A Silken Thread - Brenda Jackson [80]
“I think what he suggested is a good idea, Mom.”
“No telling who else received copies of those pictures. I wonder who sent them.” Like she didn’t know.
She was the one who had commandeered the entire thing. While in Cleveland visiting Blair she had gone to one of those places that sold prepaid cell phones. It was the easiest thing to do. No identification had been required. She had programmed the pictures into the card the night before. In just a quick few minutes out of Erica’s sight when she had gone upstairs to change her shoes, she had pushed the button and sent the pictures on their way. Modern technology was truly amazing.
“I’ll start making plans to leave sometime next week and I won’t let your father talk me out of going. Right now I’m not sure I’ll ever forgive him. I can’t wait to hear what he has to say.”
Erica nodded. “Where do you want to go?”
“Anywhere except here for a while. You will have to finalize your wedding plans and the wedding without me.”
Erica sat on the side of the bed facing her mother. “Do you honestly think I’ll get married now?”
Karen tried not to smile. “What about all those plans?”
“They can wait. I’ve already talked to Brian and we’re going to postpone the wedding for a while.”
Postpone the wedding! She almost lost it. Postponing the wedding wasn’t good enough. “Just so you know, I could never accept him as a son-in-law now, after what his mother and your father did. Every time I see that woman, I will remember, and you can’t convince me that Brian didn’t know about it. I will never trust either of them again.”
“Brian didn’t know.”
“How can you be so sure of that?” Karen asked in a seemingly disturbed voice. “You could have been betrayed like I was.”
“Mom, calm down. Don’t get upset.”
“Well, I am upset. My marriage has been destroyed and you’re still thinking about marrying the man whose mother is responsible.”
“Mom…”
She pulled away from Erica. “Go away. Please go away. Marry him if you want, just leave me alone.”
And then she began sobbing in earnest while thinking that if this little over-the-top emotional scene didn’t get to her daughter, break her down real good, then nothing would.
Erica poured the tea her mother hadn’t finished drinking into the sink and leaned against it to get her bearings. Karen had made it pretty clear that she would not accept a marriage between her and Brian in three weeks, or ever. How could her mother expect her to give up the man she loved? Granted, what had happened was serious and she was willing to postpone things for a while…but to give him up totally, cut him completely out of her life, was something she could not do.
She turned and covered her face in her hands, trying to fight back her tears. The thought of not ever having Brian in her life was just too much.
She jumped when she heard her cell phone go off and wondered if it was Brian calling. She wasn’t ready to talk to him again just yet. She had enough to deal with. But then, she thought the caller could be her father and she had to talk to him sooner or later. She couldn’t dodge his calls forever. Although she wasn’t sure what she would say to him. She loved him but resented the hurt and pain he had caused her mother and herself. It was unfair.
She quickly crossed the room, took a deep breath and picked up her phone. “Yes?”
“Hey, what’s up?” April asked in a cheery voice.
At the sound of her best friend’s voice the tears Erica had fought back came flooding through.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“I smell a rat.”
After Erica had explained the whole situation to April, she hadn’t expected that reaction from her friend. “What are you saying?” she asked.
“Think about it, Erica. Who benefits the most if you and Brian don’t marry?”
“I hope you’re not insinuating what I think you are,” Erica said in an irritated tone.
“I