Page 48 of Finding Redemption

A knot choked me, but I blinked back my tears.“Nope.Sorry.You’re stuck with me.”

Hope lit her eyes, making them glitter.“Forever?”

“And ever and ever and ever,” I singsonged, trying to put a threatening edge on it so she would laugh.Her lips twitched with the beginnings of a smile, and I figured that was as close as I would get for the moment.

With a wink, I stole a piece of bacon from her plate just as a shadow darkened our table.“Thank you—”

I thought it was our waitress returning with my coffee, but I was wrong.

Jannel stood beside the table, dressed in another designer outfit, her hair perfectly in place, dark-red lipstick decorating her mouth as she smirked down at us.“Enjoying yourselves, I see.”

Crap, I wished I’d brought Henry after all.

“What a coincidence,” I said dryly.If we’d been back in LA, it might have been.But running into this woman in another state, where there were millions of tourists, hundreds of different hotels to choose from?It wasn’t a bet I would make even if I were a gambler.“Stalker much?”

Jannel laughed like I was hilarious.“I see why they keep you around.”But the amusement died quickly, and she settled her cold gaze on Bella, who shifted in her chair uncomfortably.“Ah, pet, still no hello?My heart is breaking, dearest.”

“Eyes off my kid,” I snarled, my internal alarms screaming at me to get her attention away from Bella.“For whatever reason, you seem to be desperate for a conversation with me.But you will not speak to Bella.”

As she swiveled her head back to me, her dark eyes glittered with some unknown emotion.“Protective little thing, aren’t you?So unlike the others before you.”

“What do you want, lady?”I gritted out, too tired to pretend to be civil, ready for her to say whatever she felt she needed to and get away from us.

“It’s not a crime to want to spend time with my one and only grandchild, is it?”

Surprise had my mouth dropping open for a moment.This was Bella’s grandmother?But she was so young.Or was she?Cosmetic surgery was the closest anyone would get to eternal youth.Perhaps she had a very skilled doctor.

“Ah, it’s always an ego boost when people respond with such surprise,” Jannel gushed.

While I was processing that, I glanced at Bella, but she didn’t seem surprised.Although, she was definitely not happy to see her grandmother.Timidly, she curled back in her chair, trying to put more distance between Jannel and herself.

“What are you doing here?”

My head jerked at the sound of Sariah’s angry voice.She’d been ready to tear Chloe’s hair out the night before, but that was nothing to the rage sparking in her eyes at the moment.She stormed toward us with her hands already balled into fists.

“Darling, you’re just in time.I was hoping to have some quality bonding time with my daughter and granddaughter.”

Bella’s small, sharply drawn breath was all the outward sign she gave to the bomb that had just been dropped on me.Because I didn’t need Sariah to confirm if that was true or not.With the two women almost side by side, I could suddenly see why Jannel had seemed so familiar to me.

Bella lowered her gaze to her food, again not seeming at all surprised by what Jannel had said.

She knew.

No one had ever talked about Bella’s mother.But I’d assumed it was because the woman was dead and it was too painful for anyone to mention her.

My heart thumping erratically, my mind in a whirlwind, I tried to keep myself composed so as not to scare my poor, sweet Bella.Who had a mother but didn’t call her “Mom.”Who was always so lonely.She’d asked me only minutes before if I was going to leave her.

Remembering Paxton’s reaction to Luck and Sariah’s obvious relationship the night before, I felt sick.No wonder he was so torn up over it.He and Sariah had a child together.

Everything made so much sense, I didn’t understand how I hadn’t put it all together sooner.Their closeness.Sariah going on vacation with them so often.

But it only left me with more questions.

Why?

Why didn’t Bella call Sariah “Mom”?

Why weren’t Paxton and Sariah together when it was so obvious they were still close?

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