Page 117 of From This Moment (After We Fall 4)
Twenty-Three
WES
I was seething.
I drove home, blood boiling in my veins. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have hurt her like that? How could I have lost my chance with her, the only woman I’d ever love?
You fucked up.
But I hadn’t meant to! I didn’t know she would be so upset about the stupid dinner! And I had no fucking idea about goddamn Becca, whom I’d left sitting at the bar after throwing a twenty dollar bill at the bartender and storming out. How could Hannah think I’d betray her like that?
Because she’d been betrayed like that before, asshole.
I frowned and pounded the heel of my hand on the steering wheel. I was furious with Drew for cheating on her. Furious with myself for leading Hannah to believe I wouldn’t choose her over anybody. And furious as fuck with my mother, who was about to bear the brunt of my rage.
I barged into the house and strode into the kitchen, where she was making dinner. “How could you do that to me?”
She feigned innocence as she set a pot of water on the stove. “What?”
“How could you set me up like that?”
“Wes, don’t be so dramatic, darling. It was just a drink. I thought it would be nice for you to get out of the house. Meet some new people. You’ve been so down this week.”
“I was down this week because Hannah asked for time apart. Because you made her feel bad.”
“I didn’t do anything to her.” She continued moving about the kitchen like everything was fine.
“Yes, you did. You said cruel things when she came to get Abby on Sunday. You shamed her, and you scared her.”
“I didn’t say anything she didn’t deserve to hear.” Taking a peeler from the drawer, she started peeling potatoes in the sink. “If she felt bad, it was because she heard the truth from me.”
“What do you have against her?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do. Look at me.” I crossed my arms and waited. When she finally met my eyes, I could see she knew perfectly well what I meant. “Even before you knew about us, even when Drew was alive, you had something against her. Why?”
“I told you. She just wasn’t who I’d have chosen. I never understood it. And he was different after he married her. He wasn’t my same Drew.”
“He wasn’t your Drew at all, you mean.”
“She turned up her nose every time I tried to tell her how Drew liked anything!”
“No woman wants unsolicited advice from her mother-in-law.”
“But I’d been taking care of him for thirty years! Who was she to come along and think she could do it better? But all of a sudden he preferred her chicken and her apple pie and the way she ironed his shirts.”
“Mom! Are you hearing yourself?”
“He took her side in everything!” Color was rising in her face, and she gestured wildly with the peeler. “Any time there was a disagreement, he always took her side. After Abby was born, I tried again to be helpful. After I had raised two perfect boys—she should have listened to my advice. But did she? No! She nursed Abby so constantly that she wouldn’t take a bottle. No one else could feed her! I told them not to let the baby sleep in their bed, but they ignored me and they had all kinds of problems getting her to sleep. When I saw how tired and miserable Drew was after the baby was born, I reminded Hannah that she couldn’t neglect her husband just because there was a baby in the house. I didn’t neglect your father, and I had two babies to take care of! Everything she had to do, I had to do double!”
“Which I’m sure you reminded her of plenty of times.” I shook my head. “You made her feel small and inadequate.”
“You’re missing the point.”
It was almost laughable. “No, you’re missing the point. You picked on her because Drew loved her so much. You were jealous.”
She lifted her chin and went back to peeling. “She didn’t know how to take care of him and look what happened.”
