoded
“Sounds like the two of you both finished,” we hear Lincoln’s voice from somewhere in the house, “so be sure to lock up before you leave.”
“You and Mama seemed to have a lot to talk about.” Keaton glances over at me in the truck on the way home. His face is only lit by the dim lights of the dash and it’s still enough to take my breath away.
“She’s amazing,” I gush. “We talked about how we met, of course. Then she asked questions about me and my family. I told her how I enjoyed photography and would love to take some pictures of her place, and she welcomed me to come out anytime. Things got a bit sad when she was telling me about how much you’re like your dad and I thought I lost her there for a moment.”
Keaton lets out a heavy sigh. “My senior year of high school, my dad died in a car crash. Just some random accident and a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. To say Mama was devastated is the understatement of the century.
“She mourned just like the rest of us where she had moments of rage and moments of sadness. But on the day of the funeral, it’s like she went numb. She detached from us. Disconnected. My dad was the only one in the car when he passed, but it was like we had lost both of them.”
“That’s awful,” I say quietly. “And you were all still children. You still needed her.”
He nods in agreement. “We would speak to her, but the conversations were always one-sided. She would occasionally have friends over, or would meet them out, but then she started canceling her plans. She stopped taking their calls or responding to their messages. One day it was all too much for her, and we ended up in the hospital. After that, it was like a world without my father was a world she didn’t want to be a part of, so she went home and never left.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, confused.
“I told you earlier that Mama isn’t typically like the way you saw her tonight. The truth is that she hasn’t left the house in years. Hell, the reason Lincoln was over at our place this morning was because he couldn’t even get her out of bed.”
He looks over at me before turning his eyes back to the road. “Tonight was the first night in forever we’ve seen her look like herself.”
“So, what was different about tonight?” I ask and he smiles.
“You.”
Chapter thirty-one
Anna
I
try to imagine a world in which Sharon Fisher doesn’t light up the way she did tonight. She’s stunning and there’s no wonder how she managed to birth three of the most handsome men I’ve ever laid eyes on, particularly the one with several flecks of silver running through his hair and beard. But I saw the darkness Keaton was talking about. I saw it ripple through her when she spoke of her late husband. And I know she saw it in me, too, when a message came through on my phone. Even though I had blocked him, Daniel managed to find a way around that.
Unknown Number
Oh, stupid Anna. You thought blocking my number was going to keep me away from you?
Unknown Number
I was looking forward to seeing you at the golf event today. Imagine my surprise when dear old dad said you had something else to do instead.
I had been looking for an excuse to give my parents for skipping out on my dad’s annual charity event and when Keaton had asked me to meet his family tonight, it was the out I needed. Those events are boring as hell. The men go out to the greens and blame their clubs or caddies whenever their game is off. Meanwhile, the women stay in the club drinking tea, while spilling it, too. Nobody likes to gossip quite like the wife of a golfer. They love to whisper about who is having an affair, whose company is struggling, and who has gotten fat. Then they barrage me with backhanded compliments to make themselves feel better in their bodies.
Oh, Anna, your face looks a bit thinner. You must tell me about the diet you’re on.
You and I both know I’m not on a damn diet, Patty, now leave me the hell alone.
I pull up my phone and see he left multiple messages. Typically, he stops at just one or two, getting a dig in about my size or stupidity, or leaving a crude and vulgar message that has my stomach turning. Tonight my stomach is turning for different reasons. Of course he calls me stupid and sends a dick pic, but it’s the threats that come in this text chain that have me squirming in Keaton’s passenger seat.
Unknown Number
I sure hope that new boss of yours isn’t overworking you. I can’t imagine why else you wouldn’t want to come see me today.
Unknown Number
Maybe you just need to see what you’re missing. Do you miss having my fat dick pressed up against you? Wait until it’s shoved down that ungrateful little throat of yours.
Unknown Number
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