He’d never admitted it before. “I was there half a day before someone noticed. Eventually she just washed her hands of me and gave me over to the state.”
“That’s an awful thing to do to your own child.” Molly fidgeted in her seat, unable to sit still, wanting to jump up and hold on to Hunter tight, yet not wanting to show him any pity that would force him to build up his walls against her. He was finally talking about himself and she considered it progress.
“I used to lay awake at night in whichever home I was in, thinking she must have known what she was doing by leaving. She must have known some deep dark secret about me that made me unworthy.” He glanced into his half-finished cup of coffee, looking lost.
“Oh, no. She was the one not worthy of having a child. Definitely not worthy of you.” Her stomach twisted in tight knots, her emotions on edge.
He groaned aloud. “Whatever. It’s in the past.”
She only hoped it had helped to talk about it with her now.
“Ready to go?” he asked.
“Definitely.” They’d bonded, whether he’d admit it or not. Molly was grateful for the progress she’d made. “Are you all set?”
“I’ve had enough caffeine to take on the justice system,” he said.
“That’s good enough for me.” She rose and he stood, too.
“I’m going to buy a bottle of water before we go. Want one?”
“No thanks.” She glanced at the line at the register. “How about I just meet you outside, okay?”
He nodded.
“Don’t give J.D. a hard time,” she said teasingly before she walked past Hunter and pushed through the door. After their intense conversation she could use some fresh air. Once outdoors, she breathed in deep. The breeze felt cool and good on her cheeks.
Molly walked to the corner and leaned against the brick wall, taking in the dark buildings. They had character, she thought. She really did love this town and wouldn’t mind putting down roots here.
She wondered when Hunter thought about the future, what he envisioned. All that talk about kids earlier had brought up a longing she’d held on to for a long time. One that had only grown stronger on meeting her own father and his other children. Molly had always wanted a family that belonged to her alone.
“Hey.” Hunter came up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?”
She shivered at his warm touch. “I’m just enjoying some fresh air.”
“No, you’re worrying about your father.”
Her father hadn’t been on her mind at the moment but he was never far from her thoughts. Better Hunter think that than know the truth, that she was longing for a future that was probably out of her reach. “Okay, score one for you.”
He stepped closer. “Everything will be fine, Molly.”
“You can’t promise me that.”
“You’re probably right,” he said, his breath warm against her ear. “But I can promise you have the best lawyer in New York and Connecticut combined.”
“Not to mention the most egotistical.” She chuckled and eased back against him.
Now that he’d dropped his anger, he had a calming effect on her that she desperately needed. And when she remembered their earlier kiss and the vibration of the bike between her thighs, Hunter had another effect on her altogether.
But while she had him here, she might as well push him harder on a subject that was very important to her. “Promise me that once you talk to my father, we’ll revisit the conversation about guilt and innocence?” She needed him to believe in her father as much as she did.
She was putting not just her faith but her entire family’s welfare in his hands.
“We’ll talk,” he promised cryptically. No wonder he was such a good lawyer.
And such a fine man.
They’d been brought back together by her father’s case. Molly hoped she could use that time to strengthen other bonds between them, as well.
***
JESSIE LAY BESIDE Seth on his bed in his room. Her head was at the top on the pillows, his at the foot propped against a load of clothes his mother expected him to put away.
She’d sat with him every day after school, but he wouldn’t talk. About anything. “I know you’re upset about your dad being, um, killed, but you have to talk or you’ll never feel better.”
He rolled his head to the side. “It’s not just that.”
“What is it then?” She wanted to know so badly.
He sat up and she did the same until they faced each other. “That night? My dad hit my mom,” he said in a rough voice she’d never heard from him before. “I heard him.”
“What?” His dad had a temper, sure, and sometimes he’d been a little scary when he was in a mood, but he was her uncle Paul and he’d never hit anyone. She was sure of it. “Maybe you just thought that’s what happened, but—”
He shook his head. “I’m positive. He hit her and she said she’d had enough, that it was the last time he’d lay a hand on her.” His voice shook and his body trembled.
Jessie suddenly shivered, too, nausea rising in her chest. “Wow,” she said. “Wow.” She didn’t know what to say to Seth or how to make him feel better. “I’m sorry.” Those were the only words that came to mind.
He stared across the room with glazed eyes. She didn’t know if he’d even heard her. “I never knew,” he said. “I lived in the house and I never knew my dad hit my mom. I should have known. I should have stopped him.” He rocked back and forth on the mattress.
Jessie couldn’t take another second. She crawled next to him and put her arm around his shaking shoulders. “How could you possibly know if your parents didn’t want you to? You’re the kid. They’re the adults. You can’t blame yourself.”
“I can and I do.”
He suddenly sounded like his father. His dad was an officer in the army, just like hers. He knew how to give orders and both men lived to protect the people they loved. Jessie didn’t consider herself overly smart, not like her sister Robin who went to Yale. But she understood people, especially people she loved. Seth had just discovered his father wasn’t the hero he thought, and he blamed himself for not knowing. For not stepping up and being the man of the house when his dad hadn’t been.
“There’s more,” Seth said before Jessie could say anything. But his tone of voice scared her. “After my dad stormed out, Mom was crying and I wasn’t sure what to do. I went back to my room for a little while, then I went downstairs to talk to her but your father was already there.”