Her confusion grows more, the line between her brows deepening.
“Big Daddy had her necklace. Will must’ve gone through the house after I left Telluride. He had to have gotten the necklace from there. Big Daddy hid it after she committed suicide.”
Tears flow down my cheeks as Faith shakes her head, rejecting my words.
“Sylvie, no.”
I nod. “Yes. He buried her with my grandmother’s maiden name. According to him, he thought it would be less painful for me to think of her leaving than knowing she was a junkie that took her own life.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“There’s nothing to say.” I use the cloth napkin on the table to dab at my eyes. “Either outcome, the truth of her being abducted is bad, but maybe ending things on her terms might be better. I haven’t been able to decide.”
Her palm rubs circles on my back as I try to get my emotions under control.
“When did you find out?”
“A couple of days ago.” I shake my head, waving her away. “She’s been gone nearly my entire life, but I somehow still had a little hope she’d show up one day, you know?”
“Oh, honey.”
I clear my throat, but it takes several times for the lump to dislodge.
As much as the lovey-dovey shit irks me these days, I’m grateful as Legend walks up, hair still damp from a shower. He bends Faith back, pressing his lips to hers in a kiss that has the potential to turn X-rated very quickly. It doesn’t matter that we’re in the middle of a crowded restaurant. When Legend wants his mouth on his woman, nothing else matters.
Faith looks a little flushed when she comes up for air, her eyes finding mine with a plea. I shake my head, knowing that she may not mention what I just told her at the dinner table, but I have no doubt that she’ll share the information with him once they leave.
“Missed you,” Legend says, burying his face in her neck the second he takes the seat next to her. “What’s wrong?”
Faith shakes her head, the look on her face somehow informing Legend that they’ll speak about it later.
“I think Sylvie is jealous,” Aro says with a wide grin as he sits beside me. “Will you smack the shit out of me if I plant one on you like that?”
I chuckle, taking the distraction the flirty man offers.
The scent of Aro’s leather cut invades my head, making me think of the man I’ve tried desperately for weeks to forget about.
He would’ve held me tight the night I cried myself to sleep after my grandfather laid his bomb at my feet, and that pains me a little to think about. I know Spade would’ve made me feel better. The warmth of his body, his lips on my skin would’ve at least provided a little distraction for the confusion and pain I was feeling.
Big Daddy didn’t tell me the truth in the way I’d expect from him. He didn’t deliver the devastating news in a matter-of-fact tone the way he’s done so many times in the past. He was calm and gentle, begging me to forgive him with tears dribbling down his weathered face.
I promised that I did forgive him, but it’s been several days, and I just haven’t been able to go back and visit him. I’m not trying to punish the man that raised me with so much love, but the news cut me deeply.
“Spade helped with the porch, but had other plans tonight, so he won’t be joining us for dinner,” Aro says as he lifts the menu in front of him. “Are appetizers included?”
I nod, trying to maintain my composure.
I promised the guys dinner for helping with my front porch after they refused to let me pay them or buy the supplies needed to make it happen. Appetizers are the least I can do.
The waitress stops by to get their drink order, and I have to smile when Aro orders nearly half of the pre-meal snacks.
Conversation picks up, and I do my best to be engaging, but my mind wanders.
It’s a mess of all the unanswered questions Big Daddy refused to answer like where my mom killed herself and how. I don’t know if she left a note, and I may never have answers to these questions.
“It won’t help with the pain,” he’d said more than once.
I argued at first, but then realized this man had lost his daughter, and he’s still hurting to this day, knowing all the details.