“Your son victimized my daughter, Robin. You need to face that fact. And I think it has everything to do with your lies.”

Victimized. Predator. Rape. No no no. That wasn’t my son, the boy I raised. I knew Ryan. He loved botany and baseball and sci-fi and his friends. He was kind and considerate and cared about people. There was no way he was capable of hurting a girl he adored, who was like his own sister. Whatever Mackenzie thought she knew was wrong. I held my finger up, a warning. Her only warning.

“You better be very careful what you say next, Mackenzie. If you dare spread this shit about him, you will regret it. Aria could be lying. She could be feeling ashamed for getting caught and isn’t being honest with you. I’m sure she knew what she was doing, and she’s not that much younger than Ryan. If you think your fifteen-year-old daughter is Miss Purity, you’ve got a lot to learn about teenage girls.”

Mackenzie’s mouth dropped open. “Wow, way to take it to a whole new level, calling Aria a slut.”

“You’re basically accusing me of raising a rapist. What do you expect me to do?”

“I expect you to talk to your son. Tell him the truth about his father. Tell Grant the truth.”

“And then what? Let you send my son to jail on trumped-up rape charges when your daughter could be the one lying? Aria could be sleeping around for all you know, and you’ll let her tarnish my son’s name, destroy his future, all because you don’t want to accept who she is?”

Anger and accusations and hot estrogen bubbled around us. I couldn’t understand why Mackenzie would go on the attack like this, without getting the facts first. But when I looked her square in the face, I knew why. She was still bitter.

“Is this because you never forgave me for what happened to you?”

“What?” Her palm flew to her cheek, covering the ripple of skin where the scar began. “No! This is about our kids, not about my damn looks. Not everything in life is about feeling pretty, Robin.” The way she spat my name seemed to say otherwise.

“I think you’re still harboring resentment. You never have gotten over it, so now you’re taking it out on Ryan.”

Mackenzie jumped up from her chair, knocking it over. She jabbed her finger toward the front door. “Get out. Don’t talk to me in my own home like you know me. You know nothing!”

I rose, grabbing my diaper bag and Collette before heading for the door. How did the conversation get so twisted and gnarled? It took a lot of love to hate her like I did right now. But I owed her. I’d always owe her.