Page 70 of Hard Rain Coming
Jade pursed her lips, shaking her head slowly. “Then help me understand what is going on with you. Are you and Vivian back together?”
“I think so.”
“You think?” Her voice was sharp, and he did a mental eye roll.
“Are you ever going to give her a break?” he barked.
“When she stops hurting you, I’ll think about it.”
“You’ve never liked her.”
“There wasn’t much to like. She was a bitch. Only you never saw it because, like most men, you were thinking with your dick.”
“That’s not fair,” he retorted, not bothering to hide his anger.
“Isn’t it?” she shot back.
“You thought we had it bad with our dad? He was an asshole who didn’t treat Mom the way he should have, and he preferred the company of animals to those of his kids, but shit, we didn’t go to bed at night in fear. Did you never think Vivian acted that way because she was a young girl who had no mother? Or acknowledge that her father was an alcoholic nightmare? He was a pathetic, mean drunk and took a lot out on those Bridgestone kids, especially the older ones. She lived with that. Not you. Not me. Vivian did.”
Jade looked down, and when she glanced back up at him, he knew he’d hit a nerve.
“I guess…I mean, we all knew Manley wasn’t in a good way.”
“Benton had a hard time, but it was nothing compared to what Vivian lived through. When she lost her mother, she lost everything, and yeah, she acted out and used her words and actions to push people away, but that’s how she coped. But she made it through, and she’s become one hell of a woman.”
“You love her.” Jade looked shocked, and her voice dropped. “You really love her.”
“I’ve been trying to?—”
“No, I thought this was an obsession or addiction. Maybe just unfinished business, but it’s not.”
“It’s always only been her. And now…now she’s telling me she wants to deal with this on her own, and I don’t know how to let her without making a mess of things.”
Silence greeted his confession, and when his sister spoke, she did so through a smile. “Vivian is still Vivian. You might want to let her take the lead.”
“I am.”
“How’s that working out for you?”
“Not great.”
Jade’s smile faded. “Who knows about your…” Her face scrunched up. “Son? Daughter? Oh man, I have a niece or nephew.”
I have a daughter.
“Her name is Summer. You need to keep this close to the vest.”
“I won’t say a word, but Dal, this has to be a shock.”
“This isn’t about me,” he said roughly.
“But it is. It’s about both of you. You have a right to feel things.”
He didn’t reply because he couldn’t. All of a sudden, he felt as if he were standing on the edge of a cliff, and if he fell over it, he didn’t know if he’d make it back up.
“I love you, Dallas. We all do. You’ll be okay, you know that, right?”
He nodded and murmured. “As long as Vivian is good, I’m good.”