Page 52 of Broken

"You and everyone else in Palm Springs, baby girl." I smiled at her. "Okay, so we watch To Catch A Thief, and then we have to talk, okay kiddo?" I let out a sigh. I had to do this. I had to tell her, not so much for Kai, but for Aine. I was wrong to keep the two of them apart. No matter my reasons for doing so.

"Are we moving again?" The concern and sadness etched across her face tore at my already broken heart. While the idea didn't occur to me until she brought it up, and the most appealing option at the moment, I knew I couldn't do that to Aine. I couldn't uproot her and her life just to run from my past.

"No baby. We aren't."

"Okay, good." Her smile was all I needed right now.

When the movie ended, Danielle thought it'd be a great idea to introduce Aine to another Hitchcock classic, The Birds. Thank God they didn’t pick Psycho. She loved Tippi Hedren and her natural talent to convey emotions through her facial expressions.

Aine forgot all about our talk; after the second movie, she went into her room to text Riley and tell her friend all about her Hitchcock experience, as she put it.

"Okay, what happened last night? Where the hell did you go?" Danielle sat a glass of Barefoot Peach Moscato in front of me, with one for herself in her hand. Our Go-To cheap bottle that I kept in the fridge for days like today.

"Do you remember the guy in my office yesterday?" I took a deep

breath. Danielle nodded, sipping her wine. "Well, that's Aines father."

Danielle nearly choked on her wine when she heard the words.

"Fuck, Sin. I always thought he wasn't in your lives."

I laughed and took a sip, no, a gulp of wine. "Yeah. That's the thing, he wasn't. He's also the doctor who called about my mother's death."

I gave Danielle a smirk as she laughed hysterically, almost spilling her drink. "No shit? How's Aine feel about meeting her dad?"

"About that," I bit my lip and swirled my glass. Cheap wine lacked the legs and notes that the stuff you drink in wineries had. This stuff was good, easy going down while getting you tipsy.

I stared into my wine as I explained to Danielle that I hadn't told Aine yet, but Kai wanted to meet her. I explained everything about last night. How I went to the office for my mother's ashes, but found Kai's room card, and decided I wanted the picture of me and Aine back, and things escalated from there.

"Shit honey. Your life is messier than one of those Tela Novellas. You know you have to tell the kid, right?"

"Tell me what? And can Riley come over and swim tomorrow?"

"And that's my cue to head home. Love you Sin." Danielle kissed my forehead as she stood up from the table and wrapped Aine in a hug. "Call me if the movies give you nightmares kiddo. I'll tell you about this new band I heard about last night."

Aine took the seat she had occupied, watching me. "What's wrong mom? Do I have another dead grandparent?"

I honestly didn't know if she was being facetious or not. She took the confession of my mother had been alive all these years better than I thought. I could only hope she would be as easygoing with this too.

"Not quite. I mean, yes, you do have another grandmother. A great woman, actually. But that's not exactly what I wanted to talk to you about."

I let out a deep breath and looked my daughter in the eyes. "Do you remember how I told you your father was my best friend growing up? Well, I talked to him when I went up north, and now, he's here. He wants to meet you."

I observed her reaction as she thought about what I told her. Her pensive eyes focused on something behind me as she gnawed on her lip. The same nervous habit I have.

"Is that why you were late to pick me up this morning? Were you talking to him?"

"Yes." Fuck. She was going to hate me. I had been trying to protect her from my past, from my darkness, but I just hurt the people I love in the end. I really was a broken person. Defective and unable to function properly.

I fought the urge to cry. Aine was a nurturer, if I cried in front of her, she would want to comfort me. It should be me comforting her and begging for forgiveness for keeping her father out of her life.

"Okay. And he wants to meet me?"

"Yes"

"Okay. Can we get shakes? Today? You promised me a shake on the

last day of school, and we haven't gone at all yet."

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