Page 78 of Tangled Up In You

Confirmation of this felt like a knife in her side. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because it didn’t matter,” she said. “You were so young, it didn’t matter that Steve wasn’t your biological father. We found a better place and made a better life, free of that man.” She tossed the last two words toward the house where the very bad man must have been.

“It’s a pretty place,” Gloria allowed when Ren’s gaze tracked down to the blue house with the white trim. “He was always very skilled at playing the part in public. Just know that dark things lurk behind these doors, Ren. You’re my only child, my baby girl, and it took a long time for me to get free of his clutches.”

Ren shivered, instinctively taking a step closer to Gloria and meeting her eyes. They were shiny, filled with unshed tears, and maybe a little afraid.

Ren had only seen her mother cry once, and it was when her favorite mare colicked and passed overnight.

“I didn’t know you were in a bad relationship before Steve,” Ren told her. “We never talk about that stuff.”

“For good reason.” Gloria reached down, taking Ren’s hand. “Please, baby girl, don’t bring him back into our lives again. I need you to trust me.”

Ren lowered herself to the curb and put her head in her hands. She knew now that her mother had been wrong about some things, but she loved Ren, wanted what was best for her.

“We have three tickets to fly back tonight,” Gloria said, rubbing Ren’s back.

“What about Edward?”

Gloria gaped at her. “Ren, you can’t be serious. I—I thought—” Gloria swallowed hard, frowning. “Please tell me that boy was just your ride out here.”

“It started that way,” Ren told her. “But it turned into more. He’s a good person, Gloria.”

“A good—” Gloria laughed, a single, harsh sound. “He’s a criminal, Ren. A con man.” She shook her head. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. I guess we were both bound to make the same mistakes, get mixed up with the wrong kinds of men.” Gloria sat on the curb next to her. “Thank God I got here in time.”

“You don’t understand. He made some mistakes back when he was younger, but…He’s a scholarship student just like me.”

“So you know he’s not really that rich man’s kid?”

“I know. He told me everything.”

Gloria swallowed, gazing at her with part concern, part pity. “Everything? Did he tell you about the trouble he’s been in?”

Suddenly, Ren wasn’t sure. Edward had given her pieces of his life, like bread crumbs. Maybe he hadn’t told her everything yet. But no, Ren knew him. Lifting her chin, defensive heat flashed through Ren’s chest. “Yes, I know there’s a lot in his past, but he’s a good person.” He was, even if he didn’t always believe it. She met her mother’s eyes, willing her voice not to shake when she said, “He’s my boyfriend, and I trust him.”

“Well, then.” Gloria stared at her for a long beat and then blinked away, reaching into her purse and pulling out an envelope. “I’m glad to hear none of this will surprise you.”

Ren opened it, pulling the single sheet free. At the top was a photo of a younger Edward—scruffy, filthy, long haired, eyes wild. The fury in his gaze was disorienting.

It listed what she assumed was his legal name—Edward Pryce Fallon—his date of birth, and a few other numbers Ren assumed were record numbers in the Washington State Child Welfare system. Below all that was a list about fifteen lines long. She scanned it quickly:

9A.56.065………Theft of a motor vehicle

9A.56.068………Possession of a stolen vehicle

9A.56.330………Possession of another’s identification

9A.56.340………Theft with the intent to resell

9A.56.310………Possessing a stolen firearm

9A.56.346………Robbery in the first degree

There was more, but Ren stopped, a quiet moan escaping. “This isn’t right. This can’t be—How did you…”

Her heart thundering, Ren thought back to their conversation in the lake, both naked, both vulnerable. He’d been trying to tell her something, had started by saying he’d done bad things, and she’d asked him if he’d ever been in trouble with the police, fully expecting him to say no. But what had he said? He’d looked in her eyes and said—

Define trouble.