Part 28 (1/2)

I stared to sit up, but remembered I wasn't dressed. ”Can one of you grab my robe? I wanted to talk to you girls for a minute.”

Macy grabbed my ratty old pink robe, and I swung it around my shoulders and pulled it on.

”So, girls,” I cleared my throat and wiped my hands on the napkin. ”Daddy and I have decided that it's best if he moves back home.”

Macy snorted, and my eyes snapped to her. ”What?” I asked, annoyed.

”Are you back together?” Skylar asked quietly.

”Obviously,” Macy quipped.

Macy got up and started toward the door. ”What's wrong, Mace? Talk to us. There has to be more talking in this house.”

Skylar and Laney giggled and Macy glared at them both. ”Shut up!” she hissed.

She slipped out of the room, and the girls fell into a fit of laughter. Royal and I shared a questioning look.

”What's going on?” Royal asked.

”She's embarra.s.sed. She, um, she heard you guys last night-you know.” She blushed and looked down at her lap.

I gasped, and Royal groaned. I had no idea she was home, and we'd been, well, we'd gotten a little out of hand and a lot loud. G.o.d only knew what she'd heard or seen.

”I can't believe-s.h.i.+t.”

”Mom, we know you and Daddy have s.e.x,” she whispered. Her cheeks lit up bright red.

”Skylar,” I gasped. ”That's just, well,” I sighed. What was I supposed to say?

”When we used to share a room, we could hear you sometimes. You know-the mattress sounds.”

Royal barked out a laugh, and I glared at him. ”This is not funny, and it's all your fault.”

”What'd I do?” He fell back on the pillow and put his hands behind his head, grinning.

”It's okay, Mom, like you told us when we had the talk, it's beautiful when you're in love.”

Royal stopped laughing and sat up. ”No. It's only beautiful if it's me and Mom. You'll lose all your hair and get fat if you do it.”

I rolled my eyes. ”Girls, can you go on downstairs? I just want to spend a few minutes with Daddy and eat.”

Once they were out of the room, Royal leaned over and tried to kiss me.

”Hey, don't worry about it, Jenna. I mean, yeah, we were pretty loud, but don't stress.”

”Ick,” I said, waving him off. ”I have yuck mouth. Don't kiss me yet.”

He shook his head. ”I've seen you worse, cookie, and I've never wanted you more. Kiss me.”

I brushed a hand over his cheek, overwhelmed having him next to me again. Tears fell, but for once, they were happy ones.

”No more tears. Not today. We're going to be happy today even if it kills us all.”

I laughed. ”Okay. I love you, Royal.”

”Say it again.”

”I love you.”

Chapter 20.

Two Months later.

After a hectic morning of grumpy kids and a very tired and equally cranky Royal, I dropped Ben off at school and then headed to the cemetery. I'd stopped to pick up a Snapdragon plant, having forgotten to pick some from the garden before I left. I grabbed it off the seat, along with his little cars from Benji, and started my trudge toward his grave.

My steps faltered when I saw the figure sitting in the damp gra.s.s, head hung and knees bent. I pressed a hand against my mouth to stifle my cries. I'd never, not once, seen Royal visit Teddy's grave, and it hit me much harder than I expected.

As I got closer, I realized he was crying. Hard, sloppy sobs and it broke my heart. I dropped the flowers and kneeled beside him, my own tears coating my face.

”What are you doing?”

I could see in his eyes why he never came with me. He didn't want me to see that weakness, or what he presumed to be weakness. What I saw was the same thing I felt, the loss and the ache for something we'd never get over.

He cleared his throat, and I rubbed his shoulder, encouraging him to open up to me.

”I come here, too, sometimes. Alone. Not all the time, but sometimes,” he explained. I nodded and sat down next to him. ”He wasn't supposed to die, Jenna. I couldn't do anything to stop what happened. I am so f.u.c.king sorry that you had to go through all of that. G.o.d, I would take it all back if I could. Why? What I don't understand is why?”

I gasped and wrapped myself around him tighter. The anguish was too much, and I could hear in his voice all the pain he'd held on to for so long.

”I went to my father,” he said quietly. I held my breath and waited. He almost never talked about his father, and when he did, it was never good.

”I was scared, and I wanted to show your dad I was worthy enough to hold on to you. I told him about Teddy.” He took a shaky breath and shook his head. ”I asked him for a loan. He laughed at me.” The look on his face told me the memory was still so fresh and hurtful that it made my stomach churned.

That b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

”He told me I was lucky, that I'd dodged a bullet. He said if I stayed, I was a f.u.c.king fool. That I was ruining my life-like he had.”

I gasped. ”Why didn't you tell me this?”