Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77857 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77857 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“Blaise came in the room and took Cree from Ms. Jimmie. Angel then began screaming and clawing at Blaise. Anyway, after that, Garrett had her moved to live with an older couple he trusts, who wanted to take her in. She’s better there. Being near Blaise, seeing his wife and child was making her get more hysterical.”
I stood there, staring at Mom as she walked around the room, looking at things. That was so sad. All of it.
“Wow, that’s dark,” I replied.
Mom looked at me and shrugged. “I guess every family has their dark stories.”
This was my moment. She’d not brought up who Garrett was to me yet. I’d thought this going to the master suite idea was her way of getting me away to talk to me. But here we were, on the third floor, talking about redecorating.
“Especially in a Mafia family,” I replied.
Mom stilled with the vase she’d picked up in her hand. Her head turned to me, and I saw the apology in her expression before she even spoke.
“You know,” she whispered.
“Yes, and I’ve been wondering when you were going to tell me. Seeing as Garrett being a Mafia boss affects my life too. Apparently, it’s not safe for me to live on my own or to have a normal job. Kye taking us shopping was for security, Mom. He wasn’t just the driver. I was aware that he was following us as we shopped. Driver’s don’t do that.”
Mom set the vase down and sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m sorry, Gypsi. I didn’t know how to tell you. I was going to, obviously, but, well, it was a lot for me to process. I like crazy adventures; you don’t. I worried you wouldn’t be able to accept it since you’re not the one in love here.”
I wanted to laugh. She had no idea. My chest ached, just hearing the word love.
“So, it’s true. I have to live here. I can’t go back to the camper?”
She gave me a tight smile. “Honey, the camper has been sold. All our things from it are in boxes. I was going to have your things brought up to your room as soon as I got the nerve to explain all this to you.”
Sold. The camper we’d lived in most of my life had been sold. My eyes stung, and I had to turn away from her for a moment. I needed to digest this. Sure, I had known she no longer needed the camper, but it was all I’d known.
“Oh, Gypsi,” she said, getting up and walking over to me.
She pulled me into her arms, and I went. I needed that more than she knew. Not just because of our camper or because our life was completely changing. I needed it because my heart was broken and no one knew. I couldn’t tell anyone. I had no one to share it with. My mom had been my best friend my entire life. I’d told her everything.
But this I couldn’t tell her. That made the hurt slice even deeper. I was alone. I knew she’d be there. She was my mom, but she wasn’t all mine anymore. She was going to be someone’s wife.
“I know this is a lot for you. The change. The lifestyle. I want you to enjoy this. As happy as Garrett makes me, I can’t do this if you’re miserable. You’re my number one. You always have been.”
A tear ran down my cheek, and I bit my lip hard, trying to stop any more from falling. I was grown. Mom had given up everything to be the best mom a girl could ask for. But she was done raising me. I wasn’t going to stand here and ruin this for her by falling apart because my heart was broken over a guy. One who had made it very clear that what he wanted from me was sex and friendship. It might have been slightly easier to handle if I hadn’t heard him say I wasn’t special to him. Couldn’t a friend be special? Was it because I was a freak? Did the kinks that had made Tyde so angry with me make it impossible for Trev to think of me as anything but a slut?
Mom pulled back and looked at me. “Listen, I will get Garrett to buy the camper back. We can park it somewhere on the ranch.”
“Mom, no. That’s silly. It’s not even that. Not really. I just need time to adjust to all this.”
She cupped the side of my face. “I love you, Gypsi Lu. You know that, right?”
I nodded. “I love you too, Mom.”
She pulled me in tightly for another hug. “Oh, and one more thing. It’s not a big deal, but I don’t want you to be blindsided by it. Do you remember who Liam Walsh is?”