She sucked in sharply and dropped my hand.
I dropped my gaze to my lap. While I knew good and well that none of it was my fault, it was still embarrassing to admit I’d been so grossly played. So gullible.
But I needed someone to hear it.
Someone to tell me I wasn’t overreacting.
Someone to objectively help me sort through the deception.
“That’s not even the worst of it,” I continued. “Apparently, in that time, I had been kidnapped and God only knows what else because in the months after I came back, I tried to kill myself.”
“Remi,” she whispered.
I lifted my wrists in her direction. “Multiple times, Linda.” Fueled by their deceit and unable to sit still for a second longer, I surged to my feet and began pacing the small office. “And nobody, not even my own father, thought it was worth mentioning to me. And even knowing all of that, I still feel like I’ve been filleted open because, as it turns out, the man I’ve spent the last two months falling in love with was actually my fiancé who left me without so much as a goodbye.” I slapped my hands against my thighs, my frustration growing by the second. “So now, here I am, more lost and confused than ever. I can’t even go home. I have no idea what the truth is or even who I can trust anymore.”
Linda shot to her feet. “Remi, stop.”
I couldn’t stop. I was a pendulum of heartbreak, every swing more volatile than the last.
As I continued to pace, grief joined the tornado of emotions roaring inside me. “The real kicker is that I can’t imagine a day when I won’t love him. But knowing he abandoned me, I can’t imagine a future with him anymore, either.”
Suddenly, she stepped in front of me, halting my frenzy. Her voice was firm but compassionate as she all but cooed, “Remi, honey. I need you to sit down.”
I hesitated for a beat. I’d come for advice, but I wasn’t quite ready to hand over the reins to thought and reason yet.
Her pretty face grew softer. “I just need your full attention for a second.”
I narrowed my eyes, my heart still racing in my chest, but I did as she’d asked and sank into the chair.
This time, Linda didn’t sit beside me. Slowly lowering her willowy figure, she squatted in front of me, bringing us to eye level. Capturing both of my hands between her warm palms, she squeezed my fingers and said, “I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now. You’re an incredible woman who has survived so much. Even though it doesn’t seem like it now, I have full confidence that you’ll not only get through this but come out stronger on the other side. In the meantime, I want you to know that, no matter what happens, I’m here for you in any and every way you could possibly need me.”
My chest warmed, and my lips performed what should have been an impossible task of smiling. “I know, Linda. I really appreciate it.”
“But before we go any further, there’s something I need you to know.” She swallowed hard and offered me a weak smile. “No one abandoned you, Remi. Least of all Bowen. And I would know because I’m his mom.”
I wanted to be shocked. No, strike that. I was shocked, but I wasn’t surprised anymore. Another round of tears filled my eyes as I sat frozen in that chair.
Of course she was his mom. Ab-so-fucking-lutely. Just when I’d thought shit couldn’t get more fucked up, Bowen’s mother comes out of the woodwork. Quite honestly, I was almost pissed I hadn’t considered that angle.
My hands began to tremble, but I didn’t move away from her. There was no point. This was my life now.
“Wow,” I breathed, looking anywhere but at her face. I didn’t want to see him there. They didn’t look alike, at least not at first glance, but I was positive if I looked close enough I’d find her son staring back at me. My heart couldn’t handle it. Not right then. Maybe not ever again.
Jesus, even my own fucking brain was in on this ruse. When I’d thought about how much I needed a mother, my subconscious had led me straight to one. His.
“Say something,” she urged.
I shrugged, barely able to speak around the knot in my throat. “Is there anyone in my life who isn’t fucking lying to me?”
“You have every right to be upset, mad, pissed off, angry, livid, betrayed, you name it. They are all valid and justly deserved emotions. But please know, we couldn’t have abandoned you if we tried. Bowen was a wreck. I swear there were a lot of days where it felt like I had lost him too. But the whole family grieved your loss. You two never got married, but you were a Michaels all the same. After the crash, Tyson visited you every day when you were in the hospital. He drove back and forth between you and Bowen because he couldn’t stop worrying you might need something. Then when you came home, Cassidy, my daughter, left her family at home and moved in with Bowen for the first month. But every afternoon, she drove to The Rusty Nail and dropped off a home-cooked dinner with Mark. All your favorites.”
