Her Silent Revenge novel Chapter 132

The corners of Mom's eyes tighten, fighting the false plumpness that holds her skin in place.

"I wonder, what's changed?" I ask pointedly. "Why did you really come?"

"You think we want to live like this? Separated from our only daughter, our grandson?" She throws herself into a chair miserably. Her nails are fake and long, painted a pale pink coral that matches her jacket perfectly. "Frankly, we want you to come back to California with us. Both of you. We'd like to start over and be a family again."

They want, they want.

They want me to do their bidding without so much as an apology.

Patton flashes in my mind. Before I went and scared him away, I found my family. Something real and loving with him and the Rorys, with Delly and Juniper and Archer and Dexter.

I had a future I hope I can still salvage with a man who stood like a rock when he found out he had a surprise son.

"Lemmy, please. Don't tell me that means nothing?" Mom's eyes are big, pleading.

It's almost worse if she's done some real soul-searching, all these years apart.

I wasn't expecting that.

But my voice is granite when I answer. "My home's here now, Mom. You know that. I have a job and a life. I'm not interested in giving it up to live by the ocean in some overpriced neighborhood where people will judge you if you go for a jog without a designer jacket."

Certainly not at your mercy, I almost add, but I hold it in.

"But what do you do? I'm sure you can transfer your job to LA." Dad, like always, tries to fix our problems like it's as easy as moving the millions in his retirement accounts. "If you're worried about being stuck under our roof, we can find a place for you and the boy. Do you still pay rent?" He waves a hand dismissively. "Never mind. I'll speak to your landlord and get you out of your lease."

"Dad, no. I'm not moving."

A muscle works in his jaw. "Salem, we—"

Mom places a hand over his. "Careful, Byron. It's been a hectic week for them. Let's all just think about this. Calmly," she stresses.

A tall boy with a shock of sandy hair comes over and sets down coffee and a few small bites for us. I asked Junie to give us whatever she recommended, and she's totally outdone herself. It's a small tower of tiny cakes, bite-sized so we can have as many as we choose.

For a second, my parents shut their mouths and start stuffing them instead.

Mom's perfectly outlined mouth tightens at the corners. "We're your family, Lemmy. Oh, it's been years. Can't we just forget this whole mess ever happened?"

"No. You abandoned me to raise my son alone so you could go chase beaches and your holiday trips to Hawaii." The ire in my voice scrapes them raw with the truth, judging from the way they flinch back. I take a bite of the cake. "Also, I don't need your money or your assistance. I'm co- parenting now."

"With who?" Dad sucks in a sharp breath. "Arlo's father," I say flatly.

Mom blinks at me as she swallows a gasp. "You—you knew who he was? Not your ex?"

"Not even close. He's a wonderful part of Arlo's life, and mine." There's a secret wish in my words, a prayer that Patton will always be around.

"Who is he?" she demands, drumming her nails on the table.

"His name is Patton Rory. He's smart. He's kind. More importantly, he's always there for us, and I never need to have to ask him twice for anything." There's no point in hiding it now, or the sour little victory I feel at the shock shadowing their faces.

"Rory? As in…" Mom trails off as her face falls. Dad's expression withers.

Even with their California dreaming, the Rory name hits them like a bullet. That's how it is with Kansas City royalty. Maybe Mom even met Delly while she was here, moving frantically in her lofty social circles.