“Once before?” Brianna was stunned. “You mean Allison—?”
“No. Not Allison.”
No! The numbness of denial dissolved into a flowing wound that drained her memories of warmth and trust. She would have given anything to have her father take back what he’d just told her. But she realized he’d had no choice. It had been the only way to make her understand.
“It was after your mother lost the baby,” he said. “She needed somebody to be there for her. It should have been me. But I failed her. It was as much my fault as hers.”
“How . . .” Brianna’s voice quivered. “How did you manage to get past it all and stay together?”
“It wasn’t easy. But we had you. And we loved each other. In time, we forgave and moved on.”
Brianna stared at him, thinking how little she had truly known of her parents and who they were in their private hearts.
“And what about you?” A raw, lingering pain made her bold enough to ask. “I know you spent a lot of time on the road. Were you a faithful husband, Dad?”
“Surprisingly enough, I was,” he said. “Oh, I had plenty of chances. But I loved your mother, and I figured that if I slipped up once, there’d be a second time, and a third, and before long, I’d become the kind of man I hated. It was easier not to even start down that path. But you know, Brianna, your mother never asked me what I did on the road—she trusted me that much. And I trust Allison. I don’t plan to ask her anything.”
As if on cue, they heard the garage door open and the sound of a car driving in. Allison had come home. Brianna jumped to her feet.
“You can stay if you want to,” her father said.
“No—I’ve had enough drama for one day. I’m going up to my room. Tell Allison I’m all right.”
Brianna fled up the stairs and down the hall to her bedroom. She could smooth things out with Allison later. Right now she needed to be by herself.
As she closed the door, her gaze fell on the framed photo of her family—her father and Kate, smiling their sun-splashed smiles, as if they’d never known a dark moment in their lives. How human they’d been, how strong. And how safe she’d felt in the little world they’d created for her. As a child, she’d looked at them and seen two perfect people. But now it was time to grow up. It was time to love her parents for who they were and would always be.
She could only wish their kind of love for herself and Liam.
* * *
Allison walked into the living room and collapsed on the sofa next to Burke. “What an afternoon!” she said. “To top it off, I ran out of gas and had to call the auto club. They took forever getting to me. Have you heard from Brianna?”
“She’s upstairs,” Burke said. “She said to tell you she’s all right.”
“Thank goodness! I was looking everywhere for her. I was so worried about her.” Allison felt the knot in her stomach loosen and unravel. “So she told you what she saw?”
“She did. I managed to calm her down. No need to say another word. I understand.”
Absolute trust. That was Burke. Sweet heaven, how she loved the man!
“I brought you a present,” she said, taking the phone out of her pocket. After bringing up the photos she’d taken, she handed the phone to Burke.
He took time to study them before he nodded. “Good job. I think we’ve got the bastards. And I hope to hell you’re not going back there again.” He laid the phone on the coffee table and leaned back into the cushions. He’d had a long, busy day, and it showed. He looked tired but happy.
“When I was out with Hoagie this afternoon, he took me by the car lot. They’ll be delivering a 2013 Camry in the morning. Decent car. It’ll do for now.”
“So you’ll be king of the road again.”
“Not quite. But tomorrow, as soon as I’ve got wheels under me, I’ll be taking these photos to the police. Hopefully the evidence will be enough for a criminal case. If not, I’ll take them to my lawyer. Much as I’d enjoy putting a few people behind bars, what I really need is to get Edgeway off my back, get rid of Garrett, put Fran back at the front desk, and start renovating the American Heartland.”
“But what about the loan?” Allison asked. “Have you heard anything?”
“Oh—with all this excitement, I forgot to tell you. This afternoon, before Hoagie came by, I made a call to the bank. They said they’d reviewed the application and everything looks good. But they want to make sure Edg
eway is out of the picture before they issue the funds. We’ll be able to do that now. Thanks to you, we’ve got a weapon to use against those bastards.”
He circled Allison with his arm and pulled her close. “You’ve done a great job. But now that I’m on my feet again, it’s time for you to step back and let me take over. Once I’ve nailed Garrett and his Mob buddies to the wall, I’m going to reorganize the office around the renovation, talk to the contractors, hire a good manager . . .” He bent and kissed her forehead. “You can take it easy.”