Addison looked up and gasped, her eyes riveted to the diamond glinting in the soft lighting in the kitchen. The sound drew Veronica’s mother’s attention and she came to their group, her father following in her wake. The rest of the gathering kept up their discussions, enjoying Grace’s Christmas Eve party.
Grace winked at her from the living room where she stood with Jack talking to Rachel.
“What the hell is that?” Addison asked, pointing at the one-carat diamond clasped in sleek platinum on Veronica’s hand and the matching platinum band on Hank’s hand. “You got married?”
Her mother inhaled what remained of the oxygen in the room and leaned back against her husband. “You got married?”
Jesse and Barry gawked and spoke at the same time. “You got married?”
“They’re quick,” Cord murmured and Jackson chuckled and winked at her. Ari squeezed her and giggled.
Addison firmed her lips. “I was supposed to be your maid of honor. I’m your sister. Your family is supposed to be at your wedding. Why?”
“Because I’ve grown up without a family, at least until Cord and Jackson realized how badly they were hurting me and accepted me the way I am. And, not to put too fine a point on it, Addison, but my sisters were at my wedding. Did I want you there? Of course, but I knew if you were there, the first thing you’d do is question my lifestyle, insult my dress, or my legs.” She shared a long look with her mom.
Her mother didn’t deny it and a martyred look filled her eyes before she firmed her lips. “Pudge, you’ve hurt your parents and your family.”
“Don’t call me that anymore. Did I hurt you, Mom? I learned from the best. From you. I was never good enough for any of you. Every time you criticized me, I lost a piece of myself. I learned to take what you dished out, setting myself up for problems down the road. I knew I couldn’t please you so I stopped caring. After a while I stopped hearing your hurtful words. I thank God that Grandma Kate kept in touch with me. She was my rock when I was growing up, even though she didn’t know how bad you were to me. You never once defended me when Phil and Gordon bullied me, up until I finally moved away.”
“You were just silly, Pudge. Melodramatic. Overreactive,” her mother whispered, obviously concerned that the others would overhear.
Cord held up hand and cast a sharp look at his mother. “She asked you not to call her that. Did you know that Phil and Gordon would back her into a corner so she couldn’t get away from them when they teased her? That’s bullying. Did you know that they were the ones who started the rumor about Veronica being a lesbian at school, because Jesse”—he popped Jesse hard on the back of his head—“and Barry”—he popped him hard, too—“taught her how to lead instead of follow on purpose when you recommended they teach her how to dance.”
Veronica noticed her mother looked down and her cheeks were flushed, and Veronica asked the question she’d always wanted an answer to. “You believed that rumor, didn’t you, Mom?”
Her mother glanced up at her and looked pained. “I feared it might be true. You never dated—”
Veronica peered at the woman, wondering again if she’d been switched at birth. “Yeah, I never had any dates because of the rumor. How could you be so blind?”
Her mother drew herself up wrapping her martyr’s cloak a little tighter around her. In an imperious voice, she said, “I never claimed to be perfect. You were saying, Cord?” she asked, clearly changing the subject. Veronica let out a slow breath and shook her head. Hank’s hand on her shoulder squeezed gently, letting her know they were still there. She’d have to wait and see if there were ever any lasting changes where her mother was concerned. Such hurtfulness astounded her.
Cord grinned, happy to get back to the topic he was warming up to while Jesse and Barry knew the shit was hitting the fan for them. “Veronica told me later she was surprised and happy that Jesse and Barry were nice to her when they taught her to dance but I know they did it to be little”—he popped them both again hard for extra emphasis—“assholes because that’s what you raised them to be by not reining them in better, Mom. The next time I see Phil and Gordon I’m kicking the ever-living shit out of both of them.”
Hank interjected in a deep, steely tone, “Cord, your brother was telling a partial truth earlier when he said that Phil and Gordon would be dead if they’d showed up at this gathering. They’ve already been notified in no uncertain terms that if they ever set foot within sight of Veronica, they will face dire consequences.”