UNTIL I FOUND YOU
Chapter Thirty-One
It’s been a week since Jack’s
accident. Unfortunately, the relationship between Jack and his mother had
deteriorated. They both were now avoiding each other on the daily bases. Rose
meanwhile was growing more and more concerned for her husband. She knew that
Jack still loved his mother dearly. It was just that he felt betrayed right
now. He couldn’t understand Lily’s actions. If only there was a way to make him
understand. Maybe Lily was going the wrong way about her explanations. Maybe
Jack needed to hear the explanation from someone he both loved and trusted.
Yeah, Jack loved his mother, but trust…that was a different issue all together.
So Rose came up with a plan.
She’ll set down with Lily and have a woman to woman talk. She’ll get the full
story from Lily herself. And then she’ll try to explain it to Jack. Hopefully
that will bring the family back together again.
Quietly she slipped out of Jack’s
embrace one Saturday morning and went downstairs to fix some tea. Hopefully,
the next person down was Lily. Rose was just pouring a cup when Lily arrived,
surprised to see her daughter in law up so early on a Saturday, when Jack was
off and could afford to sleep later, his wife snuggled close. She had to smile
each time she saw Jack and Rose together. The only time she ever saw her son
truly happy was when he was with Rose.
"Rose, you’re up early. I
thought you’d be in bed a couple of more hours with Jack home and all."
"We need to talk." Rose
looked at Lily, knowing that her straight forwardness was taking the other
woman by surprise.
"We do? What about?"
Rose took a deep breath. Her
heart was threatening to burst out of her chest. Why was she so nervous? She
really had no reason to be, especially since she was doing this for Jack. For
once it was her turn to do something good for him instead of the other way
around. "Jack…he does love you. You’re his mother. But he’s angry. He
can’t understand how you could just marry someone you didn’t love and carry on
an affair. He can’t understand how you could pretend to be in love with his
father, while the whole time you wanted to be with Dean. It’s incomprehensible
to him."
"And you want me to explain
it to you?"
"Only so I can help. Maybe,
if someone he trusts explains it…maybe he won’t be so angry. Maybe he’ll be
happy for you after all."
"I love him Rose. You have
to know that. No matter what I felt for his father, I have always loved my son.
Leaving him had ripped my heart out. I hope that you’ll never have to know that
pain Rose. I wouldn’t wish that pain on anyone."
Rose swallowed nervously,
realizing that this was opening up recently healed wounds. But it couldn’t be
helped. If she was going to help Jack reconcile with his mother, she was going
to have to know everything. "Lily…I need to know about you, Dean, and
Jack’s father. I need you to make me understand why you had an affair and left
Andrew Dawson to die in that fire."
"It’s a long story
Rose." Lily tugged at her hands.
"I have the time. Tell
me…when did it all get started?"
Lily looked at Rose as if
pleading to be let out of this. But Rose was back to being that stubborn
debutante she had once been. "Ok." Lily sighed in defeat. "You
want to know my reasons? Well set back and listen."