Free Loving Lydia (Atlantic Divide) by Diane Saxon

some of the boys on a Friday night, and we play a little country. I get to sing.”
    Kate remained silent, and he watched Lydia’s frozen face turn slowly white.
    “I don’t want to go.” It was quiet, adamant.
    She surprised him. He had felt sure she would have jumped at the chance of a little time away from babysitting. “I’m sorry? I thought you might like to go out.”
    “You didn’t ask me.” He noted the determined angle of her chin as it jutted out in challenge and felt confused at her defensiveness. What the hell had he done? He’d only tried to arrange to take her out, and here she was snapping away at him like he’d committed some kind of offense.
    “I just assumed…”
    “Yes, you did,” she cut in. He snapped his mouth closed and clamped his jaw down. “I don’t want or need you to assume on my behalf. I don’t want to go out with you, and I don’t want to discuss it any further.” She stared straight back at him, green eyes defiant, until he dropped his gaze and nodded. In the face of that reaction, retreat was advisable.
    “I got it.” He nodded at Kate. “Excuse me.” He placed his coffee cup down on the table and slowly walked out. There were no tantrums, no loud voices, just an uncomfortable, heavy silence as he walked out.
    *
    Lydia glanced at her sister. Kate’s mouth was tight, cool eyes full of censor.
    “There was no need for that, you know.” Kate rubbed her swollen stomach. “You hurt him.”
    Lydia slumped into a chair, frowned with irritation, and bit her lip. Guilt wound its way through her chest. “I know … it’s just … I can’t let him tell me what to do. I can’t ever be told what to do again.”
    “You never did like being told what to do by anyone, until Greg came along. That’s why you ran away, because he told you to. If he’d told you to jump off a cliff back then, you would have. But you’ve grown up now.” Kate leaned forward and looked Lydia straight in the eye.
    “You know, Lydia, if you expect to have any kind of a life for yourself, you’re going to have to face your own demons. Sam isn’t Greg, and what you just did to him was cruel. You gave him a verbal slap that he didn’t deserve. He obviously cares for you. I think you should go and apologize to him.”
    “He doesn’t like me to apologize…”
    “Not when it’s a knee jerk reaction borne of being abused, he doesn’t.” Lydia sucked in her breath at Kate’s unexpected attack. “He has no idea what you’ve been through, but I bet you he instinctively understands. That’s the way Sam is. He’s instinctive. Haven’t you seen the way he is with animals? Haven’t you noticed that he’s the one who deals with the injured, the abused? Do you really think he doesn’t know on some level that you’ve been abused?”
    She felt her eyes fill with tears, and she almost choked as she realized Kate was right. She stared back at her sister and her heart almost broke as she watched Kate’s eyes well up in sympathy. If anyone understood what she’d been through, it was Kate. After all, she’d been through most of it with her.
    “You need to decide what it is you want, Lydia. If you want a life again, you’ve got to start living it. But you can’t treat him like that.” As Kate sighed heavily and turned away, she surreptitiously wiped a tear from her cheek. Lydia wiped her own tears.
    “You need to apologize.”
    “I’m sorry.” Lydia’s voice hitched.
    “Not to me, to him.” Kate turned back, opened her arms, and with relief, Lydia walked straight into them.
    “I will. I promise,” she snuffled into Kate’s neck.
    “Good, because I hate getting naggy. Being pregnant sucks.”
    Lydia’s head came up, and she caught Jack’s look of sympathy as he leaned against the doorway, having heard every word. He straightened and walked quietly away, leaving her alone with her older sister.
    * * * *
    He was brooding. She knew he was brooding, but it couldn’t be helped. It