My Sweetheart (22 page)

             
Monday morning Jane set her crutches aside and went back to work at full power. Her ankle was still tender, but she was mobile now. She only had five days now until her wedding and she wanted to give it her all before she left for her honeymoon. She had originally hated the idea of Kit hiring someone new for the bakery, but with both her and Kit leaving for two weeks, Layla needed all the help she could get. Julie was excited to come help out again and would take over the cupcakes, while Kit’s new hire Ann, would be taking over the bread. Layla reassured her and Kit that she would be fine, but Jane wasn’t so sure. It seemed like every day, Layla was sicker and sicker. She was going to ask Kit and Layla about switching Mandee from part time to full time. It would take pressure off Layla and she could be home by eleven to rest.

             
Jane carried out a large tray of cupcakes just as Kit turned the sign to OPEN. Kit held her arms up high over her head and danced a little. “I’m going to be married soon!” she sang loudly.

             
Jane laughed and set her tray down. She copied Kit’s move and held her arms up in the air and sang out, “I’m getting married too!”

             
Kit and Jane laughed as Layla peeked her head into the room. “You two get back to work. You’re way too happy,” she said, laughing at them.

             
Jane and Kit grinned at each other and ignored Layla as they grabbed each other’s hands and began twirling around the bakery. The bell over the door sounded and they immediately stopped, turning around to see Tate standing in the doorway grinning at them.

             
“I thought this was a professional establishment. You’re not bakers, you’re kindergartners,” he said walking in and shutting the door behind him.

             
Layla walked in, wiping her hands on a rag and smiled at Tate. Jane walked to him and reached up for a kiss. “Kit and I were just celebrating the fact that she and I will both be married very shortly.”

             
Tate wrapped his arms around her and smiled down into her face. “That is definitely something to celebrate.”

             
Layla yawned tiredly and motioned to the glass case. “I just made some fresh blueberry and lemon scones if you’re hungry Tate.”

             
Tate shook his head and frowned. “Actually, I stopped by because I got a call from Landon’s social worker. He’s doing very well in Rehab so far and she wanted to give me an update on him. She seems to think that a group therapy session would do him some good. She wants him to face the people he’s hurt so that he has a chance to apologize. If addicts can face the people they’ve harmed and accept that their actions have hurt people and feel real sorrow, then that’s key in helping them stay sober. How would you girls feel about driving up to Seattle tomorrow to spend an hour with your father and Dr. Preston?”

             
Jane and Kit looked at each other with identical frowns. With only days before their wedding, neither one wanted any negativity to ruin their happiness. Layla frowned but stepped forward, crossing her arms over her chest.

             
“And this couldn’t wait a few weeks Tate?” she asked, staring at Kit and Jane with understanding.

             
Tate shook his head. “Well, it could wait, but your father is supposed to be done with Rehab in about a month. If we wait three weeks until we’re all back from our honeymoons, then that only gives your father a week or so to process. Dr. Preston thinks the sooner the better, so that she can help him work through his feelings between now and then.”

             
Jane frowned and laid her head against Tate’s chest. “Do you think I’m horrible because I don’t want to?” she asked, looking up at him.

             
Tate looked down at her and smiled gently. “No, I’d never think that. I know what you girls have been through. My mother was a drug addict too so I understand why you wouldn’t. But I know that if I’d had a chance to help her stay clean and sober, I would have jumped at it. It might have saved her life. A therapy session with you girls might be the deciding factor in whether or not your dad makes it. I’ll let you three talk it out. Call me in an hour or two when you’ve made up your mind,” he said and kissed Jane on the head before walking out of the bakery.

             
Kit stared after Tate with a sad frown. “How can we refuse after hearing that?”

             
Layla smiled slightly and raised an eyebrow at Jane. “He does have a point. Shouldn’t we do whatever we can to help him get clean and stay clean?”

             
Jane shoved her hands in her apron pockets and glared at the tile floor. “But the timing is hideous. Why now? Why not even last week or the week before? Now we have to go just days before our weddings when all we want to do is enjoy this time in our lives. Instead, we get to drive up to Seattle and hear how our father chose a life of addiction over us. Real sweet. Real touching stuff,” she said bitterly.

             
Layla walked over and grabbed both of her hands in hers. “Helping people is never going to be convenient Jane. But if it was you? And you were the one who was desperate and miserable and you had a chance, wouldn’t you want someone to drop what they were doing and run to help?”

             
Jane closed her eyes and groaned. “Yes. Okay,
fine
. Let’s do it. Kit? You sure about this?”

             
Kit pursed her lips and looked down at her feet. “I’m not sure at all, but I’m in if you two are.”

             
Layla smiled at her sisters and nodded her head. “It’s settled then. Jane go ahead and text Tate and set it up for the afternoon so we can get our baking done.”

             
Jane nodded her head and did as she was told. But she wasn’t happy about it. For the next twenty-four hours she went through the motions, but at the back of her mind was the weight of knowing that she would be facing her father and confronting him about everything he had and hadn’t done. Out of the three sisters, she’d had it the easiest. She’d never known him. But that in itself still made her angry.

             
Michael insisted on driving them up. Hunter would already be in Seattle for the day for meetings with his staff and would meet up with them after they were done. Michael pulled his car into a parking lot next to a large plain brick building. She looked up and noticed some windows were barred and shivered.

             
“Let’s get this over with,” she muttered and got out of the car.

             
Layla walked over to her and put her arm around her shoulders. “Hey, you’ve always been the calm one when dealing with our father before. Why all the anger now because he wants an hour of our time?” she asked gently.

             
Kit walked over, listening curiously. “Yeah, I’m the one who should be freaking out, not you. What’s up?”

             
Jane shrugged and blushed when Michael stood behind Layla listening in. “I don’t know, I guess I’m being really selfish, but of all times to need us. I have a few friends who have gotten married and I’ve watched their fathers at their weddings and how they dance with their fathers at their receptions. It’s just so beautiful, the image of a father giving his daughter to her husband to cherish and love her. And here we are at a group therapy session with our father the drug addict who not only abandoned us, but wants us to give our bakery to him. Oh and don’t forget that he gave Kit a concussion when he attacked her.”

             
Layla sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. “This is a pivotal moment in your life. You’re right, it’s not really fair. Our lives haven’t been perfect but our lives are good. Yeah, we’ve had to deal with not having a father and I know what it’s like to get married and not dance with my dad. You focus on what you do have Jane. You focus on the love that
is
there. That’s the only way to be happy sweetie.”

             
Michael hugged Layla from behind as Kit reached out and grabbed her hand in hers. “I think you and I are feeling a lot of the same feelings right now. I’ll tell you what Hunter told me last night. Before he left he gave me a hug and he said, ‘
Honey, use this moment to shut the book on that chapter of your life. Get closure with your dad so you can start your life with me free of anger and resentment and bitterness. That way we can start our lives together in love and peace
.’ I think he’s right Jane. This isn’t a bad thing. I think now that it’s good and that maybe the timing is actually good too.”

             
Jane looked down at her hand linked with Kit’s and sighed. She smiled a little and looked up at her sisters. “What would I do without my big sisters?” she said and then reached out and hugged them both.

             
Kit laughed a little and Layla teared up. Michael insisted on hugging Jane and Kit both as well and then they entered the facility. Jane glanced at the pale gray walls and the listless paintings of landscapes and hoped this wouldn’t take too long. Hearing Kit put it into perspective made it bearable, but she still wasn’t happy about it.

             
Michael checked in at the desk for them and Dr. Preston walked out of an office and raised her hand in greeting. She looked to be about forty with short, spiky white blond hair. She wore dark Clark Kent glasses and had a friendly smile on her face.

             
“I’m Dr. Preston, I’m so glad to meet you.”

             
Michael made the introductions and they were escorted to an elevator. The room where they’d be doing the group therapy was on the third floor. Michael was directed to a waiting room and they were shown into a nice room painted in a soothing warm brown color. There were comfortable couches and chairs and water bottles and a few boxes of tissue. Jane raised her eyebrows and glanced at Layla. Now that she was pregnant, she was so emotional and cried at even the littlest thing. She shouldn’t have been worrying so much about herself. She should have been thinking of Layla.

             
Jane walked over to Layla and put her arm around her waist. “Layla, if things get too hard or too much, you can walk out. Kit and I will stay. But you knew him the best and the longest and this will probably be the hardest on you. I’m sorry I was being so thoughtless. Are you up for this?”

             
Kit walked over and heard the tail end of her comment and she touched Layla’s arm. “This can’t be easy with you being pregnant.”

             
Layla swallowed noticeably and shrugged. “It’s the right thing to do. Besides, I’ll have you with me. We can do it,” she said, and looked over their shoulders at Dr. Preston who was watching them carefully.

             
“Ladies, I can see that you’re a little nervous about being here, but let me assure you that if at any point you become uncomfortable with anything you can step out for a moment.”

             
Layla nodded her head and they moved to sit on the couch together. Within minutes Landon was brought in. He looked pretty much the same except his facial injuries where Layla had hit him with the baton were now healed. He was tall and thin but he looked like he had been getting a few regular meals lately. His long brown hair with silver streaks had been neatly trimmed. His narrow hollowed out face and a jutting chin were exactly the same. His eyes, a pale washed out blue looked a little brighter, a little clearer.

             
Jane watched her father and realized she didn’t have any emotional response to seeing him. It was like looking at a complete stranger. He looked tired, haggard and much older than his years but he didn’t have that shadow of rage that she’d felt surrounding him the last time they’d talked when he’d been in jail for attacking Kit.

             
Dr. Preston opened the conversation with genial small talk but then turned to Landon. “Landon we’ve been working on taking responsibility for our actions. You’ve talked often of your daughters during therapy. Would you like to share with Layla and Kit and Jane any of the things you’ve shared with me?”

             
Landon cleared his throat and looked uncomfortable. “I loved your mom. I just want you to know that I loved your mom. I know I didn’t show it and I know I left her to raise you girls on her own and that was hard, but for a few years, we were really happy and we had a good life with a lot of love. I guess that’s what I wanted you to know. You girls are here today because two people loved each other.”

             
Jane closed her eyes and sighed. It was kind of nice to know that, but yet it didn’t make up for the years that followed. Jane sat in the middle of Kit and Layla and she could tell that his words had caused a reaction with her sisters.

             
Layla stared at Landon and nodded her head. “I understand that you were into drugs before you went into the Army and that you were clean for years. What was it that triggered your fall back into addiction? I guess I’m just curious, because like you just said, you had love. You had mom and you had us and you had a good life. What made you throw it all away?” she asked softly.