Page 94 of Vicious Deception
As we check out, Rhett watches me quietly. His gaze is as piercing as always, and not for the first time, I wonder if he can read my mind.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone so excited to be in a grocery store,” he says.
Laughing, I load our bagged-up groceries back into the cart. “I’m just happy to have you back, that’s all.”
He catches my hand, holding it for a split second before letting go. “I’m glad to be back, sweetheart.”
In the parking lot, we load everything into the backseat. We have a cooler to put the cold foods in since the drive is long, and everything fits inside perfectly.
“Do you think Benny will want to go back to living with Corinne?” I ask once we’re heading toward my apartment. “You know, once Richard is dead?”
“I think so. Apparently, she’s pretty okay when Richard isn’t influencing her. I’d give almost anything to have more time with my mom.” Rhett’s voice falters, and he takes a breath before continuing. “I know it’s not the same, but I can’t imagine Benny wants to be separated from her. I think he just wanted to get away from Richard.”
Slowly, I nod. It makes sense. When my mom and I lived with my grandma, she wasn’t nearly as nasty toward me. It was only after she got together with Thomas that things changed.
I think Patricia always resented me some—she didn’t want to get pregnant, and she lost my dad because of me. When Thomas came along, he reminded her of the life she could’ve had. He made it seem attainable again, except that I still existed. I was a constant burden to her, and he had no problem reminding me of that.
Still, before Thomas came along, I never would’ve wanted to be without her. That’s different now, of course. Even if something happened to him and I got the chance to rebuild with Patricia, I don’t think I would. We’ve changed too much. At this point, she’s broken my trust so thoroughly that no amount of apologizing would ever be enough.
“You okay?” One of Rhett’s hands drops from the steering wheel, covering my own where it’s resting on his thigh. “You went somewhere else for a bit.”
“I was just thinking about my mom,” I say softly, shaking my head to clear my thoughts. “Will you ever tell Benny the truth about Richard’s death? That it wasn’t suicide?”
“Once he’s older,” Rhett replies. “As long as he turns out okay, that is, but he will. I’ll make sure of it.”
“How will that work?”
“I’m not sure, honestly. My plan is to use Richard’s death as an excuse to insert myself into the family. Like, I saw his obituary by chance, and it made me realize he had another family. I’ll give them some time to adjust to being back, of course.
“Then I’ll just . . . show up, I guess. I’m not sure what Corinne thinks of me, and she might not want to let me get close to the boys. They’ll have to pretend they don’t know who I am, but as long as they express that they want to get to know me, I’m hoping she’ll give in.”
“Maybe she’ll want to let you into their lives,” I say. “Even if it’s just because she’ll feel bad for the boys because they just lost their father.”
“I’m hoping that’s her thought process.” Rhett presses his lips together, like he’s unsure if he should go on, but then he sighs. “If she’s not welcoming, I’m not sure I’ll care, though. I’ve already lost one sibling. I’m not losing two more.”
“You won’t,” I tell him. “They’ll fight for you, too. I’ve barely spent time with Benny, but it’s obvious he adores you. Andrew . . . I think he’s trying.”
Rhett sighs. “I don’t know what to do with him.”
“I think the only thing you really can do is give him time,” I say quietly. “I’m not sure what to think of him, but I know what it’s like to be manipulated, and so do you. He almost ruined us, and some days when I was all alone with Finn, I hated him. But you’ve said it yourself. He’s still a kid.”
“He is,” Rhett replies, his expression pensive as he turns into the parking lot of my apartment building.
Gently, I squeeze his thigh. “I can’t say I like him, but I’m not discounting him as a person, either. He’ll have to earn my trust, but . . .”
“Trust goes both ways,” Rhett finishes for me.
I nod. To give Andrew a chance, we need to show that he can give us a chance, too. Sure, we got him and Benny away from Ludo, but Andrew doesn’t fully know our intentions. As far as I know, he’s still entirely unaware that Holloway is the reason Sammy is dead.
Just as Rhett pulls into a parking spot, his phone rings. “It’s Finn,” he says with a frown. “I have to take this.”
Unbuckling my seatbelt, I lean over the console and kiss his cheek. This is a conversation we don’t want anyone to overhear. “I’ll just run up real quick. Be back in a couple minutes.”
He nods, taking the call and pressing his phone to his ear.
It feels weird being back in my apartment building. In the elevator, I twist my keys around their ring. I feel like a completely different person than who I was the last time I was here.
I frown.The last time I was here.