Untainted: (Crime Romance: The Photographer Trilogy #3) (16 page)

“I hope so. I’ve been doing these seminars for years, but every time still feels like the first.” Kate shook her head as she followed Liz out of the building toward their cars.

“Well, all those years at grad school taught you well because no one but you can see any nervousness. Shit, can you believe that it’s been four years since we first met?” Liz looked at her, looping her arm around her friend’s elbow.

“It’s insane, unbelievable.”

“Katie?” An unfamiliar voice called out to her as they stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of the building.

Both women stopped to turn and find the voice. An older woman, looking to be in her late fifties, was approaching them hesitantly. It was clear that she was uncertain about talking to them, glancing up at them very briefly under a thick layer of dark brown bangs she used to hide her face. Liz and Kate waited for her to walk over to them, it was only a few feet, but the woman moved at a glacial pace.

Kate furrowed her brows as she stared at the woman, trying to figure out where she knew her from. No one but her family had ever called her ‘Katie’ and it had been just under four years since her sister, Annie, had passed away.

“It can’t be...” Kate started, then dropped Liz’s arm and took a step toward the woman.

“Kate, who is it?” Liz asked, but held back.

Kate closed the gap between her and the older woman, standing less than a foot in front of her. The woman was a few inches taller than her, but slowly moved her eyes from the ground up to meet Kate’s.

“Hi, Katie.” The woman spoke softly, fear evident in her tone.

“Mom?”

“It’s been a while. It’s good to see you again.” Her mother looked at her intently, taking in her daughter’s face for the first time since she had walked out on her family.

“It’s been twenty-four years, Mom. That’s a little more than a while.” Kate’s jaw was clenched for a moment, trying to wrap her mind around the moment.

“I know, and I can’t explain. There is no explanation worth even trying to tell you. I’m so sorry, Katie. I was such a selfish coward. I don’t even deserve a second chance, but-”

“You want a second chance?” Kate interrupted.

“At what? Being a mother? They don’t give re-do’s on parenthood, Mom.” She spat out, venting her anger.

She wasn’t going to feel sorry for the woman, she deserved it. She deserved a chance to state her mind, to pour out her pain. Twenty four years of pain. Growing up without a mother had been one of the hardest things that she ever had to do, but knowing that her mother had made her feel it was her fault made it even worse. What had happened to her as a child made her mother leave and her mother had blamed her.

“How did you even find me?” Kate asked, her hands on her hips.

“Your face was all over the news a few years ago, and...” Her mother started.

“And Annie’s.” Kate finished.

Her mother nodded, tears springing to her eyes and quickly overflowing the brims of her eyelashes and sliding down her cheeks. Kate dropped her hands from her hips at the sight and shifted her weight onto one foot. She wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her upper arms, almost trying to comfort herself in such an uncomfortable moment.

“Why didn’t you try to find me four years ago?” Kate asked, tilting her head, her voice softer this time.

“I wanted to get clean. I didn’t want to show up the way I was, dependent on prescription pills. I wasn’t myself. You didn’t deserve to see me that way after everything you were going through. After seeing what happened to Annie, I just knew I had to fix my life. I had to get my family back. At the very least, I had to apologize in a clean and sober state. I’m sober six months now.” Her mother sniffed and wiped her tears on the cuff of her shirt.

“Get your family back? You left us.” Kate sighed, sadness in her voice now.

“I know, Katie. It was the biggest mistake of my life.”

“And now most of your family is dead.” Kate finished.

A loud sob broke through her mother’s voice and her shoulders shook as her head bowed. Sniffling and continued sobs came from her as Kate stood there, working hard to keep her own tears back. Kate reached her hand out and squeezed her mother’s forearm.

“Come on, Mom. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

~~~~~~

“Derrick? I’m home!” Kate called out, walking through her front door and tossing her keys on a side table.

“Are Liz and Mike with you?” He called from the kitchen.

“Mike’s on his way over, he had to work late.” Liz responded, walking in after Kate and heading to the kitchen.

“Liz! Holy crap, you’re bigger and bigger each time I see you. You look like a beached whale.” Derrick grinned, teasing her as he wrapped his arms around her when she walked into the kitchen.

Kate rolled her eyes at him and he winked at her.

“Derrick, you cannot say something like that to a pregnant woman.” Kate chastised him, stealing her spot in front of him and leaning in for a kiss.

“Don’t worry about it, Kate. As soon as I’m off maternity leave, I’m going to arrest your husband for aggravating a cop.” Liz laughed and pulled out a seat from the dining room table that faced the kitchen, lowering her swollen body into the chair.

Kate’s mother slowly filled the entrance way to the kitchen and Derrick stared at her confused. Kate turned around to see her, then walked over and took her hand and guided her over to Derrick.

“Derrick, I want you to meet my mother, Barbara. Mom, meet my husband, Derrick.” Kate introduced them as Liz watched, having already been introduced.

“You can just call me, Barb.” Her mother smiled at him.

“What?” Derrick’s mouth fell open in surprise as he looked back and forth between Kate and her mother.

“After my speech, she came up to me in the parking lot. We were going to have a big dinner anyway, so I figured why not invite her.” Kate shrugged, hoping Derrick would handle it well.

She knew that he felt protective of her and would worry that her mother was back for malicious reasons. Kate was worried about that too, but she had lived so many years in fear and reserved, not taking a chance at life. She wasn’t going to do that anymore.

“Wow, I don’t even know what to say. Well, it’s good to meet you.” Derrick put his hand out to shake her mother’s hand.

Kate’s mother didn’t shake his hand, instead she tossed her arms around him and gave him a huge hug. He looked surprised, but then gently hugged her back. Kate grinned, amused at Derrick’s discomfort.

“Thank you, Derrick. Thank you so much.” Her mother said to him.

“You’re welcome. Uhm, for what?” Derrick chuckled, pulling back to look her in the eyes.

“For taking care of my daughters.” Barb told him, giving him a kiss on the cheek and then turning to hug Kate for the twentieth time since she had approached her a little over an hour ago.

Derrick’s eyes misted up, and Kate sniffed slightly at the memory of her sister.

“They’re great girls, Barb.” Derrick told her, then turned around to the stove to stir the spaghetti.
      Kate knew that he was really just trying to hide his face so everyone wouldn’t see his tears. She knew Derrick missed Annie just as much as she did, and she loved him even more for that.

A high pitched squealing sound suddenly broke the heavy silence and a small young girl came barreling around the corner, dressed up in high heels that fit her entire foot in the toes, a dress that left a ridiculously long train behind her, and a plastic silver and rhinestone tiara on top of her springy, brown curls.

“Aunty Liz! Look at me!” The little girl giggled as she skittered past the dining room table, making her way into the kitchen.

She almost fell, but caught herself at the last minute as she lifted up the rest of her dress so she could walk. Liz laughed at the sight, and Derrick shook his head, even though a huge grin spread over her face.

“Mom, look! I’m you!” She giggled and threw herself onto Kate’s legs, wrapping her arms tightly around them.

“Is that my dress? And my shoes?” Kate smiled at her daughter as she reached down and slid her hands under her arms, pulling her up into an embrace.

“No, it’s princess clothes, Mommy. I’m a princess!” She giggled, her chubby hands on her mom’s cheeks as Kate kissed her.

“The prettiest princess ever.” Derrick said, coming up behind them and kissing his daughter on her head.

Kate turned around to face her mother who was standing behind her, quietly. There was a look of surprise and delight on her face, as she stared at the little girl.

“Mom, speaking of daughters, I would like you to meet mine.” Kate put her daughter down on the ground in between them and both women knelt down to be on her eye level.

“Hi there, princess. You’re so beautiful. What’s your name?” Barb smiled widely at the little girl and put her hand out toward her.

Kate’s daughter glanced up at her mother, uncertain of the stranger, but Kate gave her an approving nod. She shyly took a step forward and grasped Barb’s hand with both of hers.

“My name is Annie. What’s your name?” The little girl smiled back, her face brightening up the entire room with her perfect smile.

Barb sucked in her breath for a moment at the reminder, tears springing to her eyes. She smiled, sadly, yet also with pure joy as she clasped her other hand around both of Annie’s.

“Hi Annie, I’m your Grandma Barb.” She told the little girl as Kate watched, smiling.

“Grandma? Like Nana?” Annie turned to look at her mom, confused.

“No, Nana is Daddy’s mom. This is my mommy.” Kate explained to her daughter, kissing her forehead.

“I get to have two Nanas?” Annie gasped in delight.

“Yep, you do, princess.” Derrick told her while Kate and her mother nodded in agreement.

“Aunty Liz! Aunty Liz! I have two Nanas!” The little girl stepped out of her mom’s shoes, rocketed away barefoot from them, across the kitchen, to tell the news to Liz who was still seated at the table watching the whole scene before her.

“You’re so lucky, Annie!” Liz told her, ruffling the hair on her head.

“Nana! Nana!” Annie was suddenly back, squealing as she bounced up and down in front of Barb.

“Yes, Annie?”

“I’m the best gran-baby. Other Nana said so. You think I’m the best gran-baby too, right?” She looked up in earnest and Barb couldn’t help herself from reaching down to pick up the little girl and hug her tight.

“The very best!” She agreed.

“Who’s the best?” A deep voice bellowed behind them and everyone turned to the doorway.

“Uncle Mike! Look! I’ve got two Nanas!” Annie shouted excitedly to the new arrival.

“Do you now?” Mike grinned, raising one eyebrow in questioning at Derrick and Kate, who both waved him off with a gesture meaning that they would explain later.

“How was work, man?” Derrick said, clasping his friend on the back.

“Good, long. Where’s my ball and chain?” He grinned, fully knowing Liz could hear him as she pushed herself up out of the chair and walked toward him, smiling.

“Such a romantic, how do the ladies keep their hands off you?” Liz said sarcastically as Mike wrapped his arms around her and kissed her squarely on the lips, passionately deepening their kiss for a moment before he took half a step back and leaned down.

“How’s my little spawn doing?” He spoke to Liz’s belly and then kissed her stomach gently, caressing her while she laughed.

“Alright, let’s have dinner before Mike says something else.” Derrick chimed in, laughing as he brought a big pot of spaghetti over to the already set table.

“Come on, Mom. Come join us.” Kate ushered her toward the table, while Barb was still holding Annie.

Barb grinned, tears in her eyes, as she walked into the dining room and helped put Annie in her booster chair, then picked the seat next to her granddaughter. Mike and Liz sat on one end and Kate with Derrick on the other. Everyone began serving themselves large piles of spaghetti and talking over one another.

Kate leaned back in her chair and watched the different exchanges, smiling to herself. She felt like she was in a dream state of sorts. She had spent her entire life without a family, just her and her sister. Then the last four years, both her sister and her uncle were gone. She was sure that she would never be whole again, never have a family again. Yet here she was, at the dining room table for dinner like an everyday family with three generations of women, a handsome husband, and the best friends she could ever have asked for.

“What are you smiling at over there?” Derrick leaned over and whispered to Kate, kissing her cheek.

“Everything, Derrick. Look at our family.” She looked at him, tears in her eyes again as she smiled widely.

Derrick took her hand in his and kissed the back gently.

“You deserve everything, Kate.”

THE END

The Photographer Trilogy box set

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Photographer Trilogy Box Set
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^st
, 2015! It will include
Tainted Bodies, Tainted Pictures, Untainted
, and a bonus deleted scene from
Untainted
that is a look into the Photographer’s past!
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