Chapter 66

Ihad just put my head down when I heard the sounds of footsteps charging up the stairs, which seemed just a little out of place. Dread settled over me. It was early, too early for anyone else to be awake in the house. Yet, the hushed whispers outside my door confirmed that Isadora was talking to someone.Unless we had a burglar or something, it had to be Sloane.

I rolled over and pulled on my underwear. I almost walked into the hall before I remembered my daughter lived here. I wasn't trying to scar her with my half-naked appearance. I jerked on some shorts and caught a reflection of myself in the mirror, revealing red scratch marks on my chest. I found the shirt I wore yesterday and pulled it on.

Cautiously, I stepped out into the hallway, my heart sinking as I saw Sloane and Isadora engaged in a heated argument. The tension between them was obvious, hanging in the air like a heavy cloud. I quickly pieced together what had happened, realizing that Sloane had busted her mom sneaking out of my room. She was fourteen, not five. There was no story she was going to believe, especially with Isadora's disheveled appearance. It was pretty clear I had been rocking her world.

My mind raced as I tried to think of how to diffuse the situation, how to protect Isadora from Sloane's anger and confusion. It wasn't Isadora's fault. And part of me kind of felt like a teenager didn't need to know what happened behind closed doors between two adults.

Before I could intervene, Sloane turned her glare on me. "Shame on you!"

"Sloane," I said, keeping my voice calm.

"How dare you?! The both of you. I'm not an idiot! I know what you were doing!"

"Sloane, we're adults," Isadora said calmly.

"Then act like it!" Sloane shot back. "You're acting like sneaky teenagers."

"Hey, it's not your mom's fault," I said.

"This is so gross," Sloane groaned.

"It's not gross," I said. "I love your mom and she loves me."

She snorted. "Since when?"

Isadora and I looked at each other.

"We were waiting to tell you," Isadora said. "We wanted to let things settle before we told you about us."

"We wanted to protect you," I added.

Her eyes flashed with anger. "I don't need you to protect me! I'm perfectly capable of handling the truth on my own. I'm not a child!"

I opened my mouth to speak, but it was clear Sloane was beyond the point of listening. There was no use trying to calm the storm that was raging around us now. My heart ached, though. I cared about Sloane a lot, and I didn't want to hurt her feelings. But I also knew that Isadora and I had to be honest with her.

"Okay," I said softly, taking a step back. "We'll give you time to process this. When you're ready to talk, we're here for you."

"I can't believe you did this," Sloane said, her fury directed at Isadora once again.

"We didn't mean to keep this from you," I said, pulling her attention back to me. "We were just trying to figure out the best way to tell you."

Sloane's expression softened slightly at my words, but the hurt was still evident in her eyes. She looked at Isadora, her jaw still clenched.

"I'm sorry too, sweetheart," Isadora murmured, her voice choked with emotion. "We should have been more honest with you from the start."

Together, the three of us stood in the hallway. I wasn't sure what else to say or do. The moment was just a little awkward. I remembered catching my parents in the act once when I came home from school early. That was the kind of shit that scarred a kid.

"I'm so mad at both of you," Sloane stated. "I knew there was a reason why you guys wanted to move in together."

She stormed away, anger radiating from every fiber of her being. She slammed her door closed and then there was a sudden burst of music. I had a feeling that was her way of punishing us. I looked at Isadora and saw the strain on her face.

But weirdly enough, I felt a strange kind of relief. At least now, the truth was out in the open, no longer festering in the shadows. But that relief was quickly overshadowed by Isadora's distress. She looked destroyed.

I quickly went to her, pulling her close. She crumbled in my arms, her tears soaking into my shirt. I held her, murmuring words of comfort and reassurance. She struggled to regain her composure.

"I didn't want to hurt her," Isadora whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. "Why did I insist on keeping this between us? I should have just told her from the beginning. We were playing with fire. We knew she was going to find us out."

I tightened my embrace, my heart aching for her. "You were just trying to protect her," I reminded her gently. "We both were. Sloane will understand that eventually. She just needs time to process everything. This doesn't change anything for her. I think she's just upset we kept it from her."

"She's beyond hurt," Isadora said.

I sighed, knowing that there was nothing more we could do now but wait for Sloane to come to terms with the truth. We had reached an impasse, and the only thing we could do was give her the space she needed.

"We can talk about this more when she's ready, but for now, let's not put any more pressure on her," I suggested. "Let's try and get some sleep."

Isadora looked up at me, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "I don't think I can sleep now," she admitted quietly.

I nodded in understanding. "Good point. The music makes sure we don't."

"I'll make coffee." She sighed.

We went downstairs together. She started the coffee while I opened the blinds to let the sun in. It felt like we needed a little sunshine. Everything felt very dark in the house. As the coffee brewed, I felt uneasy. The truth was out, but it didn't feel like everything was resolved.

I looked at Isadora, her eyes filled with grief and guilt. I walked over and rubbed her back. "It's going to be okay."

She poured us each a cup of coffee. "I don't know about that."

"Come on, let's go watch the sun come up from our backyard. You'll feel better."

We sat in our new patio furniture. I reached out to hold her hand, doing my best to offer her support any way I could. She pulled away, retreating into herself as she folded her legs up to her chest.

"I feel like we've fought more this year than any other," she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. "I hate that my life has caused Sloane so much grief. I thought I was making the best choices for her to keep her safe, but now it's all blowing up in my face."

"Sloane will bounce back," I reassured her softly. "She's resilient, just like her mother. And besides, she knows we're doing this for her, to give her a better life. She's a very fortunate young lady to have you for a mom."

Isadora looked up at me through tear-filled eyes. I could see the strain that the past year had taken on her. "I knew the teenage years were going to be rough. All the books said you should keep a close relationship so when they do hit the teen years, they'll talk to you. I wanted her to trust me so she would be comfortable talking to me about sex and the other things kids face."

I cringed at the thought of my daughter having sex. I quickly dismissed that topic and focused on the subject at hand. "Sloane is a smart, independent girl," I said. "You did that. You raised her to know right from wrong. She's going to push back a little because she's a teenager growing into her own person."

"That's true," Isadora conceded. "But I still feel like I messed up. If only I hadn't kept this secret from her for so long, maybe she wouldn't be so hurt and angry right now. I just wish I knew how to fix it. I have a feeling that part of this anger stems from the big secret. I should have told her about you a long time ago. And now I hid this from her. She's going to resent me forever."

"We can't change the past, but we can work on the future. Let's focus on making things right moving forward. We have to give Sloane space to process everything, but it's time for us to start rebuilding trust and strengthening our relationships with each other. We are together. We're building a life that will provide her with even more stability. She'll recognize that in time. Don't you remember when you were her age? I was a rebellious little shit."

She smiled faintly. "I do remember that. I was always getting into trouble, but I was also fiercely independent."

I nodded. "Yes, you were. And Sloane is just like you, which is why I'm not worried about her. She'll come around eventually. But right now, we just need to be patient and supportive."

Isadora sighed, a tired expression settling on her face. "I just wish things could be easier. I wished I could have protected her from this pain."

After enjoying our coffee, we went back inside to make breakfast. Sloane came into the kitchen carrying her backpack. At first, I thought she was going to announce she was running away from home. Technically, I supposed she was, although temporarily. She was going to Beth's house for the day.

I wanted to be excited about the prospect of spending alone time with Isadora, of finally having her all to myself. But the truth was, we had both been looking forward to spending the day with Sloane. Reluctantly, we agreed to let her go.

"This is good," I insisted. "She'll get a break and her friend will convince her this is a good thing."

Isadora nodded, her eyes were still red from tears. She took a deep breath and smiled weakly. "You're right. Perhaps this will give us all the space we need to regroup and come back stronger."

We watched as Sloane walked out the door, her backpack slung over her shoulder. As soon as she was gone, Isadora collapsed onto the couch, her face buried in her hands. "I feel like such a failure."

I sat next to her, taking her hand in mine. "You're not a failure. You're trying your best, just like I am. It's not always going to be easy, but we'll figure it out. We'll support each other and give Sloane the love and guidance she needs to navigate through this difficult time. I'm here now. You've been doing this on your own for fourteen years, but I'm here to help carry some of that burden."

"I don't know what I would do without you."

I squeezed her hand. "We're in this together, remember? We'll get through this, one day at a time."

As the silence settled between us, I thought of the long road ahead. Coming into parenting right at the teenage stage was no joke. But it would be okay. Sloane was a good kid.