Page 166 of Remiss

“Don’t forget he fucked Gypsy,” Rebel said morosely.

Hugging Rebel tightly, Momma kissed her temple, then leaned back. “Sweetheart, Dieselisn’tthe man for you, but he’s grown. He has sex. He’s slept with most, if not all, of the club girls. Their mothers. Their sisters. He is a sex addict, Rebel. As distasteful and disgusting as it is that he slept with the woman who tried to ruin my marriage, it isn’t surprising. Or one of my friends. Or…or…whoever. You willneverchange him, love. What you can do is accept him as your brother and love him, warts and all. As a family member,” she reiterated.

“But I love him!” Rebel cried, not meaning to sound so spoiled, remembering her horrible behavior from last summer. “I do. I love Diesel so much and I want to marry him and have his babies and…” She gasped, hardly able to bear the pain that Diesel had slept withTorieorGypsyor every woman he charmed, which was most women.Sometimes, she still couldn’t believe he’d been stupid enough to marry Tabitha. Wasstillmarried to her and, yet, had moved another woman into their house.

His endless stable of women made Rebel want to puke. She could forgive him for most of them, but the idea of him with Torie still nauseated her. The woman had turned her father stupid and chastised Rebel as if she were her mother. The woman tried to run Momma away.

Rebel clutched her chest, sobbing.

Momma grabbed her. “Breathe, Reb,” she ordered, her frantic tone breaking through Rebel’s despair. “Breathe.”

Rebel drew in deeply, her heart pounding,breaking.

Momma pulled her into her arms. “First love is always hard, baby,” she said fiercely. “Especially the unrequited kind, but I swear to you, it works out in the end. If you’re meant to be with Diesel, you will be no matter what Christopher and I say or do.”

Clinging to her mother, appreciating her gentleness, Rebel slowly calmed herself and laid her head on Momma’s shoulder.

“I-I don’t…I-I couldn’t be with a cheater. It would slowly break me. I used to want a man like Daddy.”

“Oh, my love, there’s no better man than your father.”

“I beg to differ.”

Laughing, Momma leaned away and took Rebel’s face between her hands. “Christopher can do idiotic things, sweetheart, but he loves us.”

“Do you really believe he never cheated?” Rebel whispered, tears slipping down her cheeks fast and furious all over again.

Momma smiled gently. “Now I do. The damage has been done, though. He’s hurt that I thought he’d ever betray me and I’m upset that he won’t understand how I could believe that.”

“But he’s done so much more to you and it all started withher. I know you don’t understand that he had feelings for her. I saw it.”

“I understand more than you think, Reb,” Momma chided.

“But—”

“Butput everything together and we get to where we are now. Our lives infected with mistrust, like a terrible disease, and our bond eroding. Most of the time, I give in. I couldn’t this time. What I’ve been trying to tell him has to sink in.”

“Are you afraid he will cheat?”

“I’m afraid he won’t remember that I’m not a robot who continues to smile and overlook repeated insults.” Momma dropped her guard for a moment and the pain and vulnerability in her eyes told Rebel a lot, even though she smiled. “He didn’t even think I should know about Rule.”

Rebel swiped the tears from her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Momma.”

“No, love. It isn’t your fault. Your daddy’s a complicated man who I love with everything in me,” she said fiercely, as if Rebel didn’t remember her earlier avowal. Daddy better get his act together and see what a lucky man he was or Rebel would make him suffer. “I love Christopher. I’min lovewith Christopher.”

“Simp,” Rebel teased, determined to have a sit down with that idiot.

Momma giggled. “Kendall says I’m smarmy.”

“Ewww, old timers!”

Laughing, Momma pinched Rebel playfully. “We aren’t old, daughter.”

“You aren’t,” Rebel agreed. “You both are beautiful, intelligent—” Visions of Daddy and Uncle Johnnie rose in her head. “Reasonablyintelligent women.”

“Oh, the shade,” Momma said with dramatic flair, placing a hand on her chest and shivering.

“Even if smarmy is outdated to me, I agree with Aunt Kendall.”