Kate held her ground when Billy turned off the TV.  She fully expected an argument, some attempt on his part to enact his ‘rules’ and she was geared for a fight.  But what happened next stopped her heart.  He patted the space on the couch next to him and invited her to sit down.  The “we need to talk” caused her to blink.  She was stymied and just stood there staring at him.  She wanted a fight and her uncle wanted to talk?<br/><br/>Then he hit her with both barrels.<br/><br/>“I love you Kate.”<br/><br/>And it was genuine.  Not the kind of lie one of her sex partners might say in their moment of climax.  It was coming from him the way it came from her dad when he was alive.<br/><br/>“I love you Kate.”  Her dad would say as he held her on his lap.<br/><br/>She blinked and the blood drained from her face.  The room swayed and his voice became garbled and sounded far away.  Kate’s shoulders slumped, her eyes rolled up into her head, and the world went black…<br/>