Chapter Twenty-Five

Sacha

On day three of my captivity I was lying in bed, reading a spicy romance novel Melanie had picked up for me at the drugstore. I had quickly learned that daytime television was either game shows or soap operas, and I had no patience for either one. I rarely watched shows or movies when I was working, but now I was seriously considering downloading a streaming service. I decided, though, to wait until I found out about Alabama first.

I'd called Dan on Monday morning to tell him about my health issues. He arranged for someone else to handle my orders for the week, and then asked me how it went with Mr. Redfield.

"I think it went well. He seemed nice, and we had a good conversation. Well, as good as we could have since he was distracted with his daughter's art show."

"So, you're still on board then? I mean, with your situation changing, I wasn't sure…"

I let a beat of silence go by. Was I really sure? Being with Gib now made the move to Alabama, and taking the training position, seem less enticing. But our relationship was still so new, I couldn't determine yet what was best for both of us in the long run. He'd told me to work the job I wanted, and this one was the only opportunity currently on the horizon. After all, I could stay home and let Gib support me, and live in a condo or a large home, all paid for.

But that wasn't how I was raised. Deep down, I still feared being dependent on him, no matter how luxurious that situation might be. Some would call me crazy for feeling that way, but I wasn't ready to throw away my independence yet.

"Sure, if he offers me the job and it's as he described."

"Great. We should know something soon. Get some rest, Sacha."

I hung up, pushing aside the feeling that I'd never make it to Alabama. Then what?

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a knock at the front door. I listened as Melanie, who'd been napping on my sofa, went to answer it. Then came the sound of a loud, familiar voice.

Mom.

When I looked up a moment later, she was standing in the doorway to my bedroom.

"Mom, what a lovely surprise," I cooed, knowing the sarcasm wouldn't be lost on my sharp mother.

"Don't be a smart ass. You knew I was coming the minute we hung up."

I had known. She came to my side and we hugged, laughing. Then I lifted my tee shirt to show off my baby bump. Her hands were ice cold, causing me to shriek and pull down my shirt.

"Mom! You need a hot mug of tea to warm your hands."

The next day, we were on my bed, watching some kind of cooking show. Melanie had gone home to get some sleep and whatever else she had to do. I leafed through a magazine as we sat, unable to keep still. I was feeling much better, but still nervous, as I contemplated what was about to happen.

I hadn't told Mom about the text message I'd received shortly after she had arrived. I had initiated the text conversation, knowing I was taking a huge risk. But that seemed to be how my life was going these days.

"So, Mom… There's something you need to know."

Julia had an expressive face, and now fear was etched in the lines around her mouth. "About?"

"The baby's father. His name is Gibson Colebank, and we've become more than friends recently. Actually, it's serious." I lowered my voice, still unable to believe what I was about to say. "We're in love. And he's totally on board with raising the baby together."

Her smile was tentative, reflecting the way I felt. I loved Gib. There was no doubt about that. But how we were going to live and where had yet to be determined.

"And are you on board with this? I know how set you were to do things on your own."

I leaned back, hugging a pillow. It didn't matter how or where we lived, as long as we were together and our child was safe and healthy. The rest was a bonus.

"Yes, I am. And by the way, he's rich. I mean, wealthy. His family is worth billions. With a 'B.'"

For once, Julia was stunned into silence. Then she smacked my leg. "Oh, good one. You almost had me fooled there. You can be honest with me."

"No, I am being honest. His family owns a major resort and vacation rental company. Huge. World-wide. But he's had a rough past-he lost his wife in a tragic accident a few years ago, and he was in hiding, sort of, when I met him. I had no idea who he really was."

"Wow. That's…stunning. I'm not sure what to think."

"You'll like him. I'll see if we can get together before you leave."

She was thoughtful for a moment, processing what I'd said. Then she smiled. "Well, yeah. I'd like that. Even though he has money, he better treat you right, or he'll have to deal with me."

I patted her arm. "Of course, Mom. He's great. You'll see."

The sound of rapping on the front door cut off any further discussion of Gib. It wasn't Melanie's knock, but the knock of a stranger. My heart leapt, hammering in my chest, as Mom got up to answer it. I held my breath, waiting for the fireworks to begin.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

I was already out of bed and into my robe. I walked slowly to the bedroom door then into the living room. "It's okay, Mom. I invited him to come here."

Garth looked at me through the open door, his face even paler than before. He reminded me of a cartoon cadaver, except his eyes didn't have x's on them yet.

"You didn't tell me you had company, Sacha."

His tone indicated he was unprepared to face both his ex-wife and me. Mom's face told me the same. She wasn't prepared to face him, either. This was the gamble I'd taken, but it was an opportunity to clear the air and face the hard truth about our collective past. If I'd learned anything the past few weeks, it was that everyone has a story and deserves a chance to be heard.

It didn't mean the past didn't matter, but running from it or ignoring it weren't solutions, either.

"Well, Dad, you said you wanted to tell me the truth about what happened. I figured she deserves to hear it from you, too."

Julia's arms were crossed over her chest, and her lips were drawn tight. "Yes, do tell. Not that we can believe a word the bastard says." She threw up her hands and went to sit at the dining table.

I prompted Garth by pointing to the empty chair opposite. "Shall we?"

He nodded, closing the door behind him and removing his coat. I was struck by how thin he was, his black polo shirt hanging on his frame, his bony arms covered with faded tattoos. As a child, I'd studied some of those cartoonish drawings with fascination. A few new ones I'd never seen had appeared, and I wondered how someone once so familiar to me could become such a stranger.

I sat down and looked expectantly at Garth. He cleared his throat and began talking.

"First, I have to say I'm sorry for any and all the pain I have caused both of you. Whether you believe me or not, I'll go to my grave knowing I did the right thing. I know that is almost impossible for you to believe, but I hope you'll hear me out."

Mom and I exchanged looks, but there was no reason to stop him now. May as well let him speak, for what it was worth. I nodded.

"Go on."

"I'll admit, I got into some bad stuff back in the day. I drank too much, and I gambled. When you were a baby, I guess I wasn't ready for the responsibility that entailed, and I went off the deep end a time or two. That's no excuse, but that's the truth of it."

"To put it mildly," Julia spat, her tone laced with venom. "I had to beg my sister to bring us food when you were on a bender. We had no money, no way to get around. It was humiliating, to say the least."

Garth's gray eyes had misted over, and his hands were clasped together tightly. "I know, Julia. It was horrible of me. But there's more I need to tell you." She leaned back with a sigh, and he wiped an errant tear away. His voice had gone shaky, but he began to get the words out in a rush.

"I was working for a man who ran a gambling ring on the side. Fights, sports, card games, you name it, he handled it. I started making good money-remember when we replaced our old furniture, and I finally bought you that diamond ring, Jul? Well, I thought I had made it, and that the money was going to continue. I was good at it, so good the guys I ran with called me 'Lucky G.' But then somehow, it all came crashing down on me.

"I never told you what I was doing because I was ashamed and afraid you'd make me quit. It was the only thing I ever felt I was good at. But I wasn't good enough-or lucky enough-because in a short time I owed a bunch of money to some loan sharks, and they wanted me to pay it back."

Julia now had her fingers woven together underneath her chin and was blinking prettily. "Oh, this sounds like a movie I saw once. Or was it a crappy dime store novel I read? I can't recall."

I said nothing, watching the interplay between my parents. My gut told me Garth was telling the truth. If he was dying, what did he have to lose? Lying again wouldn't help his case in the afterlife, would it?

He ignored her sarcasm and continued his story. His voice had turned quiet, barely above a whisper. "When they threatened the two of you, I knew I had no choice. I did everything I could to secure the money, but it wasn't enough. I was truly afraid they'd do something horrible, so I offered the only thing I could at that point. Myself. Mr. Bogelli, the man I worked for, paid them off on my behalf, but in return, I had to work for him. I became part of his gang, which meant traveling wherever he sent me, to do whatever I had to do."

Julia's anger was still barely contained. She rolled her eyes and let out a "shhhsh" sound. "So, you're saying you worked for the mob, eh? You never had the guts for that."

"You're right, I didn't. But my fear for you and Sacha was so strong, it made me turn cold-blooded. I became pretty good at being a thug. I did some very bad things, which I'll regret for the rest of my life. I left because I didn't want either of you to be connected with all that crap. Anyway, about a year after we divorced, me and some of the other guys got popped in a sting operation. I ended up in prison. That's why I never contacted you. I wanted to come back and finally explain everything so many times, but I couldn't bear for both of you to see what I had become. And then it was too late."

Silence filled the room, thick as fog. My head swirled, my mind filled with fragments of childhood memories. I had always known my father had secrets but never expected all this. Though my heart still held anger over his abandoning us, I knew I had to let it go. Holding on to bad memories wouldn't help any of us.

He bowed his head then erupted in tears. I handed him a paper napkin and dabbed my own eyes with another. Mom's face was red, and she was blinking back tears too. When I looked at her, I saw a softness slowly replace the hard edges around her mouth. When she spoke, her tone was calm.

"Garth, it doesn't matter. Yes, I'm still angry with you. I may never get over that. But we've all suffered enough. Let's agree to live our own lives and be as supportive as we can for Sacha and our grandchild."

He sobbed once and struggled to regain his composure. Wiping his eyes, he reached out a hand to me, his only daughter. "I'd like that. I don't know if I'll be around, but I'm going to give it a hell of a try."

I clasped his hand across the table. "I'd like that. I don't want to hang on to the past. I've learned recently that we can't live life completely on our own. We need each other, and we all make mistakes."

Mom reached across the table to hold my other hand. My smile that followed was prompted by the life inside me, kicking. It seemed someone else approved of our family reunion.