“Niles, please.”
Father threw his hands in the air. “You’re both pathetic. Get the hell out!” Father pointed to Niles. “And so you know, I’m filing a restraining order in the morning.” He turned around and left the four of us standing there without another word.
I turned to my mother and Niles, bewildered. “What the hell was all of that?”
“Niles, I’m sorry. You really need to go,” Mother beseeched him.
Niles nodded, sadness weighing his once straightened form down. “It was good to see you again, Kat. Can you please relay my congratulations to Gavin and Morgan, and tell Andie I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to speak with her before I left.”
“Yes, of course,” Mother agreed.
“I’ll see you out,” I advised Niles, catching McKenzie’s eyes.
“I’ll stay here with Kat.” She wrapped her arms around my mother.
Mom patted her on the cheek. “No, sweetheart. I’m fine. I have to go do damage control. You go with Drew and Niles.”
“Are you sure? I don’t mind.”
Mother sniffled, her chest rising in an attempt to take a deep breath. “I’m certain. Please, go with Drew and Niles.” The way she said his name, the lingering sigh that followed, left a finality that was undeniable. Tears gathered at her eyes, but she refused to look at any of us. She glanced around the room, purposely pushing us away.
“We’ll be right back,” I whispered to Mom, pressing a peck to her cheek, then wrapping my arm around McKenzie and escorting her and Niles from the tent. I glanced back over my shoulder to see my mother, standing in the middle of a crowd. No one approached her. No one said a word. They went about their business as if nothing had happened. Mother plastered a fake smile on her face and grabbed the first waiter she could find, downing a glass of champagne in one gulp. So much for her being sober.
Once outside, I turned to my former mentor. “You mind telling me what the fuck happened back there?”
Niles stopped walking, turning to McKenzie and me. “You deserve an explanation. I’m just not sure I’m the one to give it to you.”
“You’re the only one who will. What’s going on, Niles?”
Niles rubbed his hand across his forehead before digging through his pockets for his keys. “You’re probably right.” He pulled his keys from his pocket, dangling them on his finger. “How much do you remember about me from when you were a kid?”
We started walking again, McKenzie tucked into my side, her arm wrapped around my back. “I remember you used to come around a lot. But mostly, I remember how you made Mom smile.” I took in a deep breath and asked a question that had always tickled the back of my mind. “Did you and Mom have an affair?”
Niles laughed. “No. You’re mother is the most loyal, honest woman I know.”
“So it was me, then. I’m the reason Dad forced you out of our lives.” McKenzie’s hold tightened around me.
Niles stopped mere inches from his Rolls Royce. “No, Drew.” His face scrunched in a grimace. “This is all on me. Back to my initial question. Do you remember anything else about me? Anything at all?”
I searched my memory, but only one thing came to mind. “I do. The night you left us and never came back.”
“How much of that did you hear?” he questioned.
Niles leaned against his car, crossing his legs out in front of him. I settled in beside him, mimicking his stance. McKenzie stood in front of us both, her face masked by the darkness of the night. The moonlight washed out all color from her skin and hair. She was as beautiful as a water nymph.
“Gavin, Andie, and I were on the stairs that night. We heard all of you shouting, but we were too afraid to go any further than that. After a while, Ruby discovered us out of bed and forced us back upstairs. We heard you leave, but that wasn’t the end of it. Dad and Mom fought for days afterwards. Then one day the fighting stopped, but nothing was ever the same after that. Dad never liked me, but after you left, he hated me. I always assumed it was something I’d done.”
Niles scratched his nose. “Oh, Drew. You never did anything. There’s so much more to this than you even realize.” Niles proceeded to tell McKenzie and me the facts. He and my father were college roommates, the best of friends. When college ended and it came time for them to look for jobs, my father had been offered a position with Miles/Brooks, a reputable firm in New York City. It was his dream job, but his father, Royal Wise, wouldn’t allow it. My father was to inherit the family legacy of Wise & Associates. In the end, Niles took the job and advanced quickly through the ranks. There was always some animosity between them regarding that, but the real issue came into play when my father married my mother.
“At first your parents were the typical newlyweds. They were, as you kids would say, blissed out.”
McKenzie sucked in her bottom lip, snickering.
I cocked my head to the side, casting an amused glance in the direction of my former professor. “Really? Blissed out?”
Niles shrugged. “I’m hip with the lingo of today’s youth. I even know text jargon. Just because I have gray hair doesn’t mean I’m ancient.” He gave McKenzie a quick wink and proceeded without skipping a beat. “Anyway, I’d never seen your father so happy. He’d dated quite a bit in college, but no one made him smile like Kat. And life was great for them until Gavin came along. Royal started working Jonathan harder. The weeks got longer, the nights shorter, and the newlyweds became an old married couple very quickly.”
“That’s sad.” McKenzie echoed my thoughts. However, I knew exactly what he meant. It was a life I’d lived with Rebecca, and explained his comment earlier about my father forcing the same life on his son. Niles had meant me.
He continued to explain that in my father’s absence, he and my mother became close. He would come over and help with Gavin whenever Jonathan had to work. They would have long talks, and many nights, when Dad couldn’t get away, Niles would escort Mom for a night out, just to give her a break. It was their routine, and he loved it, until Mom became pregnant again. “Jonathan suddenly was at home more,” he explained. “And he was quick to question every interaction that took place between Kat and I. She began to pull away from me, and I let her because Jonathan was her husband and I was merely her friend.” His sad timber whirled inside my head. He didn’t care to be mother’s friend. I wasn’t a fool. It was plain to see he still harbored feelings for her.
“And you’re sure you and Mom didn’t have an affair? There’s no way Andie and I are yours?”
Niles laughed, hard and loud. “I’m positive, Drew. Like I told you, your mother is loyal and honorable. She would never…” He trailed off, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Not to say I wouldn’t…” Again, he dodged his own thoughts. Things were starting to make sense. Niles loved my mother. He still did, even to this day. After all this time. It was the kind of love you read about in books or saw in movies, but never believed was real. Unrequited. “No. You’re mother and I never had an affair. You and Andie are not my children. If you don’t believe me, look in the mirror. You’re the spitting image of your father when he was your age.”
“Thanks,” I grumbled, a little insulted.
This was all starting to make sense. Not that my father had any excuse for his cruelty, but it made sense. Niles did to him what Aiden did to me. The only difference was, Aiden succeeded in seducing my wife. Niles didn’t. In that moment, I felt a strange connection to my father and an unexpected disdain for Niles. All these years I’d placed him on a pedestal, only to discover he wasn’t the honorable man I’d cast him to be.
“As I was saying, your mother loved,” he stopped, took a deep breath and continued, “loves your father very much. Lord knows why? He doesn’t deserve her. She was so excited about you and Andie, and for a while, she and Jonathan were happy again. But after you were born, things became even more strained than they had been. He’d taken some time off to help your mother acclimate to having twins plus a tod
dler, which pissed off Royal. ‘Men didn’t take time off for babies. That was a woman’s place,’ Royal had told him.”
The more Niles talked, the more soured my stomach became. Everything I experienced with Rebecca, my father endured with my grandfather. Maybe he thought he was doing it for my own good, but all he did was drive a wedge between us. I cursed my father for putting me through such torture. While that explained present animosity toward me from my father, it didn’t clarify why he despised me as a child.
Niles explained how Grandfather Wise pushed Father harder and harder on the job, preventing him from being able to balance his caseload as well as a family life. Once again, my mother was alone. Mom started to drink, and Dad pretended not to notice as long as it kept her from complaining about his absence. She turned to the only person she felt she could trust. Niles dropped everything, determined to help her in anyway he could. He loved us three kids, and in a way became a surrogate father in my dad’s absence.
“It all came to a head that last night,” Niles lamented. “Kat called me, frantic. You were running a fever. It wasn’t high enough to go to the hospital, but it was still pretty bad. Ruby was gone for her day off, and Jonathan was once again stuck at work. I rushed right over and we sat up with you until Ruby returned that evening. We were both proud that we were able to get your fever down with nothing more than a little teamwork.”
“I remember that!” I exclaimed, the memory flooding back. “You got into a bath with me because I cried that it was too cold. You didn’t even get undressed. You jumped in to keep me from climbing out.”
“That’s right,” Niles confirmed. “Kat gave me some things of Jonathan’s to wear afterward.”
“Yes, and we laughed because Dad’s clothes were much too big for you.”
“That sounds sweet,” McKenzie noted. “How could Jonathan be upset with that?”
“Jealousy,” I declared, knowing my own struggle with the beast.
“Yes. He came home that night to Kat and me in the kitchen. She’d been so stressed that she broke down into tears after all of the chaos was resolved. I held her in my arms and let her cry it out. After the last tear was shed, I wanted to see her smile again, so I turned on the radio and we danced in the middle of the kitchen.”
“That’s when Dad came home.”
“Yes.”
“And he thought…”
“Yes.”
“He blamed me,” I realized. “Because I was sick, and you were there to take care of me. It all makes sense.” I slumped against the car, discerning the truth. McKenzie rushed toward me, cupping my face. I rested my hands on her hips and looked into her colorless eyes, the moon glowing ever so brightly on her. “Growing up, I knew my father didn’t like me. I just didn’t understand why. I do now. He blamed me for my mother and Niles, for him losing his friendship and the trust in his wife. And then I grew up and turned out to be,” I rasped, shocked at the thought, “to be just like him. Defiant, wanting to do criminal law instead of family. Marrying a woman he disapproved of and starting a family with her. It all makes sense.”
Niles pushed up from the car, turning to face McKenzie and me. “Drew, he was wrong then, and he’s wrong now. You’re not to blame. You’re a good man and I’m so proud of you. You’re father has a bad habit of measuring his manhood by business success, and I would’ve given up the world…” Niles shook his head, pushing air hard and heavy through his nose. “I accepted your invitation to the bachelor party and then to the wedding, not because I wanted to start trouble, but because I miss my friends. Jonathan and Kat were my family. You, Gavin, and Andie were my family. I lost it all in one night because I couldn’t swallow my pride. I provoked your father, accusing him of cheating on Kat since he was so damned determined we were sleeping around on him. I knew he wasn’t, but I wanted to piss him off. It ended with us throwing a few punches, and Jonathan kicking me out of the house. I figured after a few days, things would blow over, that he and I would make up and everything would return to normal. It didn’t.”
“You and Dad fought? Like physically fought?” I tried to imagine my father using his fists, and I couldn’t. The man was white collar to the cufflinks. He was the type to hire someone to punch a person out for him. Not do it himself.
“Jonathan’s got a mean left hook.” Niles adjusted his jaw as if he’d just been hit. “Boxing in college paid off.”
“Dad boxed, too? How do I not know this stuff about him?”
He rubbed his chin, mulling over the past. “My guess is that Jonathan wanted to block out anything that reminded him of me.” He pressed the key fob, and the alarm on the car disabled. Guests had started matriculating toward the front, where the limo sat in wait for Morgan and Gavin. “I need to go. You two have bridal party duties to finalize.” Niles hugged me tight, patting me firmly on the back. “I’m sorry for tonight. I really only wanted to see my family again.”
I hugged him back, returning the manly pat. “Niles, you’re still family in my eyes. Not to worry. I’ll explain everything to Gavin and Andie.”
He shifted to McKenzie. Pulling her into a hug, he whispered, “You remind me of Kat, my dear. Gracious and gentle, honorable and loyal. Drew’s a lucky man to have you. Wise men tend to be when it comes to the ladies.”
“Thank you, Professor.”
He released her and walked around to the driver’s side of the car. “It’s Niles to you, my dear, and be sure to call me if either of you ever need anything.” Opening the door, Niles leaned against the shell of the vehicle. “Take care.” He slid into the car, and moments later, only dust remained in the lot where he’d been. From behind us, we could hear the roar of the crowd where Morgan and Gavin were racing toward the limo. Birdseed rained from the sky. Morgan and Gavin disappeared into the limo, and we watched as the newlyweds drove off in the same direction we’d just observed Niles depart.
“What do you say we grab our stuff and get out of here?” McKenzie suggested.
I rested my hand against the small of her back. “Gladly.”
Chapter Nineteen
McKenzie
Drew breathed a heavy sigh, his hand locked in mine. We took each step up toward the house, slow, unencumbered. The morning sun blazed down on us. Beads of sweat dotted the back of my neck, causing my hair to stick to my skin, but still we took our time. Neither of us was in any rush to face what was in that house. The events of the last twenty-four hours had pretty much left us both feeling numb and confused. The only thing that made sense anymore was what we felt for one another.
With a light squeeze of my hand, Drew swallowed hard as we reached the front door. He pulled his free hand from the pocket of his cargo shorts and touched it to the doorknob. “You know,” he paused, staring at the door like it was something that might eat him alive, “we could skip breakfast and head straight for the airport. Jared can bring our stuff to us.”
I returned his solid grip, swinging our hands between us. “Baby, either way, we have to face this. Liv is flying back with us. There’s no getting ‘round her.”
Drew flopped his head from side to side. “Yeah,” he whined. “I guess you’re right.”
“And since you happen to work for your father, there’s really no dodgin’ him, either.”
“Now’s probably the time Gavin and I should talk about starting our own firm.”
I wasn’t sure if he was joking, but I also wasn’t going to challenge the idea. A few deep, calming breaths, and Drew turned the knob. The door opened, its hinges creaking as its mouth widened for us to enter. We stepped inside to find there was no butler to greet us. No one was waiting in the foyer as they’d done the day we first arrived. All pomp and circumstance had been eliminated.
Not that I’d have admitted it to Drew, but I felt like a child sneaking back into her parents’ house after a long night of secret partying. Our departure from the wedding reception had been abrupt but warranted. We said nothing to no one. Our only communication was via a text sent between D
rew and Andie, letting her know we’d left and to have Jared feed our cats for us. Andie demanded to know what Niles had told Drew, but he’d brushed her off. It was safe to say he needed time to process the information.
I spent the majority of the evening and well into the morning simply talking with him, listening to him go over and over every detail of his conversation with Niles. He questioned me as if I was on a witness stand, wanting my perception of each minor piece of information. My heart broke each time he came to the realization that all the anger and resentment his father carried for him was nothing more than personal self-loathing and desperation for control.
“Here goes nothing,” he muttered, letting the door close behind us. A cool breeze caused my skin to prickle. From the distance, I could hear the clattering of plates and the rumblings of small talk. Breakfast was served, and for us, humble pie was on the menu.
“Oh thank God, you’re here!” Andie hissed. She appeared from around the corner, sprinting toward us. Her dark, honey colored hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun, lips bright red as a rose, and her outfit fashioned together as though she’d walked right off the cover of a magazine. She made me feel plain and peasant-like in my summer yellow maxi dress. It was easy to see why Jared was attracted to her, and a small part of me felt a twinge of jealousy that such beauty could replace me so easily in his eyes. But Jared deserved happiness, and I’d put my self-esteem aside to see him get everything he deserved.
She hugged us both then wrapped her arm into the crook of Drew’s free limb. “Everything all right?” Drew asked, his voice elevating with concern.
“You mean other than this house being filled with zombies? Sure. Everything’s peachy.”
“Zombies?” I squeaked.
The Truth Be Told (The Truth in Lies Saga #3) Page 18
