Spontaneous - Brenda Jackson [43]
“You sure of that?”
“Yes. Edward is a good man.”
Kim bit down on her lower lip so she would not respond. A part of her hoped and prayed Duan and his partners were wrong about Edward and that he was a good man like her mother assumed. But she wasn’t hold ing out for that. Duan had gone over the cases with her earlier, and she had a good idea how an investigator’s mind worked. No stone would be left uncovered this time around.
She and her mother ended the conversation when they saw Edward and Duan approaching. “Looks like we’re going to have a lot of fun today,” Edward said, excitement in his voice. For a split second he reminded Kim of her father and that wasn’t a good thing.
“I can’t wait,” Wynona responded, a huge smile on her face.
Kim glanced over at Duan. He reached out and took her hand in his, then leaned over and brushed a kiss across her lips. It was as if he’d read her emotions and knew she was bothered by something.
“Well, you guys,” Edward announced, grabbing Wynona’s hand, “I’m going to take my lady and we’re heading for the Scorpion and from there to the Ferris wheel.”
“See you guys later,” Wynona called over her shoulder, increasing her pace to keep up with Edward.
Duan glanced over at her and tightened his hand on hers. “You okay?”
She saw concern in the depths of his eyes. “Yes, I’m fine. I just had one of those ‘daddy’ moments.”
“Come on, let’s walk,” he said, keeping her hand in his. “Want to tell me about it?”
For some reason she didn’t mind airing the family’s dirty laundry to Duan. She’d done it before. “Fairs used to be one of my daddy’s favorite places. When he took us it would be one of the few times he was normal. He would actually stay sober for a few weeks after visiting a fair. After that, it was every Friday night as usual. He would get off work and head for the nearest bar with his homies. Luckily there was always someone in the group who would bring him home later and not let him drive.”
She grimaced. “It would have been better if they’d checked him in to a hotel to let him sleep it off instead of bringing him home. That would have spared Mom the beatings once he got there.”
A bitter smile formed on her lips. “He would sleep late on Saturdays while I was bandaging up Mom’s wounds. Then he would wake up around noon and see her bruises and become all apologetic, asking her forgiveness and telling her it wouldn’t happen again. He’d become the loving husband and father, and Mom was eager to believe the best so she’d eventually forgive him. I lived to regret Fridays, Duan. Most kids in school looked forward to the weekends, but I wasn’t one of them since I knew what would happen at my house.”
“I’m sorry, Kim.” Duan’s voice was gentle. “That kind of life must have been hell to endure each week.”
“It was. Because of my father I’ve endured a lot of hell. Forgiving doesn’t come easy for me, and Mom can’t seem to understand that.”
“And all this time I’ve been the one hosting a pity party thinking the Jeffrieses were the family with all the garbage.” Duane shook his head. “When my mom left, I was angry, madder than hell. I was the oldest and I had Terrence to deal with. He was a holy terror even back in the day. And then there was Olivia, who tried to take Mom’s place. It’s still hard to believe how a woman could leave her husband and family without looking back.”
He stopped walking and so did she. He met her gaze. “I have one hell of a father, and I can’t tell him enough how much I appreciate him. He had to step in and do both roles as a parent and he did it. I’m sure it wasn’t easy, yet he never complained. I admire him for what he did, and I’m not sure that I could have done the same if I’d been in his place.”
They began walking again and a few moments later they stopped at a vendor to buy a bag of popcorn to share. When they started walking again she