All We Knew

by Jamie Beck

  Once she’d closed the door, Hunter tipped his head. “What’s wrong?”

  If she hit him with her suspicions, he’d take it as an accusation, which it wasn’t. She needed to keep her eye on Bethany, but for now she had a more immediate issue to address. “It’s Gentry.”

  “Did she flake already?” Hunter’s eyes gazed upward before reaching out for Sara. “I knew she hadn’t thought this through. Are you okay?”

  “Relax. She hasn’t changed her mind.” Sara stared up into his perplexed expression and faked a big smile to sell this living arrangement as something positive. “She’s temporarily moving in with us.”

  His brows rose above the rims of his glasses as he released her. “What?”

  “She plans to find her own place soon but wants to get out from under Jenna’s thumb for a while.”

  He squinted. “Days?”

  Sara shrugged. “Probably weeks or maybe even more. I can’t say.”

  He shook his head and rested his hands on his hips. “So much for privacy.”

  “This is a good thing, Hunter. I’ll be able to keep an eye on her during these early months of the pregnancy.” Sara looped her arms around his waist and hugged him. It had always bothered her that he wasn’t as close to Gentry as he was with Colby, even if his reasons had some merit. Family should knit together, not remain separated by invisible lines of loyalty and mistrust. “And you should take advantage of the opportunity to get closer to your sister.”

  She looked up and recognized the dawning light in his eyes that typically preceded his ideas. “The chance to court her vote is a silver lining, but you know Gentry’s going to disrupt our lives.”

  Sara eased out of his arms. “I meant get closer for personal reasons, not business ones.” When he tensed, she decided a joke might work better than a lecture. “As for disruption, it’ll be good practice for when the baby comes.”

  Sara laughed at Hunter’s startled expression, as if he hadn’t ever thought about the realities of children. Of course, perhaps he hadn’t. She went up on her toes to kiss him, but then a knock at the door stopped her.

  “Come in,” Hunter called.

  Jed stuck his head in the door and smiled when his gaze landed on Sara. “Hey, Sara.” He entered the room and closed the door. “I’m glad you’re here, actually. Jenna’s in a tizzy over Gentry, and I haven’t had a chance to play peacemaker yet.”

  “I’m sorry you’re bearing the brunt of their problems. Hopefully, it’ll be temporary. But Gentry’s safe. She asked to stay with us until she finds her own place,” Sara said.

  “I’ve heard.” Jed scratched his jaw. “And that’s okay with you?”

  “Sure,” Hunter interjected.

  “I’ve always wanted all my kids to be closer, but I can’t lie. This isn’t exactly how I foresaw my wish coming true.” Jed crossed his arms.

  “We certainly understand something about not getting your wishes exactly the way you planned,” Sara added quietly.

  Jed softened. “I know you do.”

  “Gentry will be fine with us until she finds her own place,” Hunter said in the definitive tone that usually ended a discussion. But Jed was worried about his baby girl and wasn’t intimidated by it today.

  “Jenna’s already on the edge, and now this.” Jed shook his head. “Hunter, promise me you won’t put your sister in the middle of our disagreements or your piss-poor relationship with my wife.”

  Hunter clenched his jaw. “I’m not going to censor myself in my own house, Dad. If Gentry asks for my opinions about the sale, I’m not going to lie. But I won’t manipulate her or try to get between her and Jenna, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  “Why do you hate Jenna?” Jed’s flat voice landed with a thud.

  “Hate’s a little strong.” Hunter shrugged. “Dislike. Distrust.”

  Sara bit her lip to keep from disagreeing. She knew Hunter, and he pretty much hated his stepmom.

  “In the beginning, you two got along. Colby was the one who kept her distance. I don’t understand why everything flipped.” Jed looked past her and Hunter now, as if he were watching a movie of their lives and trying to figure out where it went wrong.

  “When I was young, Jenna acted like she liked me. Now I see she was pretending until she felt more secure with you. Colby and I are constant reminders of your life before her. She hates sharing you with us. If Jenna hadn’t treated Colby and me like second-class citizens after Gentry came along, maybe we’d all be closer. But the final tipping point was when I came here to work side by side with you. Since college, Jenna’s worked against my rise here every step of the way. If this didn’t exist”—Hunter gestured around the office—“we might’ve gotten along okay.”

  “Another reason why selling might be best for our family.” Jed shrugged.

  “If you two retired, we’d reach the same result without you going back on your word.”

  Sara saw a rosy flush creeping up Hunter’s neck. She rubbed his back to calm him down, realizing her hope of convincing him to see any bright side to the sale of CTC was no more likely to happen than her getting pregnant.

  “Okay, let’s not start this again.” Jed waved his hands. “I just came in to find out about Gentry.”

  “Jed, she’ll be fine. I’m actually looking forward to her company and being more involved in the pregnancy.” Sara crossed to hug him because he looked depressed. One day neither she nor Hunter would have the chance to hug him, so she wouldn’t take this for granted. “I’ll make sure that Jenna isn’t excluded.”

  “Thanks, Sara.” He looked at his son. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  Sara felt torn. That spat about Jenna had made Hunter accept Gentry moving in, but it had also exacerbated the deteriorating relationship between him and his father.

  For all of his intelligence, commitment, and loyalty, her husband couldn’t see how his obsession was slowly destroying his family. “Try not to fight with your dad. I know you’re upset with him, but at the end of the day, he’s your father. He’s loved you your whole life. Isn’t love more important than these bricks and mortar?”

  “Please, Sara. Not now. I’m about at the limit of how much change I can be expected to handle at once.” He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath.

  “Okay.” Unlike her, he’d never enjoyed change. He hadn’t even much liked real adventure. He preferred plans and process, and at the moment, he had little of that to cling to. She set her hands on his chest. “I’ll make something special for dinner. Will you be home by seven?”

  He stiffened. Clasping her hands, he said, “I’ll try.”

  “I think it would be nice, for Gentry’s sake.”

  “I said I’ll try. I am up against a ticking clock, and these interruptions don’t help.”

  She turned to go, then stopped and whirled back on him. “Assuming you win this war for the company, can I count on you to keep reasonable hours once the baby comes, or will there just be some other excuse for you to spend most of your time in this room instead of our home?”

  His eyes flashed white-hot. He stretched his arms wide and pivoted. “This isn’t some kind of whim or ego trip. Hundreds of families count on these jobs, and not all will survive a merger. I’ve got a responsibility to them and to our growing family. It’s not just about me and my own ambitions.”

  “I get that, but aren’t our marriage and I your most important priorities? My parents raised five kids and still managed to eat dinner together most nights.”

  His jaw clenched as his gaze drifted somewhere above her head for three seconds. An unnerving calm settled over him, and in a distant voice he replied, “I won’t ever be home by five and have my summers free, and I never promised you that.” He turned from her and went around to his desk, knocking on it. Finally, he looked right at her. “If that’s the kind of husband and life you wanted, why the hell did you marry me?”

  The force of his words struck her chest like a punch. He was angry and hurt, bu
t so was she.

  “Trust me, I don’t have any illusions that we will be like my parents, which is too bad, since they’ve been happily married for thirty-seven years, unlike your parents. There’s something to be said for spending time together, whether you want to acknowledge it or not.” Before he replied, she turned on her heel and stalked toward the door. “See you later.”

  Hunter made sure to get home for dinner, although his mind buzzed with a ten-foot-long to-do list while he poured himself some wine. Any hope for a peaceful meal vanished when his mom rang the bell. In all the hubbub, he’d forgotten to tell her the news. Or maybe he hadn’t yet fully accepted it and had subconsciously chosen not to spread the word.

  “Mom.”

  She blew past him and started down the hallway to the kitchen, full of animation, talking to him over her shoulder. “I heard the big news from Colby. I can’t believe neither you nor Sara called me to tell me about Gentry’s pregnancy or this adoption—”

  “Sorry. It just happened. I planned to call you tonight,” he lied. He followed her, trying to catch hold of her to warn her that Gentry was in the house, but she kept talking.

  “I bet Jenna is none too pleased that her daughter got knocked up by a stranger. My goodness, Gentry’s a wild one. My hair would’ve been gray by thirty if she’d been my daughter. Thank goodness you and your sister were such good kids.” His mom clucked just before entering the kitchen.

  “Well, hello to you, too, Leslie.” Gentry sat, water glass raised in the air, in front of a bunch of magazines she’d strewed across the island. Sara busily stirred something that smelled like her vegetable-lentil soup, offering his mother a quick smile.

  “Oh my word. I didn’t expect to see you here.” His mom avoided Gentry’s gaze and set her purse down, doing her best to cover her embarrassment from being caught gossiping.

  “I’m living here now. Guess they didn’t tell you that, either.” Gentry tapped her lips with a questioning finger. “Gee, why do they like to keep you in the dark?”

  “Gentry, no picking on my mom while you’re in my house.” His mom could be kooky and intrusive, but she was essentially a harmless, lonely woman.

  “But it’s okay for her to rag on me even though I’m handing you my baby?” Gentry pulled a puss.

  Well, there was something he hadn’t considered—did his sister plan to throw her offer in his face all the time, or use it to manipulate him? He hated that those thoughts crossed his mind, but he couldn’t quite separate Gentry from Jenna, and Jenna would do that, no doubt.

  “Let’s be honest, sis.” He slung his arm around her shoulder. “She didn’t say anything that you wouldn’t normally boast about, so don’t pretend to be offended now.”

  Gentry shrugged him off. “I guess I can’t argue with that. Still, you go at my mom way worse.”

  “Your mom and I have worked together for half your life. It’s different. But if I were living under your roof, I wouldn’t take shots at Jenna in front of you.”

  “Fair enough.” Gentry lazily turned the page of some oversize fashion magazine while tossing his mom a sidelong glance. “Sorry, Leslie.”

  His mom was stunned into silence, something rare. “I’m sorry, too. I’m just shocked at this whole situation, except for the pregnancy part.”

  “Mom!” Hunter ground out. “Enough.”

  “What? You said if it was true, it was okay.” His mom went to give Sara a kiss hello. “Gentry’s never made a secret of her fast lifestyle. It’s part of her whole persona.”

  “Everyone stop.” Sara circled one hand in the space between them all. “This is a truce zone. Everyone who enters my house will put down their weapons and be kind. Only positive energy now. There’s a life growing, and we want to surround it with love.”

  Gentry leaned forward and touched her forehead to the island. “Oh boy.”

  “Tell me about it,” Hunter commiserated, and when she lifted her head, he winked at her. A bubble of affection rose in his chest. No matter how different they were, he’d never be able to express his gratitude for her tremendous sacrifice. Maybe she’d earned the right to throw it in his face a time or two.

  His mom’s gaze drifted from him to Gentry and back again. Her expression shifted to something he could only describe as oddly emotional. She stepped close to Gentry—close as she’d ever been—and touched her hand.

  Gentry nearly flinched, unaccustomed to his mom being anything other than caustic with her.

  “Gentry.” His mom cleared her throat. “I know what you’re doing has nothing at all to do with me, but I still want to thank you for doing this for Hunter and Sara. For the good of the family, motley crew that we are. It’s very brave.”

  Gentry surprised Hunter by refraining from a joke or a barb. Instead, she smiled at his mom. “You’re welcome.”

  The energy in the room—something he’d rarely notice or discuss, which meant his mom was having more influence on him than he enjoyed—turned nearly solemn. He stood there, with three of the four most important women in his life, feeling exposed and awkward.

  Living through Sara’s IVF hormones had been tough. Now he’d have his pregnant sister, obsessed wife, and doting mother underfoot all the time. He and Sara were in the middle of a serious rough patch in their marriage, and now they’d have no privacy. And yet, Sara hadn’t looked this hopeful and excited in so long. If anything was worth the total loss of control over his life, that should be it.

  In a lame-ass attempt to reassert himself somewhat, he turned to Sara. “I’m starving. Let’s eat.”

  “Aren’t you glad you made it home in time?” Sara smiled at him while handing him a basket of freshly baked rolls with melted butter.

  “Oh? Lots of late nights?” his mom chimed in, her gaze narrowing.

  “Busy times.” Hunter set the rolls on the kitchen table, then snatched one and took a big bite.

  “I remember that excuse all too well.” His mom wagged her finger.

  He noticed Gentry grow still and suspected she was now only pretending to read that magazine. “It’s not an excuse, just the truth. There’s a lot happening at the office. Bethany and I are up to our ears in reports.”

  Sara washed the cookie sheet that she’d used to cook the rolls, clearly avoiding eye contact with him or his mother.

  “Bethany.” His mom clucked for the second time in ten minutes. “She never married, did she?”

  “Not yet.” What the hell did that have to do with anything? He popped the rest of the roll in his mouth and chewed while frowning.

  His mother cast a surreptitious glance at Gentry and then muttered through her teeth, “Reminds me of another ambitious upstart. Don’t you forget where your bread is buttered, Hunter.”

  Gentry snickered, then covered her mouth. “Sorry.”

  “Oh, for God’s sake, Mom, I’d never be unfaithful to Sara.” He scowled at his mom and then at Sara. He doubted his wife put his mom up to that remark, but she also hadn’t scoffed or otherwise made fun of it. He saw her toy with her pendant and felt marginally better. They might not have been in sync lately, but she had to know he loved her.

  “I’m sure most husbands say the same thing, but something happens in those offices. Late nights working together to solve problems, celebrating wins. Pretty soon you have more in common with the people there than you do with the other people in your life, like your wife and kids . . .” His mother shook her head.

  Gentry fell suspiciously quiet, gazing at his mother like she was seeing something new. She then turned on him. “Hunter, I don’t want my baby raised like me, with work-obsessed parents and nannies and everything. I also don’t want it with parents who end up divorced. I want it to have a home. A place. To belong. Promise me you won’t be like my mom and dad and give everything to your career.”

  Instead of the defensiveness he’d gotten used to wearing like a coat of armor, Hunter felt an unexpected stab of sympathy for his sister. For years he’d judged her to be quite spoiled,
but he’d never really considered that, all along, she’d been lonely. That all her loud clothes and louder sarcasm might actually be her crazy way of calling attention to her need to feel like part of this family.

  But that feeling didn’t last, because all three women were basically accusing him of being neglectful at best and disloyal at worst. If this kind of ambush was what he got for coming home early, he wouldn’t be overly eager to repeat it. Right now, Gentry stared at him, awaiting his response.

  “Sara and I haven’t discussed all this yet, but I doubt she plans on going back to work anytime soon. Maybe never. Maybe she’ll just want to keep adopting children. But whatever we decide, we’ll love our children, and they’ll have a sense of family. I’m sorry that you never felt that way, and that Colby and I didn’t do more—or even realize—that you felt left out. I was in college before you hit middle school, but that’s no excuse now.” He’d let his negative feelings about Jenna become more important than his sister, an admission that fueled a little self-loathing.

  Still, he couldn’t lie or pretend that he didn’t want both a flourishing career and family. “I love my family, but I also love my work. Sustaining our family legacy matters to me. I doubt I’d be a good father or husband if I didn’t have that sense of purpose.”

  “Well, if my mom has anything to say about it, you might have to find some other purpose soon.” Gentry lifted her chin, challenging him.

  She clearly didn’t like his answer. He didn’t know what she expected from him now, but he wasn’t going to play games or give her any information that she could feed back to her mother.

  “Let’s eat before the soup turns cold,” Sara interjected instead of supporting him. If he didn’t know better, he’d guess she’d aired some of their dirty laundry with his mother and sister. “I promise, Gentry, CTC’s fate will not affect our love for this child.”

  Hunter took a seat, although his appetite had waned. He picked up another roll, but even that didn’t taste good to him now that his stomach had turned over. All around him, the women chatted, though he didn’t pay much attention to what they were saying. Halfway through the meal, he glanced up to find his mother staring at him with a solemn expression.