“Truly amazing.” Her cheeks were flushed pink and her happiness showed on her face. She’d cut her long brown hair in a short pixie style that suited her.
She looked well. And happy, he thought. He wanted that for her.
Marlene rose from her seat and gestured toward Gabrielle. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?” Her question came out sounding as if she was chastising a child with bad manners.
“That’s Gabrielle, Dad’s old high-school girlfriend. I was just telling you about her,” Holly chimed in with all the tact of an unaware eleven-year-old.
Derek held back a groan. “Of course I was going to introduce you.” He’d just been being polite first by asking Marlene about her trip. He should have realized she’d feel threatened, so he tried to smooth things over first.
Derek made perfunctory introductions and Gabrielle stepped forward to say hello.
“I’ve heard so much about you from Holly and Derek,” Gabrielle said with a smile.
Only he would know that smile was filled with discomfort.
“I wish I could say the same,” Marlene said. “Derek never mentioned you.”
Which was true. When they’d met, Derek had been trying to forget losing Gabrielle. He’d never discussed her with Marlene except to say he was coming off a long relationship that had recently ended. His pain was too fresh and his feelings for Gabrielle too private to share with anyone. Same with the curse. He’d hoped to forget the damn thing ever existed.
But Marlene did know about Gabrielle. Once Marlene had become pregnant, Derek had brought her home to meet his family. Hank had filled her in on Derek’s past with colorful detail, and whatever he’d left out, she’d learned during a trip to town. Gabrielle was no longer a part of Derek’s life then, nor would she ever be, but gossip and history had placed her between him and his new wife.
Before her honeymoon, Marlene had softened. Falling in love had eased her resentment, but she had her guard up today. Her bitchy side had returned, and he wanted this moment over quickly, for everyone involved.
“I thought you were coming tomorrow?” Derek asked his ex.
“I wanted to surprise Holly.” She wrapped her arm around their daughter’s shoulder.
Derek’s stomach lurched. These were the tactics she’d used to separate them at her whim. Derek needed to let her know he wouldn’t tolerate it anymore. “Holly, honey, why don’t you take Gabrielle and get your things together? I want a few minutes alone with your mom.”
“Okay.” Holly bounced toward Gabrielle, grabbed her hand and headed for the door.
“She isn’t staying
Gabrielle clearly winced. Derek gestured with a tilt of his head that she should just take Holly and go. He’d handle Marlene.
He waited until they’d walked out and shut the door behind them before turning to Marlene. “It’s complicated. Holly was sleeping here until just a few days ago.” He went on to explain the situation in as little detail as possible, ending with how keeping Holly safe was his paramount concern.
“Safe would be with you,” Marlene said. “Alone with you. Instead you put your girlfriend’s safety before our daughter’s.”
He shook his head, but he knew better than to argue with Marlene when she’d made up her mind. And if Marlene was resentful of Gabrielle, which she definitely seemed to be, nothing Derek said or did would change her feelings.
He decided to switch subjects. “Let’s sit. We need to talk about surprises like these and your sudden scheduling changes in my visitation.”
Marlene raised an eyebrow but didn’t take him up on his suggestion they sit. She remained standing, rigid and obviously upset.
“What’s bothering you?” she asked. “That I missed my daughter and came home to see her?”
He exhaled slowly. “No, that much I understand. But I thought we’d made some progress in our relationship. And if this is a onetime thing because you miss her, that’s fine. I just want you to understand how much I value my time with Holly. I don’t get her as much as I’d like, so I’d appreciate it if you’d stick to whatever time frames we set and not cut my visits short or cancel them at the last minute from now on.” He tried to sound reasonable and not accusing.
Marlene folded her arms over her chest and met his gaze. “Right now, Derek, I don’t think you’re in a position to be asking anything of me when it comes to visitation. Obviously there’s danger surrounding your girlfriend, and by letting her move in here, you’ve brought it right to our daughter.”
The slap hurt, mostly because of the element of truth to her statement. Marlene wouldn’t care or understand that Derek felt the need to protect both Gabrielle and Holly without choosing one over the other.
He decided to remain logical, not emotional in his point of view. “That’s not fair. She’s next door at night, and during the day she’s with me or her grandfather, so we can keep an eye on her at all times.”
“Whatever.” Marlene waved a hand, dismissing him. “I’m taking her home where she’s safe. Right now, you’re lucky I don’t file for sole custody based on the fact that you’ve exposed Holly to danger and will continue to do as long as you’re with
Panic and fury filled Derek at her easily tossed-out words. He’d suffered enough loss in his life with his mother’s abandonment and the family around him falling apart. He’d lost Holly once by letting his guilt over working too hard and not loving Marlene enough rule his choices. He’d allowed Marlene to manipulate him into having no relationship with his only child.
Never again. “Nothing is more important to me than my daughter. Do not push this,” he warned her. But just because he remained firm didn’t mean he wasn’t choking on the fear of losing Holly.
“We’re back!” Holly said, barreling in just in time to stop the argument from escalating further.
Derek kissed and hugged Holly tight. “I promise I’ll drive to New York to pick you up next weekend. Or I can meet your mom halfway in Connecticut, if that works for her.” Over Holly’s head, he met Marlene’s gaze, daring her to contradict him in front of his daughter.
Gabrielle remained silent in the background.
“I’ll meet you in the car,” Marlene said stiffly to Holly. She picked up the large duffel bag with all of Holly’s things and strode outside.
“When am I old enough to fly here on an airplane?” Holly asked. “It’s so much faster.”
Derek laughed. “That’s something your mother and I will have to discuss. You have the cell phone I bought you. Call whenever you want. My numbers are programmed.”
“Your cell phone is number two, your home is number three and Grandpa Hank’s house is number four,” she said, parroting what he’d been reminding her of for two days.
He ruffled her hair and grinned. “I loved having you here. You know that, right?”
She nodded, her eyes filling with tears. “I wish-”
“I know.” He didn’t want her to finish her sentence. Whether it involved him still being married to his mother just so they could live together or whether she wished he lived closer, right now he couldn’t bear to hear it.
“Give Fred another hug from me? Don’t let him forget me,” Holly said.
Derek merely nodded.
By the time he walked her to the car and sent her on her way, he was drained, in no mood to discuss the events of the night, including Gabrielle’s blatant flaunting of her book and research in Mary Perkins’s face.
He sure as hell wasn’t up to revealing Marlene’s custody threats to Gabrielle. All he could think about was the emptiness in his heart with Holly gone and his fear that her mother was taking her away for good.
GABRIELLE WOKE UP, HOPING Derek was in a better mood than when he’d gone to bed. She’d given him time and space, knowing it hadn’t been easy for him to hand Holly over to his ex-wife. She’d hoped he would turn to her for comfort-sex or even just to be held, she didn’t care which-but he’d climbed in beside her, rolled over and gone to sleep.
She could say she wasn’t hurt, but that would be a lie.
Making her way downstairs, she approached the kitchen with cautious optimism.
He sat at the table, drinking coffee and reading the paper.
“Good morning,” she said with forced cheer.
“’Morning.”
She made herself coffee from the coffeemaker, adding milk and Equal before joining him at the table. “Sleep okay?” she asked.
