I pulled her into a hug and felt her trembling. “We’re going to be okay.”
She pulled back a fraction. “Interested in running a hotel conglomerate?”
That startled a laugh out of me. “Honestly? Not really. But I would love to run The Peaks.”
A genuine smile spread across my mother’s face. “We’d love to have you.”
I squeezed her hands. “I think you should come stay with Grae and me for a few days while you sort all this out with Dad.”
She shook her head. “I already have my lawyer filing for divorce. When your father tries to come back onto the property, he’ll find that he’s not permitted on the premises. I’ll box up his belongings and send them wherever he wants.”
I studied her for a long moment. “You’re sure about this?”
Mom gripped my hand tighter. “A part of me died with Clara. I was so scared that if I lost anything else, the rest of me would go, too. I was so desperate to hold on to my family that I couldn’t see it was killing us all.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I’m the one who’s sorry.” She took a deep breath. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
A lead weight settled in my stomach. “Okay.”
“Gabe is adopted.”
Shock swept through me. “What?”
“For a long time, I thought I couldn’t have children. Your father wasn’t happy about it.”
I wanted to deck my dad for making my mother feel worse about something that must have been incredibly painful already.
Mom released my hand and toyed with the hem of her cardigan. “We decided to go the adoption route. Your father demanded it be kept a secret. He didn’t want anyone to know that Gabe wasn’t his blood.”
She fingered a button on her sweater while she lost herself in the memory. “I went along with it because I wanted a child so badly. And after Gabe came along, it all seemed worth it. Imagine my surprise when I got pregnant with you and then Clara.”
“Gabe found out, didn’t he?” I asked, the pieces coming together.
My mother nodded. “When he was in middle school.”
I tried to remember when Gabe had changed, when our relationship had shifted. It was when he was in seventh grade. I’d thought he was just over having a younger brother and sister tagging along, but it was so much more.
“He became fixated. It didn’t matter how much I reassured him that he was ours; he always felt less than.” A tear slid down her cheek. “I failed him.”
I hugged my mom tightly. “You didn’t fail him. There’s a sickness in him that you couldn’t heal.”
“I never thought he would hurt you and Grae.”
“I know. But we’re okay. And the three of us will heal. Together.”
My mom pulled back, her eyes still full of tears. “Together?”
I smiled down at her. “I think it’s time we build the family we were always meant to have. Don’t you?”
Her mouth curved. “I’d like that.”
I stayed with my mother for another hour, making sure she was truly okay. When I was sure of that, I headed for my SUV, calling security on the way. My mom had already brought them up to speed. My father had left the property and wouldn’t be welcomed back.
I shook my head as I turned into my driveway. Never in a million years had I thought this morning would turn out the way it had. I parked my SUV and climbed out, heading up the front walk.
My steps faltered as I took in the entryway. The door was slightly ajar.
