“I’m glad Daddy is looking after my sister. I don’t feel as sad knowing Daddy is with Lainey.”
I gulp painfully, fighting more tears. “Me too, buddy.”
“Is the funeral over now, Mommy?” he inquires, scrunching his cute nose as he hugs the stuffed animal close to his chest.
I thread my fingers through his hair. “Lots of people are going to be here in a little while. But I figured you’d much rather play outside, so Nash is coming over with his mom, and you can play in the playground with him. Angela will be there too.” I think today has been taxing enough for my child. “Grandpa organized pizza for later, and you can eat it in the treehouse, if you like.”
“Yay!” Easton puts Reeve’s shirt under his pillow before throwing himself at me. My breasts, my ribs, and my stomach protest the enthusiastic hug, but I will never complain. “Thanks, Mommy. I love you.”
“I love you too, little munchkin. So, so much.” I pepper his face with kisses as Angela appears in the doorway.
“Hey, pipsqueak! Guess who just arrived downstairs?”
“Nash!” Easton bounces off the bed, almost tumbling in his impatience to get to his friend.
Angela laughs, ruffling his hair. I stand, and her expression softens as I approach. “It was a beautiful service, and your mom’s eulogy was perfect.” She squeezes my arm.
“It was.”
“I’ll take good care of Easton. Don’t worry about him.”
“Thank you.” I blow E a kiss. “Have fun and be good for Angela.”
“I will, Mom. Bye.” He races off toward the stairs with Angela hot on his heels.
I find Mom and Dad downstairs in the formal living room, greeting the first guests. They offer condolences, and I thank them for coming as I eye the bar with longing.
Charlotte hired a catering company today, along with waitresses and bartenders.
“I need to talk to you both,” I tell my parents, jerking my head toward the door. If I don’t grab them now, we won’t get to speak, and I know Dillon’s family will be here because Mom mentioned she spoke to Cath outside the church and invited them. I’m sure she didn’t want to invite Dillon but she was too polite to upset his mother.
Funerals are a lot like weddings in that regard. You’re forced to put up with guests you wouldn’t ordinarily invite, except it’s the done thing.
My parents follow me into my office, and Dad closes the door. I’m sorry I didn’t grab a vodka cranberry for this conversation. “I have something you both need to know. Something I should’ve told you sooner, but, honestly, I’ve been trying to forget it.” I sit on one of the leather couches, knotting my hands in my lap.
“Whatever it is,” Mom says, dropping onto the couch beside me. “We’ll deal with it together.”
Dad squeezes my shoulder, before sitting on the couch across from us. “We’ve got you. Now and always, princess.”
Tears prick my eyes. “I know you do. I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done.” I look at my father, and he seems to have aged so much in the past week. “I know you think you haven’t helped much, Dad, but taking care of the funeral arrangements, and pushing the reading of the will back with Carson, and handling stuff with Margaret and Edwin means so much to me. I could not have coped with any of that.”
“We hate to see you in so much pain,” Dad says. “Whatever we can do to help make it better, we will.”
“Love you, Daddy.”
Dad gets up, leaning down to give me a gentle hug. “You’re our whole world, Vivien. You and Easton will always be our priority.”
“Love you too, Mom,” I say when Dad has moved back to his seat. “I could not have gotten through this week without you, and I know how hard it’s been on you as well. I know how much you both loved Reeve. How much you were both looking forward to meeting Lainey.” A lone tear treks down my face.
Mom cradles me in her arms. “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart. We will all get through this together.”
“I need to talk to you about Dillon.”
Mom nods. “I didn’t want to push you, but we need to know what’s going on.”
I tell them. I tell them everything. Giving them a summary of how it went down since Dillon showed up here that fateful day, explaining the things he told me and ending with the confirmation Dillon is Easton’s father.
“Oh my God. Vivien.” Mom clamps a hand over her mouth as tears stream down her face. “And Reeve knew this before he died?”
Tears leak out of my eyes. “Yes. My husband died angry with me for lying to him and with the knowledge the son he worshiped wasn’t his flesh and blood,” I croak. “I hate myself so much.”
“Don’t,” Alex says, entering the room with his wife. Audrey is carrying a tray of drinks.
“We thought you might need these, and we wanted to let you know the O’Donoghues just arrived,” Audrey says. I had told my bestie I was telling my parents everything right now.
“Don’t hate yourself, Viv.” Alex perches on the arm of the couch. “It’s not your fault.”
“It is no one’s fault,” Audrey says, shooting her husband a warning look. “It was a tragic accident, and pointing the finger of blame anywhere won’t help.” She sets the tray with drinks down on the coffee table.
Alex scrubs a hand along his stubbly jawline. “I can’t believe we’re here. I can’t believe he’s gone. I’m going to miss Reeve so fucking much.” His eyes turn glassy, and I squeeze his hand.
“He loved you like a brother. I hope you know that.”
Alex nods, rubbing at his eyes, before grabbing a bottle of beer. “I heard what you said in the hospital that morning and just now, and you’re wrong, Viv. Reeve loved the shit out of you. You were always it for him. Yes, I’m sure he was angry and hurt at the things he discovered, but he didn’t die believing those things of you. His love for you drove his actions that night. He died protecting you and Lainey. Trust me when I say Reeve would not have wanted it any other way and he would not want you blaming yourself.”
Mom clenches her hands into fists. “As much as I’d like to point the finger of blame in Dillon’s direction, Audrey is right. It was a tragic accident, compounded by several things. That doesn’t mean Dillon is off the hook though. He has a lot to answer for. His scheming contributed.”
“I always believed Easton was conceived in love, but Dillon never loved me. I was a means of exacting revenge. That was all. I was such a fool.” I loved him for years, feeling horrible guilt for harboring longing for my ex when I was blissfully happy with my husband. Discovering that Dillon played me the whole time makes me sick to my stomach.
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” Dad says, and I arch a brow. “Dillon was at the hospital with Ash and Jamie and Ronan, for hours, in the waiting room. You probably don’t remember this, darling,” he adds, facing Mom, “but he gave quite a heartfelt speech before we asked him to leave.” Earnest hazel eyes meet mine. “He said he loved you. That he regretted letting you go and you were his everything.”