Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Once all of the gifts were collected, and Dad, David, and Jason took them to Dad’s office, my mother called for a short break.
“Why don’t we all just take a few minutes before we dive in to cleaning up all of this wrapping paper?”
“Sounds good to me,” Mike said, heading off in the direction of the kitchen.
Vivianne walked over to the window to look outside.
“The snow looks like it’s slowed down some,” I said, wrapping my arms around her.
“It’s so beautiful here, Ladd. See how everything looks so white and clean. And with the sun sinking in the sky, it adds such a beautiful glow to the snow. I could sit here and stare out this window for hours and just get lost in the beauty and serenity.”
I looked outside and smiled. “It is beautiful.”
She turned and leaned against the windowsill. “Do you have an idea of what your dream house will look like?”
“I do.”
“Describe it to me.”
Closing my eyes, I let the image come to mind. “My favorite time of year is fall, and especially at sunset. I see a two-story ranch house sitting up on the hill with the sun casting a reddish glow. Maybe there are shutters on the windows and little potted plant things.”
Vivianne giggled. “Potted plant things?”
I nodded, but kept my eyes closed. “Maybe a small front porch, something simple with a few rocking chairs. You’re sitting in one and I’m sitting in the other.”
I opened my eyes to see her smiling. “I like that vision.”
“So do I.”
Vivianne smiled. “I’d love to see Lilith’s house.”
“I’m sure we can make that happen.”
Glancing over my shoulder, she drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out.
“Viv, is everything okay?”
Her lips pressed together tightly. “I have something I need to tell you, Ladd…and I’m terrified.”
My heart started beating faster. “Did something happen with my mother?”
She stared at me in confusion.
I closed my eyes and shook my head. “I’m so sorry, Viv. We can leave anytime you want. We don’t have to stay through the holidays.”
When I opened my eyes, she was frowning at me now. “What in the hell are you talking about, Ladd Wilde? Why in the world would I want to leave?”
Vivianne
Ladd blinked back at me, confused. He wasn’t the only one. “Why in the world would I want to leave?”
“You were crying this morning, and the only other person in the house was Mom.”
“So, you think your mother upset me, and now we’re going to just leave before Christmas and the event?”
He frowned. “Well, no. I mean, I’d hope not. That’s not like my mother at all. But something is clearly off.”
I exhaled and took his hand and walked to the middle of the room. “Can we clean up?” I asked, needing something to focus on while we talked.
Looking around, he nodded. “If you want, we can. You gather up the rolls of wrapping paper and put ’em back in those plastic bins, and I’ll get the scraps.”
We worked in silence for a few minutes as I gathered up my courage to tell Ladd about my past. I had asked Nellie to make sure no one came into the room while we cleaned, because I was finally going to tell Ladd my secret.
“When I was a junior in high school,” I started, “I was dating this guy. His name was Robert. He was the starting quarterback, and there was already buzz from colleges that were interested in him.”
Ladd stopped working, but I kept cleaning. It was a cowardly thing to do, but I couldn’t bring myself to watch his expression as I explained.
“Let me start further back. I told you a bit about my parents.”
“Yes. A little.”
“Well,” I said, as I picked up a roll of wrapping paper with little bears dressed as Santa. “I don’t think my mother and father ever wanted a child. I was more of a…necessity. It made them look like a family, and that’s really what my father needed. An image of the perfect family.
“When they deemed it necessary, I’d be dressed in my finest attire and paraded in front of their friends and business associates. Afterward, I was sent to my room…and maybe I’d get dinner, if someone could be bothered to remember to send it up. There was a maid who worked for us for a while who always remembered me, and she’d send up dinner. After she left, I usually had to sneak down to grab something.
“If the party or event was somewhere else, my father would hire someone to take me home, or back to our hotel if we were in another town or state. I never stayed in the same room as my parents. Not even when I was as young as five. Of course, at that age, I had a nanny who stayed with me. The point is, I wasn’t raised in a loving household like you and your brothers.”