His Good Girl (16 page)

With that in mind, I threw the duvet back and found my black satin robe—Kevin could never resist touching me when he saw me in it. I was humming to myself as I opened the door and began to walk down the hallway, but fell silent when I heard the sound of raised voices.

"I don't know why you're being so mean to me! I didn't
do
anything!" Amber was whining.

"Yeah? Well, my wife's telling a different story. Why don't you take a guess as to who I believe?"

"This is so
unfair
! I've never done anything to her! Come on, Kevin—"

"Can it, Amber. I know you better than that, so you can stop the crocodile tears, too. I grew up with you, remember?"

"Kevin, I swear, I didn't—"

"I'm not Mom, okay? I'm not buying it. I let you stay in my house out of the kindness of my heart, and you abused that kindness. So now it's time for you to go home." His voice was firm.

"Maybe Cara just misunderstood—"

"Amber, please don't stand here and lie to my face. She didn't misunderstand, and you and I both know it, okay?"

I held my breath as I waited to see what his sister would say. She didn't reply for a long time and when she did, her voice had risen several octaves.

"You know, I don't get you, Kev! How could you just come in here and attack me like this? There are two sides to every story, and you didn't even ask for mine!"

"Because she's my wife, Amber. I don't need to know your side. For one thing, I trust Cara, and for another, I've known you your whole life. I know that everything she's told me sounds just like something you would do."

"This isn't fair," she protested, and even though I couldn't see her face, I could imagine the pout I knew she was wearing.

"No, what isn't fair is how you've been treating my wife," Kevin went on. "And let me be clear on something: it stops,
today
, this minute. Furthermore, you
will
be apologizing."

"Fat chance!" I heard her snort.

"We both know I can't make you; however, I think you should know that I've already talked to Dad, and he'll be pretty pissed if you don't. Well, more than he already is, anyway."

"You
what
?" she shrieked. "Kevin, how could you?"

"Really, you're seriously asking me that?"

"What's
wrong
with you?" Amber cried.

"The only thing wrong with me right now is that my sister is a brat who hurt the woman I love. I can take care of Cara, but you're the only one who can change you. That's something you should probably think about on your way back home."

"I-I hate you!"

I winced at the cruel words, but when Kevin spoke again, I could hear the stoicism in his voice.

"I'm sorry you feel that way. I'd go and pack your bags, if I were you."

With a sound that was half-grunt, half-shriek, Amber began stomping through the house. I flattened myself against the wall when I heard her coming, but she saw me all the same. She paused in the middle of storming off, long enough to glare at me.

"Are you happy?" she demanded. "Look what you've done!"

"Hey!" I heard Kevin call out sharply. When I turned around, I saw he was only a few feet behind us. "You did this to yourself and I'd better not hear you speak another word like that to my wife again, or I won't wait for Dad to deal with you!" he barked.

Amber blanched for the briefest second, before her cheeks went scarlet. She opened her mouth, then closed it without comment and flounced off to the guest room. She slammed the door so violently that the picture frames rattled on the wall.

"Come have some breakfast." Kevin held out a hand to me and I took it, allowing him to lead me to the kitchen. He pulled a chair out for me, and when I sat down, he put a plate of golden waffles in front of me. "I'll get the syrup." Once he'd poured a generous amount of the thick, brown liquid on my plate, he sat opposite me with a plate of his own.

"No one's ever stood up for me like that before," I told him softly as I cut into my waffles.

"I would have had that conversation with her weeks ago if I'd known, and you wouldn't have been going through this. Did you honestly think I would choose her over you?" he said.

"I don't know," I answered honestly.

"Well, I hope you do now. And in the future, I expect you to tell me when something's bothering you. If you don't, there will be consequences," he warned, his voice turning stern.

I squirmed in the chair, my bottom tingling at the implication. "I should have. I'm sorry."

"Well, the way I see it, we're even now."

"Oh, really?" I giggled at his teasing tone. "How's that?"

"I kept a secret, and so did you. So we can forgive and move on, right?"

"Are you seriously comparing the two?" I asked with another laugh. "I think you owe me a spanking pass or something for that one."

"Deal."

"What?" I looked at him in surprise, my fork stopping in mid-air.

"I want to make that up to you, Cara. If a get-out-of-jail-free-card is a start to doing that, I'm more than happy to give you one."

"Why didn't I think of that last night?" I groaned, shifting in the chair once more and trying to take some of the pressure off my still tender cheeks.

"Sorry, babe," he said and grinned. He certainly didn't look very sorry to me.

"I love you," I said.

"Well, I do make awesome waffles."

His brown eyes twinkled at me and I couldn't help but smile. Things felt like they were getting back to normal—better than normal, in fact—because I knew with a certainty I hadn't had before that Kevin and I were in this together.

"You do," I agreed, popping the fork into my mouth and giving an exaggerated moan.

"You see, that's why I keep you around, babe. You're good for my ego."

"Kevin," I said, my tone turning serious. "You don't need to make Amber apologize."

"I shouldn't have to make her, but she certainly does owe you an apology."

"She doesn't want to—"

"I don't really care very much about what she wants right now," he told me matter-of-factly.

"But what about what
I
want?"

He set his fork down and looked me in the eye. "I realize it might be uncomfortable for you, sweetheart, but she needs to apologize."

"She won't mean it."

"That isn't the point. And if you're worried about her being mean to you, don't be. I'll be there the whole time."

"But I won't know what to say," I protested.

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to, baby. Just stand there and listen."

"Okay, I guess."

"Besides," he added, with a wicked gleam in his eye. "You have to admit, it'll be pretty satisfying to see her squirm."

"You're mean!" I gasped, unable to help the giggle that escaped my lips.

"Maybe," he said and winked. "But I can't help but notice that you didn't deny that it would be."

***

The day flew by pretty quickly. Even work was better than it had been in a long time, but perhaps that was because I was so at peace. Even my boss commented that I seemed more like my old self. I'd never been so thrilled to see the end of my shift, though, because I knew that Kevin would be home, and I couldn't wait to see him.

As I was walking to my car, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I eagerly pulled it out, hoping it might be my husband, as excited to see me as I was to see him. I was disappointed to see the screen flashing 'Mom' instead. With a sigh, I hit the
decline
button. She'd been calling me every day—a few times a day—lately, but I'd yet to answer. After how our last conversation had gone, I just didn't have any interest in talking to her. All I wanted to do was get home and cuddle up with Kevin on the couch, maybe with a nice bowl of popcorn and a bottle of wine as we talked about our respective days.

As I was coming up to the house I noticed someone was taking up my spot in the driveway, so I ended up having to park on the curb. It wasn't until I was nearing the front porch that I saw her. The woman who hadn't visited us once in the nearly seven months since we'd been married was standing in front of my door as though she dropped by all the time.

"Hi, Cara." When she gave me a smile, I realized with surprise that she didn't have a cigarette in her hand for the first time in living memory.

"What are you doing here, Mom?" I didn't mean to sound so irritable, but it happened just the same.

"I just thought I'd, you know. Come visit."

"Oh, really? And what's the occasion?" I couldn't seem to help myself, the sarcasm just leaked out. Not that anyone could blame me—it wasn't like she'd ever taken an interest before.

"You haven't been returning my calls."

"Well, I've been busy," I said.

"I figured. So I just thought I'd drop on by."

"How kind of you," I remarked dryly.

"Listen, I don't wanna take up much of your time. Just, when you called me the other day, it seemed like there was something on your mind…"

My brow furrowed as I looked at her. She looked the same—same dirty blonde hair, same lean, tall frame—and yet, the way she was looking at me told me something was different.

I said, "There was, but I've got it handled. Kevin was there for me."

"Oh. Well, good. That's real good. He should be. There for you, I mean."

"Yeah. He's good to me."

"I'm real glad to hear it," she said.

"Is there anything else, Mom? I mean, I'm not trying to be rude, but…" I trailed off, trying to figure out why she was standing on my doorstep. It might sound strange to someone who had a normal mother/daughter relationship, but my mother had never come out to see me even once since I'd moved.

"Well, I just came to tell ya, you know, I felt bad about how things ended last time… when you called," she said.

"What?" I blinked in surprise.

"I just mean, it was obvious you had somethin' you wanted to say and I wish I'd heard ya out."

"Really?" I asked in disbelief.

"Look, Cara, I know it hasn't always seemed like it… I've had a hard life, and sometimes I guess I push that on to you, but it's just because I want ya to be happy, darlin'. I don't want you makin' my same mistakes. Now I'll admit, when you first came with your fella and told me you were gettin' married, well… I was afraid it would end badly, and I don't want to see my girl get hurt."

"Wow." It seemed insufficient to my own ears, but it was all I could say just then.

"I've never been real big on talkin' about feelings and all that…"

"Really? I had no idea," I said bitterly.

"I guess I kinda deserve that. Still, I just wanted to come and tell you… It hurt me so bad, baby, when your daddy died. And I've had to work hard ever since, to see that you had everything you needed. I guess it never occurred to me that you might need somethin' I wasn't givin' you. Until now, that is."

She paused, as if waiting for me to respond, but I was honestly speechless. This wasn't a conversation I'd ever expected to have with my mom, and as much as I wanted to feel excited she'd come, hopeful that things really could change, I'd lived so long with those same hopes, and been disappointed so often, I didn't want to let myself get drawn in again.

"I know you probably think all this sounds crazy—I thought it did too, at first. But when you wouldn't pick up the phone when I called, I knew I'd hurt you bad. I got to thinkin', and it seems to me that I haven't been there for you in the way you needed me to be. I'm real sorry for that, Cara."

"You mean it?" When I finally spoke, my words were a broken whisper.

"Yeah, honey. I mean it. I'm so sorry. I want a chance to do better, if you'll let me have one."

"Thanks, Mama."

"Thanks for hearin' me out. Well, I guess I'll be goin'," she said.

"Okay. Or… well, you could stay for dinner. If you want."

She paused for a moment, looking at me as if trying to decide whether I was serious or not. "I guess that'd be all right," she said at length. "I mean, I don't wanna take time away from you and your husband—"

"It's fine, Mom. Really. I want you to stay." As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I realized they were true. As much as the possibility of being hurt again was terrifying, it would be worth it if we could finally build a relationship.
She
'd come to
me
this time, that had to mean something. And even if, after everything, things went back to the way they'd always been, at least this time I knew I had someone there for me; someone who was on my side and always would be.

"Kevin?" I called out as I opened the door. "Honey, I'm home. We've got company for dinner."

I saw him walking toward me as soon as I entered the house. His eyes were full of warmth and love, and when I walked into his outstretched arms I felt as though I could melt into them. Then he looked past me and saw my mom. I saw him hesitate, for the smallest instant, then he beamed his welcoming smile at her in turn. "Hi, Mom. Come on in, I'll go open a bottle of wine," he said.