“I saw my daughter being torn apart… torn down.” His voice shook as a tear streaked his cheek. “This strong, independent young lady who’d worked her behind off in school, got straight A’s all through elementary and high school, and made the Dean’s list every semester in college was a showstopper of a woman. You never wanted money from us. You wanted to earn your own way, just like we’d taught you. You were amazing! My daughter knew the meaning of hard work. She was training people, helping them achieve healthier lifestyles. I know exactly what led to you choosing this occupation, and it’s a noble reason.” She dropped her head, fighting tears, then slowly met eyes with him again, barely hanging on. “This daughter of mine, she was full of life! Laughing, silly at times, rebellious as a teenager, but had her head on straight. And then this… this bastard came into her life and tore my child’s heart out of her chest!”
Addison unraveled right then and there. The tears came and never stopped. She looked down, kept a tight grip on her father’s hand, but looked away, unable to keep her composure a moment longer.
“She was being destroyed by a man who didn’t give a damn about ’er! Didn’t value her! He didn’t encourage you to chase after your dreams. He didn’t help steer you in the right direction, give you good advice and inspire you to treat the world as your oyster. He was too insecure to let you have what was rightfully yours! Everyone became his competition. He didn’t want you to spread your wings and fly. He was afraid you’d soar high up in the sky, right the hell away from him if you knew what else was out there in the world! You were so young, a bit sheltered, and you didn’t know any better. But I and your mother did and it killed us, Addison. I am sorry that you felt left behind… that we drew a line in the sand and told you to choose. In retrospect, that wasn’t a good plan. You’re right, that’s when you needed us most. I’m sorry!”
She took her father into her arms and hugged him tight, squeezing him as the tears kept falling and her heart kept swelling with the pain of a wound that should have healed long ago. She was at a loss for words, in shock. She’d rarely seen her father express emotion. Certainly not like this.
“He wasn’t kind to you, Addison.” Dad rocked her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. “He wasn’t compassionate. He was hard, rough, and arrogant. He turned you into someone you were not. On the outside, he was a father’s dream for their daughter—a surgeon from a great family. But on the inside, he was cold, callous, controlling and devious. I didn’t hate you for choosing him, Addison. I hated him for hurting my child… for making her believe his lies, for making you doubt yourself. I despised him for not being human enough to see or care about the havoc he’d reeked. Yes, one day, you’ll be in my shoes, watching your child make a mistake… one that will make you queasy with anxiety. But there won’t be anything you can do about it because they’ll be grown, making their own choices out in the world. And when that day comes, I hope you can remember this conversation, and I hope it’ll do you some good…”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Mommy and Daddy Issues…
Later that evening…
“You got my other text after that though, right?”
“Yes, the first one when you asked me to listen and have an open mind and then, a bit later, the second one arrived. Therefore, my question to you now is, are you some sort of psychic?” the woman asked, seeming unnerved. Aiden lounged back in his bed, not sure how to respond.
“What do you mean?”
“You sent me a text that said: I’m glad you asked your father for the money. It’s a great idea. One day you may have kids of your own, and they’ll ask for money too, LOL. I laughed at that initially, but then literally less than five minutes after you sent it, my father was telling me about one day I will have children, and then I’ll understand his and my mother’s position better. I rarely see my dad cry, Aiden. It was… hard. Today was so hard. I can’t even explain to you how hard it was!”
He sat up. The woman was downright choked up, emotionally bothered and bursting at the seams.
“I take it you two had a much-needed heart to heart, huh? That’s good.”
“Yes… and it was not what I expected. I owed him a big apology. I still felt left behind, but I totally got where he was coming from. It had never sunk in before today, probably because I was in the damn sunken place with Daniel the asshole! How could I have been so stupid?! You were right; most people would kill for a family like mine, Aiden. I was so blinded by whatever the hell was going on, I totally lost focus. After all of that, I handed him his check back.”
“What?”
“Yes. My apology to him will be me making this work on my own. I was wrong, point blank, period, Aiden. I am taking full responsibility for my part in this. I don’t get to play victim anymore. I chose the wrong motherfucker to marry.” He couldn’t help but smile at her words. What an amazing woman. “Time to own it and stop blaming everyone else. I knew deep down Daniel wasn’t a good match for me, but I was hell-bent on forcing it, making it work. The man for me would be a good person. He’d be kind, considerate, faithful. He’d make me laugh. He’d never come between me and my family. He’d never intentionally hurt me, either.” Aiden slid his hand behind his head, aching for her. He wished she were right there with him. Maybe through a hug and kiss, he could ease her pain. “Aiden…”
“Yeah?”
“Tell me about your parents.” He sat up, totally thrown off his game.
“Why?”
“Because you told me the other day that people would bend over backwards to have parents like mine, and the look in your eyes let me know that you experienced something different than me as a child and adolescent. Not only that, you told me when we first met that you grew up in Roxhill. That had to have been rough.”
He now regretted that confession…
He’d just gotten home from his mother’s apartment less than an hour ago. She hadn’t been completely sloshed, but tipsy, and he had to hear how horrible her life was, how no one was there for her, the whole nine. Emotionally winded, he’d stormed out, leaving her to her own devices. She was his burden, his private problem. Mom was no one’s business but his and Perry’s…
“I, uh, okay, I see. Well, we can discuss it later.”
“Why?”
“Because I really don’t want to talk about this.” A wave of embarrassment at the memories of his youth swelled within. Memories of the lies he’d told to teachers as to why the signature on his field trip slips looked forged, why she’d never come to parent-teacher conferences, and them demanding an explanation for him and Perry not having enough lunch money and borrowing from other students… “Just let it go, okay?”
“Oh? Okay. Sure.” He was shocked by how Addison was simply willing to accept his answer and not push him to explain. Regardless, he was hell-bent on not looking a gift horse in the mouth. He sighed with relief.
“Okay, well, I need to get some more of these boxes unpacked. I will call you later, okay?”
“Oh… all right.”
The woman’s abruptness said it all. Nope. She wasn’t pleased with him, not one tiny bit. Before he could say another word, she ended the call. He glanced at his phone, shook his head, and set it on his nightstand. Minutes later, he was sitting in bed, watching a rerun of ‘Big Brother’, with a bowl of popcorn on his lap and a large bottle of diet coke on the nightstand.
“Fuck!” He jumped at the sound of pounding on his front door, the kind of knock that sounded threatening, like the police needed in and they had a damn warrant. Getting to his feet, he opened his bedroom door and headed down the hall towards the front of his condo.