To Trust a Giant

Chapter 33

The fire that burned inside Clair was gone. All she really wanted to do was lock herself in her room and cry until she fell asleep, but she had to be a mother and talk to her sons. She wasn't sure how much they heard, but they probably had so many questions. Clair dreaded explaining everything but she knew she had to.

She cracked the door open and saw the boys whispering something to each other. Both of them looked up in concern.

"Hey, guys." She tried to sound as gentle as possible. "Can we talk?"
James and Charlie nodded and sat down on the bed, while she sat on the desk chair, in front of them.

"Do you know why it's bad to eavesdrop?"

The twins just shook their heads.

"Because you might hear things that you weren't supposed to hear. You might not understand the full story. Do you understand that?"

They nodded but kept their heads down. "Sorry mom."

Clair grabbed both of their hands and squeezed them in reassurance but then took a deep breath for the next question. "How much did you hear?"

"We…. Started to listen when Jason got home." James answered.

Her heart sank, they heard everything. Now they knew that their mother tossed a human aside due to a fear that their father had planted inside Clair. All these years, and they never knew why their dad left. Some would say keeping a secret like that was cruel to them, but how would you explain to six year old boys that daddy left because he fell in love with the family pet?

"So I guess you heard about your dad?"

James nodded. "So he moved to Europe to be with Kelly?"

The name was like a stab in the heart. Just hearing it was enough to make her angry, but she swallowed her rage for the sake of her sons. They saw enough of that side of her tonight.

"Yeah, he did."

"Isn't that wrong?"

It would be easy to paint their father as a perverted man with a mental illness and that they barely see dad anymore because she didn't want their dad to influence them into thinking humans are people like giants. Society wouldn't judge her for it, falling in love with humans is like falling in love with a cat or a dog. But why didn't that feel right? Why is it that other countries gives humans the same rights as giants have? Maybe the states were backwards for treating humans as pets. Clair sighed. She hoped that in the future, her sons would never do what their dad did. Max and Kelly were assholes, but she wasn't going to say their love was wrong when other places think it's not. James and Charlie can make that decision on their own.

"It's…. Complicated."

James and Charlie were silent for a moment, taking in new information about their father. Will they still love him, will they resent him? Clair wasn't sure.

"So what's going to happen to Stella?" James asked. "Will she come back?"

"She's not coming back!" Charlie snapped. "She left because of me!"

Clair furrowed her brow in confusion. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"She went crazy because I grabbed her wrong!" He wailed. Tears trailed down his cheeks.

"Oh Charlie." Clair hugged her son. "She was sick, she would have done that to anyone."

"But couldn't grandma help her?"

"I think…. She was beyond help."

"But she was having fun just before I grabbed her." Charlie looked up at his mom with big brown eyes. "She would have gotten better."

Clair brushed her son's tears away. "Some times, people act like they're fine, when they're really not. That may have been the case for Stella."

Charlie sighed. "I just wish I could have said sorry before she had to leave."

Guilt washed over Clair. She thought that if she got rid of Stella, everyone would understand that she just wasn't meant to live with giants, and things would go back to normal. She was so determined not to get hurt again, she didn't realize that she hurt everyone else she cared for.

"Maybe… Jason and grandpa will find her and you can tell her later."

"Really?" He sniffed.

Clair nodded. "But I think it's time you to get ready for bed."

She stood up and kissed her children on the top of their heads, and walked out of their room. Once she closed the door, her mother appeared at the end of the hall.

"How'd it go."

Clair could feel a lump form in her throat. "I think they care more about Stella than the news about their dad."

"We just care about her wellbeing."

"Yeah, and it felt you guys have forgotten about mine."

"I thought you had gotten over him when you met Jason. Then Stella showed up, and I could see you didn't." She sighed. "But I was hoping you wouldn't let the past control you."

Tears formed in her eyes. "I just didn't want to lose the man I love to that again."

"Truthfully, I don't think you were going to." Her mother pulled her in for a hug. "I wish I could have been aware of the signs then and save you from that type of pain. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you then, but I am here now, and I will do everything I can to help you move on from your pain."

Clair let go of her mother and wiped the tears from her face. "Thanks mom, I know what I have to do." She grabbed her purse from the kitchen and walked towards the door. She wasn't going to let go of Jason that easily.