Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45202 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
And then that opens a whole other can of worms. He couldn’t get it up… but he can now… that I’m here.
I reach into the sink and gingerly start to wipe away my mess, but there’s something that I can’t get out of my head. Twice now, since I’ve been back, people have mentioned my parents having something to do with the relationship between Dom and me. And yeah, my parents were always protective, but could it have been more than that?
I finish cleaning up, forgo the foundation, and put on a pressed powder to try and hide the dark bags under my eyes.
It’s still another five minutes before Dom is supposed to get here, but I don’t want him to have to wait, so I head to the front of the house, my briefcase in hand.
My mom looks up from her knitting. “Where are you off to?”
I look at the stone fireplace behind her instead of looking in her face. I’m angry at her, but I’m doing my best to keep the peace since I’m staying here for the foreseeable future. “I have an appointment with a new client.”
She moves to the edge of her seat. “I hear you’ve been hanging out with that Dominic Evans again.”
There’s no denying it. This is Whiskey Run after all, and even though I want to keep the peace, I’m also a full-grown adult that can do—or see—whoever I want. “Yes, he made some room for me in his office to work. I’m doing his website in exchange for him fixing my car.”
She harumphs, shaking her head. “Maybe you forgot, so let me remind you. He is a convicted felon. He cheated on you, and he broke your heart. He hurt you once, and he’ll hurt you again—”
“Mom,” I say pleadingly.
She shakes her head. “No, listen to me, Luciana. He tried to ruin your life before, and I’m not going to stand by and let him do it again. Your dad is gone, but he’d be rolling over in his grave if he knew I let you get mixed up with that man again.”
I take two steps toward the door before stopping suddenly and looking at her. “Mom, did you and Dad have something to do with Dom breaking up with me?”
Her mouth falls open, and her eyes shift, and before she even says a word, I know the truth. “What did you do?”
She leans back in her chair and pulls her craftwork back to her lap. Suddenly, she’s more engrossed in it than me. I walk over to her and sit down. I take a deep breath and do my best to remain calm. “Mom, what did you do?”
She finally looks up at me. “If he was worth anything… if he loved you, he would have fought for you. He’s the one that ended it, Lucy. You need to remember that.”
“What did you do?”
She’s gripping the needles so tightly her knuckles are turning white. “We knew the night he got arrested. Your daddy talked to the sheriff and went to see him in jail. He told him the truth… he told him what he should do if he was any kind of a man.”
My hands form into fists, and I feel hot all over. “Tell me, Mom. What did he do?”
She sets the knitting needles aside and clenches her hands in her lap. “Your daddy told him that he couldn’t offer you any kind of a future. He told him that if he stayed with you that you would be the joke of the town and your future would be over. He told him that if he was any kind of man at all, he would let you go.”
All I can do is stare at her in shock. All this time and I had no idea. Are they why Dom told me that he didn’t want to be with me and that he cheated on me? I probably wouldn’t have believed it then, but now… could this be true?
Speechless, I get up and walk to the door. I’m about to walk out when she stops me. “Luciana… where are you going? Did you not hear a word I said?”
With the door held open, I see Dom’s truck in the driveway. He’s standing next to it, waiting for me, and I know he’s doing it because he doesn’t want to come to the door and cause me any problems with my mom. All this time, has he been trying to protect me?
I look at my mom, unable to hide the anger from my face. “Mom, you say you love me.”
She gasps. “I do love you.”
I softly smile. “But you don’t want me to be in a relationship with a man that would love and protect me… you want me to be with Ray, the man that stole from me and hit me. That’s not love, Mom.”