The Ties That Bind Read Free

know,” she said, her voice choked with emotion. “But he’s notmine anymore. Hasn’t been for years. And you heard him tonight. He’s met someone.”
    Connie couldn’t look at her. “So it seems.”
    “Which means I have to let him go.”
    “Then let’s have a vacation.”
    Lisa nodded, determination firing her blood. “You’re right. It’s time I grabbed my own happiness.”
    “Now you’re talkin’. So are you in?”
    Why the hell not? The alternative was growing old alone, feeling sorry for herself, and becoming a pathetic woman holding on to the past. No way was she going to allow that to happen. She swiped away the tears and grinned. “Hell yes, I’m in.”

    Wen hopped out of Rick’s car with a rapid-fire thanks. Kayla told her to get in line and she’d be there in a sec.
    “Dad?” She twisted in the front seat to face him. He knew she’d want to talk after what went down at Lisa’s.
    “Yeah?”
    “Are we doing the right thing? To Mom, I mean.”
    “Are you having second thoughts? Because we can put a stop to it. All you have to do is say so.”
    She shook her head. “No. This is the right thing. You and Mom belong together.”
    Rick leaned back against the seat. “I’ve always thought so.” He turned so that Kayla could see his eyes, could read the honesty in them. “I love your mom, Kay. I never stopped.”
    Kay’s eyes brimmed with tears. At that moment she looked so much like her mother it was uncanny. They both wore their emotions on their faces.
    “I know you do, Dad. That’s why I think this is the right thing. Sneaky,” she said, letting that characteristic Kayla-giggle slip in, “but it’s the only way to shock her into facing reality.”
    “I don’t know about that. You and Connie are more devious than me. I prefer the direct approach.”
    “Oh, come on. You know our idea has merit. You, Mom, stuck together for a week in a tropical paradise. It’s your chance to talk to her, to convince her the two of you should try again.”
    “She’ll be pissed.” And he wouldn’t put it past her to hop right back on the plane and fly home.
    Kayla shrugged. “She’ll get over it. Who could resist the lure of the Caribbean? Warm sand, tropical breezes, all that hot sex…”
    “Kayla,” he warned, wondering when his baby girl had grown up and become a woman of the world.
    “Dad,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You’re both consenting adults. Even if the thought of you two…doing it…makes me want to hurl.” She let her tongue unfurl and hang out her mouth, making the icky face that made him laugh.
    “Gee. Thanks. That’s so romantic.”
    She snorted. “I gotta go. Hopefully Connie is twisting her arm as we speak. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, see if Connie managed to convince her.”
    She leaned across the car and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Love you, Dad.”
    “Love you, too, Kay.”
    And in a flash, she was gone, swallowed up by the hordes of other graduates spending the night at the graduation lockup party in the high school gym. Which meant fun, games, all the food they could consume, and they’d be safe.
    As he drove away, he found it hard to comprehend he was the father of a high school graduate. No, a soon-to-be college freshman. Jesus, when had he gotten old?
    Fuck that. He wasn’t old. Neither was Lisa. Their lives were just beginning. And if everything worked out in the Caribbean, they’d have their second chance.
    Hell of a plan. Of course, to Kayla it was all so simple. Lie to Lisa, convince her to go to the Caribbean for a vacation, but have Rick show up there instead. Then spend time together and try to recapture the magic they’d once had when they were younger.
    Was that even possible? They were different people now. Whenthey first fell in love, they were both teenagers. They’d lived a lifetime since then, had raised a daughter. They had careers, separate lives. Yet they were never really separate, were they?
    He knew Connie, knew she’d be