“We’re your family now, too, you know.”
Gemma blinked. She wanted to cry in gratitude. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.” She released a shuddering breath. “Being a part of a family again is wonderful, and being a part of your family is terrific.” She wouldn’t mention that she hadn’t felt quite at home with the other Chandlers.
There was a short silence as Darlene nodded. “I know they’re not perfect but…” Without warning, her mother-in-law burst into tears.
Gemma stared for a moment. “Darlene?”
Darlene tried to speak but cried even harder as she grabbed for a hankie from her handbag. Gemma could only watch with concern until the woman got herself partly under control.
“Forgive me, Gemma,” Darlene sniffed. “I didn’t come here to talk about my problems.”
Her mother-in-law had problems? “If you want to talk, I’m here to listen. And I promise I won’t say anything to anyone. You can trust me.”
The older woman looked at her. “Yes, I think I can. I haven’t known you very long, but I feel close to you, Gemma.” She paused. “I’m talking about your parents but…” She gave a small sob. “I’ve not been such a good parent myself. You see…” Sob. “I had an affair years ago.”
Shock rolled through Gemma. “You had an affair?”
“Yes. And please don’t think too badly of me,” she said quickly.
“Of course not. I’m just really…surprised. You and Jonathan have such a great marriage.”
Darlene nodded and wiped her wet cheeks. “We do now. We didn’t then.” She winced. “You see, Jonathan was never one to show his feelings. I hope I don’t embarrass you by saying this. He’s a passionate man in the bedroom, but not even after we were married did he once tell me he loved me.” She took a shaky breath. “Oh, I knew he did, but it’s not the same as hearing the words.”
Gemma understood only too well.
Darlene’s eyes started to fill with tears again, but she rapidly blinked them back. “We’d been married about fifteen years when I finally realized I would never hear those words from Jonathan. He was working hard and it seemed he needed me less and less. I was starting to feel not only like less of a woman but like less of a wife.”
Gemma reached out and patted the other woman’s hand. “That’s understandable.”
She took a breath. “And then one day I met this man. I was shopping in one of the department stores. I dropped my bag and he picked it up and we sort of clicked. He asked me to have a coffee with him. I knew I shouldn’t, but I was feeling low. Jonathan hadn’t made love to me for months. Just the night before I’d tried to make the first move in bed, and he’d said he was too tired.”#p#分页标题#e#
“Was Jonathan having an affair?”
“Oh, no, that wasn’t the problem. He was just so focused on work and making money. He had some pretty big shoes to fill. His father was such a force, you see.” She gave a quiet sigh. “Anyway, this man and I started to meet for coffee. His marriage wasn’t very good either. I was still desperate to get Jonathan’s attention, but one thing led to another and I decided I was in love with the other man. I couldn’t take my marriage anymore, so I packed my things and left.”
Gemma’s eyes widened. “You left?”
“Yes. I planned on going for good. I told myself the children didn’t really need me and were probably better off without me in their lives. I knew Helen would step into the breach, you see. Of course, I was just making excuses for myself.” There was a tiny pause. “I was back a week later.”
“Only a week?”
She nodded. “Jonathan was shattered, and he begged me to come home. By that time, I realized I’d made a mistake. I regret what I did, but it’s been the making of our marriage. It seemed to open up something inside him, and he’s been a loving husband and father ever since.”
“How old were Tate and Bree?”
Her face crumpled again. “Tate was twelve and Bree seven. Oh, God, I felt so terrible about that.” She stopped and took a moment to control herself, then she managed to speak further. “Bree was too young, but Tate knew. He was colder to me when I came back, and he’s been reserved with me ever since.” Deep regret was etched in her face. “I couldn’t bring myself to explain it to my son. Sometimes I wish I had.”
Gemma’s heart squeezed for the young teenage boy whose world had turned upside down. Suddenly, she realized this explained why Tate had reacted so strongly when he thought she was cheating with Drake. After all, they’d only been together a month when that accidental kiss between her and his best friend had happened. Another man would probably have brushed her off like a fly and never looked back. Tate had held a grudge because of the memories of his mother betraying his father. She certainly didn’t think now that it was because she personally had hurt him. It wasn’t possible to hurt someone if there was no true emotional involvement between them.