Chương 6
That was not a request.
Marissa helped unload the bags.
“You have ten,” I said.
“General Avery said eight earlier.”
“He was showing off.”
“He does that.”
My mother waited until Marissa returned to the SUV.
Then she pointed at me.
“Kitchen.”
“Mom.”
“Kitchen.”
Ethan grinned despite himself.
“You outrank everyone except Grandma.”
“Get inside.”
“Yes, General.”
Leo followed him.
My mother closed the door and lowered her voice.
“What happened?”
“Julian was there.”
Her face lost color.
“How?”
“His son competed.”
“Preston?”
I stared at her.
“You know his son's name.”
She looked toward the hallway.
That was answer enough.
“How?”
“Elena.”
“How do you know Preston's name?”
“Not here.”
“No.”
I stepped closer.
“You do not get to tell me not here tonight.”
The boys had stopped walking.
I could feel them listening from beyond the hallway corner.
My mother could too.
She sighed.
“Living room.”
“We have ten minutes.”
“Then perhaps stop wasting them arguing.”
That was my mother.
We went into the living room.
The place smelled like lemon furniture polish and the cinnamon tea she drank after dinner.
Family photographs covered one wall.
School pictures.
Prom pictures.
Army photographs.
Leo missing his front teeth.
Ethan in a pirate costume.
My commissioning portrait.
There were no photographs of Julian.
At least none I had seen in years.
The boys sat side by side on the couch.
My mother remained standing.
I did too.
“Julian saw them,” I said.
Her fingers tightened around the back of a chair.
“Did he know?”
“He does now.”
“Did you tell him?”
“I didn't have to.”
Ethan touched his face.
“Genetics snitched.”
My mother almost smiled.
Then she saw my expression.
“What else?”
I took out my phone.
“I got this.”
I held up the message.
She read it.
Her face changed before she reached the last word.
Leo stood.
“You know who sent it.”
My mother handed the phone back.
“No.”
“Grandma.”
“I said I don't know.”
“You're lying.”
“Leo.”
He looked at me.
“Don't.”
There was that word again.
Don't general me.
Don't protect me.
Don't decide what I can handle.
I looked at my mother.
“Who knew?”
She sat down.
For the first time that evening, she looked old.
Not fragile.
Just tired in a way that seemed to reach backward through years.
“Your father knew.”
I stared at her.
“My father died nine years ago.”
“I am aware.”
“Who else?”
“Your sister.”
“Claire knew?”
“Some of it.”
“What does some of it mean?”
The doorbell rang.
No one moved.
It rang again.
My mother closed her eyes.
“That will be Claire.”
“You called her?”
“Of course I called her.”
“When?”
“While you were driving here.”
My anger rose so quickly I felt heat behind my eyes.
“You knew something had happened before I told you.”
“I saw the tournament stream.”
Ethan whispered, “Oh.”
Leo looked almost impressed.
“They streamed the mom insult?”
“They streamed everything,” my mother said.
“The organizers cut the feed afterward.”
My phone vibrated again.
Same number.
I looked down.
Ask Ruth about April 3.
My mother's name was Ruth.
I held the screen toward her.
She stopped breathing for a second.
“April third,” I said.
The doorbell rang a third time.
Nobody moved.
“What happened on April third?”
My mother looked toward the front door.
I stepped between her and the hallway.
“Mom.”
“It was after your ultrasound.”
“What was?”
She rubbed both hands over her knees.
“Julian came here.”
The room went silent.
Leo sat forward.
Ethan stopped touching his medal.
I heard the refrigerator compressor switch on in the kitchen.
It was such a familiar sound that for one disorienting instant I was a teenager waiting for my father to come home from work.
“When?”
“April third.”
“You told me he never contacted you.”
“He didn't contact me.”
“He came to your house.”
“Yes.”
“And you never told me.”
“He asked about the pregnancy.”
My mouth went dry.
“What did you say?”
My mother stared at the floor.
“I told him there was nothing for him here.”
Leo stood.
His face had gone pale.
“You knew he came back.”
“Leo, sit down.”
“No.”
He looked at me.
“She knew.”
I did not correct him.
I couldn't.
My mother said my name.
“Elena.”
“What did Julian know when he left this house?”
She hesitated.
That hesitation answered more than words could.
I stepped backward.
“You told him.”
“I told him there were twins.”
The front door opened.
Claire called from the hallway.
“Mom?”
No one answered.
My sister appeared in the doorway carrying her purse and car keys.
She took one look at us and stopped.
“Oh, God.”
I laughed.
It was a terrible sound.
“Apparently that's tonight's family motto.”
Claire set down her purse.
“Elena, I can explain.”
“Wonderful.”
I looked between them.
“You can start by explaining why I spent thirteen years believing Julian didn't know my sons existed.”
“He knew they existed,” Claire said.
My mother closed her eyes.
I turned to my sister.
“What does that mean?”
Claire's face tightened.
“He didn't know where you went after the divorce.”
“That isn't what I asked.”
“I know.”
“Then answer me.”
She swallowed.
“He knew there were twins.”
Leo walked toward the doorway.
I caught his arm.
“Stay.”
He pulled free.
“No.”
“Leo.”
“You all lied.”
“No one lied to you,” Claire said.
He stared at her.
“You knew our father came back and never told us.”
“You were babies.”
“We aren't babies now.”
Claire looked at me.
“I wanted to tell you years ago.”
“Then why didn't you?”
“Because Dad made us promise.”
The room seemed to tilt.
My father had been dead nearly a decade and still somehow managed to enter the argument.
“What promise?”
Claire looked at Mom.
Mom shook her head.
Claire ignored her.
“He said Julian wasn't safe for you.”
I felt something cold settle behind my ribs.
“Safe how?”
“Not violent.”
Claire spoke quickly.
“Nothing like that.”
May you like
“Then what?”
“He'd gotten himself into trouble.”
