Not Quite Mine (Not Quite #2)(68)
Author: Catherine Bybee

“When your life flashes in front of you, like clips from a movie, you pick out things. I’m a terrible mother. I was an even worse wife.” Annette lifted her eyes to their father.

None of them corrected her.

“That’s not an excuse,” Jack said.

“I’m not making excuses, Jack. I know you think I walked away and never looked back, but that isn’t completely true. I knew your father was the better parent. That I was a failure. You both were better off with him than me. We both knew that.”

“So you gave us up,” Katie mumbled. She thought of Savannah. A poor innocent child who may have a biological mother just like Annette.

“I thought about coming back. To get to know you both. I figured that time had passed. I didn’t deserve a second chance.”

Annette blinked a few times; the medication she was on could be seen in her face. She looked worn out and used. Katie couldn’t tell if her cool demeanor was a defense or the real her.

Some of the anger burned off. Her dad’s words from their trip sounded in her head. Her being here…all of them being here was so that they didn’t have regrets. So she could say good-bye.

“Tina stopped by yesterday.”

Annette glanced up. “That’s nice.”

Katie took a deep breath. “She told me you weren’t an awful person. And I know Daddy isn’t a bad judge of character so there has to be someone in there that I might want to know someday.”

Her mother blinked several times as if deciphering Katie’s words.

She stepped closer to the bed and tilted her head. “You closed the door on being our mother a long time ago. I don’t know if that door will ever be opened again. But for some reason you thought of us, you called for us. When you’re better, if you want to pick up that phone, I’ll answer it. I’m sure we’ll fight. I’m positive I’ll call you all kinds of names for leaving me.” Tears collected behind her eyes as she ripped her heart out of her chest. “Maybe on the other side of all that, we can be friends. Or maybe we can’t. The only way you’re going to know is if you try. If you don’t want to, that’s fine with me. But, Annie…if the very next time you call me is to say you’re on your deathbed, I won’t come. I’m too old for mind games and I won’t be used.”

Her mother nodded slowly.

Katie felt her brother’s arm move around her shoulders as he led her out of the room.

Their father stayed behind a minute longer.

“Damn, sis, remind me never to get on your bad side,” Jack teased.

“Was I awful?” Did I go too far?

“You were perfect. She knows where you stand, and you’re giving her a chance. At the same time, you’re not going to let her lie or use you. Wish I thought to say all that.”

Katie leaned her head against her brother’s shoulder and sighed. She was done with hiding parents, lies, and secrets.

Their dad met them in the lobby. He walked a little taller when he approached. Katie hugged her dad, thankful again she had him. “I’ll never make you come again,” he told her.

“Do you think she’ll call?” Jack asked their dad.

“I don’t think she knows what she’ll do. Are you going to be OK if she doesn’t?”

Katie dug deep inside to find his answers. “I’m going to be fine.”

Her dad winked at her.

They climbed into the back of the limousine they’d traveled in from the hotel to the hospital.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she noticed a text from Dean.

A new picture of Savannah greeted her and the cold brought on by her mother melted into a puddle of warm love.

“Must be good,” her brother commented.

“The best,” she said.

I’m done with the lies.

She handed the phone to her brother and confusion marred his brow. “Hi, Mommy?” he read the text aloud.

Jack handed the phone to her dad.

“Who’s Mommy?”

“I am. That’s my daughter.”

Jack’s and Gaylord’s mouths dropped.

Dean swallowed his guilt as he pressed Send on the picture of Savannah.

He intended to confront Maggie today, now that his thoughts were in some semblance of order. Seeing Maggie without Katie knowing about it felt wrong. Yet he couldn’t exactly tell Katie what he’d learned…not over the phone. Besides, she had a full day of drama ahead and didn’t needed more piled on.

After retracing his steps to Maggie’s condo, Dean knocked on the door and waited.

A woman in her sixties answered the door. “I’m looking for Maggie Reynolds,” he told her.

The woman offered a kind smile. “There’s no Maggie here. I moved in six months ago.”

“Oh, sorry to bother you.” Dean left the complex and switched on his phone. He’d deleted her number from his phone and sadly couldn’t bring it up in his memory.

He sat in his car for a while flipping around the Internet with his smartphone. He came across an old e-mail out of a sent file and found her cell number.

He dialed it and was met with a No longer in service message.

“Well, damn.” Guess she didn’t want to be found.

Dean called up the investigator he’d hired to find Savannah’s mother and brought him up to date on the facts.

“I need to know where she is and I need to know yesterday. Katelyn should be back tomorrow and I want to have this conversation with Maggie finished.”

“I’m on it, Mr. Prescott.”

Unable to go home to wait, Dean drove around town to see if any of Maggie’s friends knew where she’d gone.

It was midweek and early in the day so the nightclubs they’d gone to a couple of times either weren’t open or didn’t have a familiar face in the room.

Maggie’s parents had both passed away when she was very young. He remembered her aunt lived north of LA, but he didn’t know the exact address. A phone number was out of the question. Hopefully Nathan, his PI, would find the information. And find it soon.

The day ran on with a silent phone. When it did ring, Katie was on the other end, her voice tight with emotion.

“It was awful, but I’m done. It’s up to her now,” Katie told him after she relayed everything about her conversation with her mom.

“I’m proud of you, darlin’. That couldn’t have been easy.”

“It wasn’t. But you know something? This whole ordeal reminded me how lucky I am to have my brother and my dad on my side. They’ve been great.”