Page 22 of Dark Truth

“You’re right, and the rooms at the resort that I stayed in were nice, but they weren’t home. This is home.” I held my arms out for a moment and let them fall.

“Where’s Dylan?” she asked as we moved into the kitchen. She inspected the vegetable tray I’d prepared and popped a cherry tomato in her mouth.

“Downstairs, busy at work, I suppose.” He’d left early this morning, probably because he knew the ladies planned to come and visit me, and he wanted to give me some privacy.

“I guess he’s like Trent and works all the time.” She settled onto a bar stool, and my other sisters-in-law joined her.

“I guess all of our men do,” I said with a soft laugh and filled glasses with sparkling water with the light hint of peach to give it some flavor.

“They do. Kevin’s off to Tennessee again, can you believe it?” Ember said, and I glanced over at her. The sunlight had bleached her dark blonde hair to a lighter shade, and her eyes were shining with happiness. She was happy, despite the fact that Kevin was away.

“How’s the album doing?” I asked her and leaned against the kitchen island between us. I knew I stood on that side to keep my distance from them, on some deeper level, but wasn’t prepared to really think about it yet.

After all, it wasn’t Ember’s fault her new album had exposed me. She hadn’t contacted me either, and we used to talk at least once a week. I nibbled at the inside of my cheek as she told me about album sales and her tour dates. I only half-heard because I was too busy taking in how dang happy she looked.

I wanted that happiness, I hated to admit it, but the presence of these three women made me a little sad. They’d all done as their husbands had told them to do. They’d turned their backs on me. Anger, hurt, and tension rose the more I thought about it, until I was on the verge of telling them all to get out.

“Where’s your bathroom, Em? I really need to go.” Jessi came over to my side of the island and whispered, her delicate baker’s hand on my elbow.

“This way,” I said to her and headed out of the room. She knew me so well, and she’d seen that I needed a moment to catch my breath.

I took her to the bathroom, and we sat down on the edge of the tub together.

“Feel better?” she asked and took my hand.

“This is hard, Jessi. Harder than I thought it would be.” I did the whispering this time, but it was mainly because my throat was so tight, I could barely speak. A tear slid out of my eye, and I wanted to disappear into the floor.

“I can’t tell you how sorry I am, Emily. I should have told Trent to get over his fucking temper tantrum and I did, when I found out exactly why he was so upset with you that he … ahem”—she paused to clear her throat again before she went on—“that he basically threw the biggest hissy fit in the world and had your father disown you.”

“I can’t believe you used the word hissy fit and Trent together.” I wiped at a tear and laughed.

“It’s the truth. You were my friend when I was little, and your entire family told you no. You never gave up on me or turned your back on me. I did, even if I didn’t realize I had for a while. I’m very sorry for that, Emily. I don’t know if you can forgive me, obviously you’re trying, and I hope you can. I love you, sister, and I always have.” She put her arm around me then and we sat together for a moment in quiet.

“Come on, let’s get out there before Laura and Ember eat all of those vegetables.” We stood together, and I pulled her back for one last hug.

“Thank you, Jessi. I really needed that.”

“Don’t mention it. Listen, Laura and Ember, they aren’t as forward as I am, so don’t be upset with them if you don’t get a similar apology from them, okay? Laura is so sweet, as you know, and she can be rather timid, as can Ember. Just know that they love you, but not as much as I do, because I’ve loved you a lot longer than they have.” She grinned as she pulled back, wiped another stray tear away, and kissed my cheek.

“You do have a way of making things better, Jessi. You always did.” I opened the bathroom door and we went out into the kitchen again.

“Hey, we wanted to apologize to you, Emily,” Laura and Ember said at the same time as I came back in.

I glanced at Jessi with a secret smile. They had plucked up the courage to apologize after all. I smiled at them both, gave each one a hug, and went to sit on the other side of the island. Now, instead of a barrier, it was a way to keep the spotlight on me. I felt I could be more open with them now.

The elephant in the room had been mentioned and put to rest. We could get on with being friends again now.

“So what’s Dylan like when he’s at home?” Ember asked, her sultry voice always a delight to listen to. Whether she sang or simply spoke, her voice was music. She dipped a cucumber in the dip that I’d made and grinned a broad grin.

“He’s the most amazing man, but then, I expect we all say that about the man of our dreams, don’t we?” I sipped at my sparkling water and thought about how to answer them. “He’s so domineering outside of these walls, especially when it comes to business. He’s determined to be at the top. Driven even, but here at home? He’s still driven to be his best, but he’s kind, gentle, and always knows what I need.”

“Aw,” I heard from Laura and glanced at her. She was a fighter, far more than you could tell by looking at her.

She’d had breast cancer and survived it, and that made her a trooper in my book. Her skin was a little pale sometimes, but her classic beauty shone through her blue eyes and blonde hair. She was sweet, gentle, and kind, but she could also stand her ground when she needed to. She kept Mason on his toes and had changed him for the better. Until Trent threw his temper tantrum, that was.

“You deserve to be happy, Emily. It looks good on you,” Jessi said, and I felt pride for some odd reason. I wasn’t sure why, maybe because I’d fought so hard for that happiness, but I was proud of myself.

“Dylan the only thing that puts that glint in your eye?” Ember asked, always curious.