Masked Heart

Chapter Twenty

Watching gratefully as the older man grabbed her bags for her from the luggage conveyor belt, Rain thanked him as he put them on a trolley for her. She had ended up sat across from him on the plane and he revealed that he was a huge Hitman fan. They had chatted a bit and when he saw her waiting to collect her bags he insisted on helping her out. His reward was meeting Stu, who was waiting for her at arrivals and took the trolley from her travel companion after signing an autograph and a quick chat. Stu winked at her as he led the way out to the car and she giggled.

"I can't go anywhere without you Hart men being fanboyed," she quipped and he laughed.

"I still got it," he said, proudly. She patted his arm affectionately.

"You absolutely have, Dad," she replied. "Where's Mom?"

"She's getting organised for dinner, told me to head here on my own. Gives us a chance to talk anyway doesn't it, young lady?"

Rain felt a flicker of nerves. She hadn't seen Stu and Helen since she walked out on Bret but that was months ago and she'd figured that with the baby news they'd have forgotten about it. Glancing at her father-in-law's face though she wasn't sure they had. But then he gave her a reassuring smile and she nodded.

Once they had pulled out of the airport, Stu glanced across at her.

"I'm very glad you and my boy sorted things out, Rain," he said. She squirmed a little in her seat and Stu noticed, but if he had something to say he would say it; that was just the way he was. "Now me and Mom aren't going to harp on about it the whole time you're here, but we couldn't just pretend it didn't happen. So me and you are going to talk about it now and clear the air and that's the last will be said about it. Ok?"

"Yes sir," she agreed, suddenly feeling like a naughty teen rather than a grown woman pregnant with her first child.

"Now first off I understand why you walked out on him after the argument you had. Bret was very honest about what he did and if he'd been a bit younger he'd have had my belt across his ass for disrespecting you the way he did. My son is a good kid, but I know he's got a temper and a mouth that can run away with him. What I need to know and what Mom needs to know too to put our minds straight is if he did indeed lift his hand to you."

Rain shifted uncomfortably in her seat, looking down at her hands. She cleared her throat.

"No sir, I don't believe he did," she replied eventually. "He scared me for sure and he was very angry. I think I convinced myself he was going to hit me when he swore at me. I guess because that was my previous experience and in the moment neither of us was behaving rationally."

Stu gave a small sigh of relief and she realised how upset and worried he and Helen had been about this, about the notion of Bret being violent with his wife.

"I am very glad," he said, giving her a small smile. "Now I know that your first defence is to run, Rain, when things get on top of you, but running out like that and leaving him all that time with no contact... well it about killed him. I've never seen Bret cry, not even when he was a kid and I was whooping his ass for something or other. He's a stubborn son of a bitch, like his old man." He shook his head, fondly,  but then gave her a stern look. "You can tell me it's none of my business, of course you can, but know that I say this because I love you both. Walking out instead of talking is not the way to do things. You broke my boy, Rain and I can't see him in a state like that again."

Rain felt tears prick her eyes and Stu sighed, reaching across to squeeze her hand.

"I know you two have sorted things out between you, well the evidence is right here." And he grinned at her bump. "But I am asking you,  no begging you, not to walk out like that again. He didn't even know where you were. If you get the urge to run come to us, sweetheart. Come to Mom and me."