Page 27 of Fierce- Royce

“That had to be the longest two hours of my life,” Elise said a few hours later when they were in his truck and driving back to Durham.

“You’ve had worse with Mom and you know it,” he said. “And you got to drink. I just had to chug water with an aspirin to prepare to listen to this from you on the way back.”

Elise sighed. “Sorry. I know I’m dumping on you. I shouldn’t.”

“It’s fine,” he said. “Get it off your chest and then when we get to Dad’s we can chill out and stuff our faces and drink. I need it too. A beer is going to go down good.”

“Same here,” Elise said. “I’m not even a fan of champagne, but it was just having the alcohol to get through.”

“What did Mom say to you when I was looking at the plans with Steve? Your face was red when I returned.”

“Nothing more than the same,” Elise said. “She was trashing Dad. She never does that in front of you. Only me. She still resents that I fought to stay with him and not move with her. I didn’t want to leave you either. If I had to go with Mom, then you would’ve had to go with me and that wasn’t happening.”

“What?” he asked.

“You didn’t know?” Elise asked.

“Obviously not. What is going on?”

“Mom wanted me with her, not you. She said you were too much like Dad and you two belonged together. No way I was moving away on my own without you. She wanted to start her life over and didn’t want a kid anyway. It was only so she didn’t look bad that she wanted one of us.”

He knew that part. That it was always frowned on when the mother didn’t get the kids. Or at least didn’t get them part time. What he didn’t know was that his mother wanted them split up.

“Why am I only hearing this now?” he asked.

Nothing like making him feel like shit that he’d never be good enough even for his own mother.

Elise shrugged. “I thought you knew. I mean it’s not like anyone actually told me. I heard it when Mom and Dad were fighting during the divorce.”

“Which means it was said in anger and not the truth,” he said.

“Do you think Mom ever said anything that wasn’t the truth? Hell, her truth always came out in anger. If she said it calmly I’d think it was a lie.”

His sister had a point. “It doesn’t matter now,” he said. “You were happier staying where you were. Dad would never let us be split up and you know it. I wouldn’t have let it happen either.”

“Awwww,” Elise said. “I know you love me and all.”

“Brat,” he said to her.

She laughed. “I love you too, Royce. You know that.”

“I do.”

“We are so damaged by her. That’s why we are both still single. I wanted to say that so badly.”

“It would have only made it worse,” he said. “Steve told me the addition was because Mom has wanted it for years. He said it was the only way she would stay in the house and Steve said there were too many memories for him to leave.”

“His first wife sounded so nice and sweet. How the heck can he stand being with Mom?”

“Maybe she’s a different person with him because he gives her what she wants. We don’t know their lives on a daily basis. Mom cares for the house and helps him entertain. When Steve is around, he seems to dote on her. It’s what she always wanted.”

Royce couldn’t imagine being married to someone whose greatest accomplishment for the month was finding the right fabric for new curtains. He thought his ears were going to bleed listening to his mother talk about that for twenty minutes.

It was still better than being knocked down though.

“More power to her,” Elise said. “Did Steve say anything else when you were in his office?”

“Only that his kids were coming this afternoon which we figured. I slipped and said that explained her moodiness with us. She had to get it out so she could be on her best behavior around his kids.”

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