Leah wondered how her mother really felt about this man who was so unlike her and the world she inhabited. Could she possibly return the attraction Deverson so openly expressed?
The tension in the air was making Leah uncomfortable. She tried to lighten the mood or at least divert Deverson’s attention from something other than her mother.
“Thank you for making this wedding happen and for everything else you’ve done for us.”
He finally faced Leah. “My pleasure, ma petite.” His eyes returned to Francesca. “There is nothing betting than a love story with a happy ending.” Deverson smiled lasciviously at Francesca before walking away.
That was weird, but Leah didn’t want to dwell on the obvious undertones. Not today. Her mother acted as if nothing had happened and Leah was more than willing to do the same.
“I’m so happy for the both of you,” Francesca exclaimed. “I regret I ever tried to break this up. I know this won’t make much sense to you, but Alex, I always cared about you even though I never showed it. I always thought you had potential for greatness, but that you also were at risk for self-destruction. I know I’m not explaining this well, but I was torn. I wanted to help you but I wanted to protect my daughter from you. I let my husband convince me to focus on the latter. I’m not proud of how I behaved, but I did do a few things right by you. I knew you needed my daughter and so I never stopped you from sneaking into her room at night.” Francesca’s lips curved in a knowing smile.
Leah gasped. “You knew?” Leah couldn’t believe her mother knew this secret the whole time and did nothing to stop it.
“I knew. I knew Alex needed to feel safe and, at least at night in our home, he had a safe haven. I couldn’t take that away from him or from you. You guys were so young so I wasn’t worried about any funny business between the two of you so I let it go on. I never told your father or anyone else until now.” Francesca stared into her daughter’s shocked face. “You see Leah, I wasn’t always blind, cold and empty. I wasn’t always like this.”
Francesca looked so desolate and defeated. Leah had never seen her mother like that and it scared her. She wanted to embrace her mother, but before she could, she scurried away and walked over to Tristan, who had managed to wrestle Sienna away from Claire.
“I can’t believe she knew all this time and never said a word. Everything about her is such a contradiction. I wish I understood her. I wish I knew what was really going on with her.”
Alex wrapped his arms around Leah. “One day she will let you in and hopefully the rest of us. I think your mom just needs to be loved.”
Leah looked at Deverson whose eyes never left her mother. “Maybe she’s already loved.”
About the Author
J.E. Hopkins is a practicing attorney in New York and an avid fiction writer. Hopkins holds a Juris Doctor from St. John's University and a Bachelor of Arts from New York University.
J.E. Hopkins published her first novel, The Broken, in 2007. For more information about this author and upcoming works, please visit
www.jehopkinsauthor.com
. You may also contact J.E. at
[email protected]
or follow J.E. on Twitter @jehopkinsauthor.
Other Works By This Author
Misfits of the Lore Series
Lover’s Betrayal
We Shall Rise
Arctic Prison