These Tangled Vines

by Julianne MacLean

“Are you saying this is fate?”

What if this was just a mad, impulsive infatuation or temporary insanity brought on by nothing more than an intense sexual attraction?

“Do you realize that not once since you walked in the door have you asked what I wanted? You never do.”

Yesss freddie is si clueless

“He seemed healthy as a horse. It caught us all by surprise. But that’s life, I suppose. It’s important to cherish every day, not take anything for granted.” She sipped her espresso. “How are you holding up? You were very quiet at the funeral.”

Could he have quite literally dued of a broken heart?

Sloane wondered if Connor had inherited more of their mother’s genes than she had, because their mother never seemed to be able to move on after a divorce without a great deal of hostility.

never met Anton myself, but I keep hearing that he was mean and ornery and a tyrant. And a womanizer.”

“You’re not like Anton’s other children,” Sofia mentioned as she slipped her phone back into her purse. “You’re much kinder. You’re like him. The very best part of him. I can see it

Anton’s, but they grew up to be very lazy and ungrateful. They expected to inherit the whole world without ever having to lift a finger and without ever giving anything to their father in return, and God knows he tried to be a part of their lives. They must have been flabbergasted.”

His other children were much entitled

“I only ever knew my mother to be a caregiver to my father. She occasionally worked outside our home, but

Damn freddue

“Your mother was the great love of Anton’s life. The only woman he ever truly loved, and that included his wife. He didn’t want to let your mother go—it killed him to do it—but he did, because he loved her so much.” “I don’t understand.”

Tlyeppp she was the one that got away

Did he even love her? Or was he just afraid of being alone? Of being abandoned, like his mother abandoned him years ago?

“Because she wanted Freddie to believe that you were his child. She asked Anton to keep the same secret, and he did. For the rest of his life, he never broke that promise.”

“When your mother died. I believe all his hopes for future happiness died with her. Thunderclouds moved in, and they never left. And don’t listen to what anyone says about him being a womanizer. He was faithful to your mother until the day she died. But then he just gave up. He was lonely. He wanted to fill the emptiness.

Yesss anton became butter after lillian died

I could barely think straight. “That I wasn’t his daughter. That I was Anton’s.” I glanced up and frowned with shock and bewilderment. “If he knew about that, he never let on to my mom. She thought it was her secret. All her life, she was trying to protect him from the truth, but he knew . . . he always knew . . . and he pretended to believe that I was his.”

Oh my goodness freddue knew fiona wasnt his yrt rreated her ad such lowkey impressed by him thats honoeable

My parents had never really known each other on a soul-deep level, not since my father’s accident. They had lived in a constant state of denial and had hidden everything from each other.

I was already working on a special blend of wine to commemorate Anton’s love for my mother, which had never been celebrated before. I would paint the label myself.

Stopppp in homage rto her lafe father....ahar a modifucation on how we perceive spe ifuc members of the family as we afe abddusvjer cabt rely on one persons perspective or experience as thats biased abd yku nedd to exllore fir yoursejf. Ive gas to do that w othermdmbers like now ikm super close w members that were deemed dubious and not family oruented. Also muset recognize that people griw ahd thet an oftentknes be misundetstood