Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 69170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 346(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Just what the hell got into him anyway? There had to be something more going on than his disappointment in his son for him to take these measures. Kevin had joined his mother in the argument, but he knew better than to show his ass in front of the kids who he was this close to losing.
Savanah had thanked her grandpa, and her brothers had followed suit while proclaiming their wish for him to outlive us all. By the time brunch was coming to an end, it was as if Kevin and Marie weren’t even at the table. Everyone else was talking and laughing as if Dalton hadn’t just dropped a bombshell while mother and son sat brooding.
Dalton asked the kids about school and what all they had going on, fawning over them like the doting grandpa he is, ignoring his wife and son in a show of camaraderie with me and the kids and even Sheila. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear the old man was losing his marbles, but Dalton is healthy as an ox and had never shown any signs of slipping as far as I know.
“What are you thinking about so hard?” I didn’t realize that I’d stopped talking and was just staring out the windshield.
“Nothing, I’m just trying to make sense of it all.” According to Dalton, I’m now richer than I was during my marriage and would’ve been after the divorce.
I was only planning to keep the house and half Kevin’s shit, but his dad had sweetened the pot beyond measure. It wasn’t lost on me, or anyone else for that matter, that Dalton had basically taken a portion from his son and given it to me. It’s going to take me a minute to wrap my head around it.
Though I’m not that big a hypocrite, that I can’t admit that I feel a hell of a lot better than I did before. Dalton’s generosity might not make up for my broken heart, but it sure goes a long way to easing the sting of his son’s betrayal.
And the fact that Kevin was told in no uncertain terms that his side piece was not welcome in the family and was not allowed to darken Dalton’s door at any time had been the icing on the cake. To hear the great man himself, someone I had looked up to and admired, someone my children adore, sticking up for me in that way had felt like sweet justice.
Kevin hadn’t said much of anything after that, but he’d been sure to whisper that we’d talk later as we were leaving. If he thinks I’m about to refuse Dalton’s offer for his sake, he’s dumber than I thought. He’s lucky that I’m not vindictive enough to turn his kids against him and take over the company completely. However, I do plan on having some fun with it.
At least someone saw my worth after all these years. It in no way makes up for what Kevin did to me, but it’s a start. “Should I take it, though? I mean, Kevin and I will be divorced soon.”
“So? You heard what Dalton said; you’re the only daughter he’s ever going to have; it doesn’t matter who Kevin marries in the future; you and Savanah are the only two women in the family that deserve his family’s heirloom jewelry and all the other stuff he offered.”
“Not if Marie has anything to say about it.”
“I’m pretty sure he nipped that in the bud. Did you see the look he gave her when she tried to interfere?”
“That’s another thing; in all these years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him do anything more than smirk when she was acting the ass.”
“I always told you that laid-back demeanor of his hid something deep and dark. He’s bound to have a split personality to deal with her for this long.”
“I mean, I always knew he could go from zero to sixty in a flash when warranted, but I never thought he felt all those things about me. I feel almost beatified, and a saint I am not.”
“I see it as compensation for putting up with her shit for so long. The way he was talking in there, he knew very well how she was treating you behind everyone’s back. Oh my goodness.” She sat up in her seat and whipped her head around.
“What?”
“You don’t think she knew about the affair, do you? Maybe that’s why he came at her so hard.” I tried to remember anything my father-in-law might’ve said to give her that idea but came up with nothing.
“What makes you think that?”
“Think about it; he told her she couldn’t see the forest for the trees. Then he said something about the dog with the bone; then he mentioned your classiness and how your behavior outshone both mother and son. He also said that what little respect he had for her was now gone, don’t you see? Put those all together, and it stinks of her knowing and him finding out that she knew.”