Page 103 of The Scars I Bare
“But?” my mom asked, sensing my hesitation.
“Cora’s ex-husband scares me. His presence in their lives. I don’t know if I can handle him being around them. Every time I see him, I feel like I’m losing control.”
She tugged on my hand, her warm fingers still entwined with mine. I tore my gaze away from Cora and focused on my mother.
“Life is complicated, Dean. Relationships are complicated.”
I breathed out, “Yours wasn’t. With Dad.”
“No,” she agreed. “Everything about your father was easy. I met a man, and we fell in love, had a couple of kids, and settled into a very comfortable sort of life. Until one day, out of the blue, he died. Then, it got complicated. No one goes into a relationship, knowing it’s going to end badly, but you can’t go back and erase your past. Besides, why would you want to? Look where it got me,” she said with one last smile. “I can already hear the pitter-patter of tiny feet.” Her eyes darted to Cora once more as I rolled my eyes. “Be blessed in what God has given you, son. Everything else will find its place.”
My mom’s version ofchillbasically.
I took her advice, heading to join my ladies on the dance floor, when I saw Lizzie turn toward the front door and yell, “Daddy!”
Her excited, definitely outdoor voice was heard across the room, and as everyone pivoted around to face the direction she was looking, I caught sight of Blake, clearly embarrassed, doing his best to sneak out of the inn.
Cora and I along with Lizzie charging forward, arms wide, closed the distance to figure out what was going on. I looked back, hoping Molly and Jake hadn’t noticed. Thankfully, they hadn’t.
Actually, as my eyes scanned the room, I had no idea where they were. Considering the sexy come-hither eyes Molly had been giving him during dinner, I probably didn’t want to know.
“Look at my pretty dress, Daddy. It has sequins on it. Mommy called them sparkles, but they’re really not. It was made in China. Did you know that, in China, they—”
“What are you doing here?” Cora asked, placing a gentle hand on Lizzie’s shoulder.
For the first time since meeting the guy, he looked genuinely embarrassed and maybe a little drunk. “Lizzie left her rain jacket at the restaurant last night. I thought she might need it,” he said, holding it up for evidence. “I was just going to go drop it off by her door before heading off to the airport.”
“You’re leaving?” Cora said. “In this weather?”
He looked surprised. “Yes. Why?”
I lifted my arm, palm up toward the front door, the universal sign forduh. “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re in the midst of a pretty bad storm.”
“Yeah, I did,” he shot back, a definite whiff of alcohol coming off his breath. “And I’ve flown in worse.”
“Maybe in a major airport, sure. But here? No way. Besides,” I said, pointing toward one of the tables in the corner, “isn’t that your pilot?”
I was taking a wild guess, but the guy I was motioning toward happened to be one of the best pilots in town. And Blake seemed like the-best-of-the-best kind of guy.
“Son of a bitch,” he swore.
“Guess he figured you’d make the same assumption as the rest of us. No one travels in this weather. It’s just the way it is.”
“So, what am I supposed to do? I left the key for my rental on the counter before I locked up.”
I turned to Cora and then Lizzie before letting out a frustrated breath.
Growth. It was all about growth, right?
“Go grab a drink, I guess. You’re not going anywhere until morning.”
Blake gave one last longing look toward the door before Lizzie grabbed his hand, tugging him toward the dance floor.
“Yay!” Lizzie exclaimed when he finally gave in. “Come dance with me, Daddy. I promise not to step on your feet. Well, maybe not promise, but I’ll try. You, too, Dean!”
I forced a laugh, hating the idea of Lizzie out on the dance floor with Blake. “You go on ahead. l’ll be out there in a bit.”
She didn’t waste a second, pulling a less-than-thrilled-looking Blake out onto the dance floor, while Cora wrapped her arms around my waist.
