Chapter 21

Chapter

Twenty-One

VICTORIA

After I confessed everything to my baby brother, he left town. No one in the family knew where he went, and it worried them all enough that I started to get phone calls.

It made sense, I guessed, since the last time they saw him, he had gone charging off after me to find out what was going on between his best friend and me. I couldn’t help but think he had done this disappearing act on purpose, though.

After the third text from a family member inquiring about Dallas, I finally called my dad and had him set up a family meeting. Thankfully, Dallas reached out to let me know where he was and that he’d be back once the family wasn’t acting like a bunch of “shitheads” to one another. His word, not mine.

I wasn’t sure if that was something I planned to say to my family or not, but either way, they deserved an apology from me - for real this time. They also deserved the truth of what was going on in my life. If no one wanted to talk to me after they knew the truth, then I would have to live with that.

My family, all of them minus Dallas, stared at me somewhat slack-jawed for far too long after I explained everything that had been going on.

“I don’t understand why you would ever think we cared who you loved.”

“Oh, I care. That fucker has a lot to answer for,” Houston finally popped off.

Austin remained quiet and held onto his wife’s hand. I had apologized profusely to the both of them, but my apologies were met with cold indifference. Even after I explained why I had gone off the deep end, they remained frigidly indifferent. I didn’t blame either of them for their response - or lack of one. I deserved far less than they were giving.

“I have it on good authority that Dallas already broke his nose and gave him two stunning black eyes,” I mentioned.

My mom harrumphed that. “Violence is never the answer.”

“Agree to disagree,” my father blurted out.

“What Dad said,” Houston chipped in.

My heart ached from being so close to my family while not feeling fully a part of them. I wouldn’t push for more than I had given over the past year and a half though. They all deserved better from me and I couldn’t expect to get more back from them, though I was surprised that Houston seemed to have my back in this.

NOTES: Has to explain to her family what has been happening in her life. Her mom leaves the room and comes back with the newspaper article (on her tablet) and asks: “I wonder if that is what this is all about?”

“You know,” Mom said as she stood from the circle of chairs we all occupied. “This does at least explain the article. At first, I thought he was talking about that awful girl, but I see now that he was talking about you.”

“What are you talking about, Mom?”

She grinned and left the room in search of whatever it was. While she was gone, Houston came over and gave me a hug. “I know that was hard for you, but I wish you had trusted us with all this a lot sooner. It might have made things easier on your relationship.”

“It definitely would have kept Justice from having room to push into your relationship,” My brother’s wife added. I still didn’t know Clea well - or at all, really. I nodded to her, though.

“You’re all probably right, but there isn’t anything I can do to change what has already taken place.”

We sat silently for a bit and waited for Mom to come back. “Finally!” She declared as she came back around the corner carrying her tablet with her. “Sorry I took so long, I had to find the article again. It was on the socials this morning, but I couldn’t remember what the title was. I had to try to find it on the Googles instead.”

I wanted to laugh at my mother, but managed to refrain as she shoved the tablet in my direction. I took it with shaking hands and started to read the article she had pulled up.

The Decision that Ruined my Life.

Devin’s name was just below the title in the byline.

I skimmed through the article and it was mostly the beginning of our relationship and how we never should have hidden what we had from anyone because their opinions never mattered to our happiness anyway. At the end, there was a reminder this was only part one of a four-part series in finding and losing the love of your life.

When I was done reading, I glanced back up at my mom who sat there with tears in her eyes.

“I cried when I read that this morning. I cried for Devin and the woman who he obviously loved with all his heart. I didn’t know then that he was talking about my oldest daughter. I don’t understand why you wanted to hide that from us.”

“The way he described loving you,” Clea stated, as she held her hand over her chest. She passed her phone to Becs who started reading the article too. “Are you sure it can’t be fixed?”

“I guess you’ll have to wait for the other parts of his series to come out to find out why. As far as I know, he’s still living with her, still married to her.” I shrugged my shoulders and then stood up. “Look, I came to offer my sincere apologies, let you know not to worry about Dallas, and…”

“And nothing. Sit your boney ass down and get ready to eat some food. You look like you’ve been starving and you will not allow any man to take your figure away from you!” My mother gave her marching orders before she ran off to the kitchen. When I tried to stand and leave anyway, my eyes connected with my father’s. He shook his head and pointedly looked at the seat I had just vacated.

“Don’t even think about it,” He all but whispered to me.

Well damn. I guess I had to stick around for a few awkward rounds of “Let’s dissect your shitty life”.

“I’m sorry too, Vic. I shouldn’t have said anything, but you made me so mad when you were being hateful to Becs for no reason.” She huffed and her pouty lips looked even more prominent on her face as she brooded over my behavior. “And that was after you refused to go to Houston and Austin’s wedding.”

I wasn’t about to throw our mom under the bus, so I simply nodded safely.

“No!” I heard Mom yell as she scooted quickly back into the room and pointed her wooden spoon at me. “I will not have you sit silent on another thing. “It was not your sister’s fault that she missed the wedding.”

“What do you mean?” Houston asked.

“I never invited her.”

There was a collective gasp throughout the room as everyone’s attention shifted from my mom to me, as if searching for me to deny her truth or validate it. I gave the slightest of nods to indicate it was the truth and nothing else.

“Why, Mom?” Houston asked. “None of us will ever get those moments back. Two of her brothers got married and she wasn’t even invited.” My brother’s eyes swung back to me and I could see the damage that had been done. “I accused you… That night…” He paused again to search for his words. “No wonder you were so angry with everyone. We were all so wrapped up in our own shit that no one ever bothered to check on you and then you find out that we had a double wedding and you didn’t even get invited.” He shook his head. “I’m so sorry, sis. That invite should have come directly from me.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s all in the past now.”

“Obviously not,” Houston said as he glanced between all of our siblings who were present and then back at Dad whose furrowed brow indicated that he hadn’t known about Mom snubbing me either.

“So, I’m going to therapy.” I threw the admission out there to break the ice, but all it did was make my mother cry her way back into the kitchen. For a few minutes, she was left there alone until my father stood and came over to put a warm hand on my shoulder. “I’m so sorry, kiddo.”

He let go and went into the kitchen before I could say anything. “I feel like I caused even more drama and I wasn’t even trying this time,” I half-ass joked. “I’m going to…” I stood and hitched a thumb toward the door.

“Please, stay,” Houston pleaded.

“No offense, but part of therapy is knowing my own limits and I’m just about at the end of what I can handle for one day.”

“Can I come with you?” I turned to see Katy and gave her a quick nod. “I’ll go grab a bag. Don’t leave without me.”

If nothing else, being honest with my family, and reading what Devin had to say about the beginning of our secret relationship did one good thing. It brought me back into the fold of my family. We weren’t perfect - far from it, but as my therapist was known to say: Now that the truth is free, the healing can start.