Page 123 of Love Without Demands

Mama’s eyes almost ballooned out of her head. “You’re not buying drugs off the street are you, Cruz? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? Haven’t you heard about fentanyl?”

I let her rant on for a couple minutes before assuring her I was not taking any sort of street drugs. At least when she was nagging me, she wasn’t cleaning anything.

She let out a little squeak when the knock came on the door, and I gripped her hand. “Mama, it’s okay.”

“You’re right,” she said, nodding vigorously as I led her back to the living room.

After a reassuring squeeze, I released her hand and walked to the door, swinging it open. Paul looked a little nervous as well, but he wrapped me in a hug like he usually did, though this time he held on for a few extra seconds.

“Good to see you, son.”

“You too, Paul.” I stepped back to let him in, and his eyes went directly to the woman standing beside the couch with her hands twisted at her waist.

They stared at each other, and something electrified the air in my apartment as I closed the door, observing them. My mother took a tentative step forward, and Paul closed the rest of the distance, reaching for both her hands.

“Star,” he breathed, and a shy smile curled across her lips.

Star?I’d never heard anyone call my mother Star before.And is she blushing?

“You look wonderful, Paul.”

“And you’re as stunning as ever, Star.”

What the hell is happening right now? And why are they still holding hands?

Shaking my head, I attempted to clear away the very confused cobwebs forming in my brain. I was well aware that Paul and my mother had been…intimate. I was exhibit freaking A. But it had always been some vague notion in my head.

Not anymore. Now it was slapping me directly in the face, and the attraction—or whatever you wanted to call it—was palpable in the room. I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

Mama was the first to break away, stepping back and gesturing toward the couch. They sat, no longer staring, but certainly casting frequent glances at each other.

I couldn’t help but think it was kinda cute.

“Lehra got bagels,” I announced. “What would you two like to drink?” Both requested orange juice, and I headed to the kitchen. While warming the bagels, I arranged a tray, poured the juice, and added a shot of vodka to mine. Yeah, it was only ten in the morning, but I was going to need liquid fortification to get through this.

At least they’re not fighting, I told myself, carrying the food and drinks into the living room. Mama and Paul were chatting easily, showing each other pictures of their grandchildren on their phones.

After we’d all prepared our bagels how we liked them, Paul took a small nibble of his before huffing out a loud sigh and then letting his words come out in a rush. “Stella, first of all, I want you to know that I don’t blame you for leaving all those years ago. I was angry at first, but I finally came to the realization that you probably had no choice, due to… certain influences.”

Also known as Chloe Bouvier.

My mother seemed taken aback by his statement, but her shoulders visibly relaxed. “Thank you for saying that, Paul.”

Then he launched into the story I’d heard several times, and Mama listened aghast. “So Chloe threatened to take Auburn andEvie and leave the country? But she rarely had anything to do with those babies.”

“I know. And she announced she was pregnant again,” Paul said. “I couldn’t let her take my kids, but I also couldn’t lose you. I planned to talk to you about it so you could help me figure out what to do, but you didn’t show up for work on Monday.”

My mother looked horrified. “She fired me and told me to leave the state.”

Paul cringed. “I didn’t know Chloe fired you until I talked to your cousin, but by then, you were already gone. Believe me, Stella, I had no clue, and there’s no way I would have allowed it.”

She stared at him in that way she had. My mom had been like a human lie detector when I was a teenager, and she was using her superpower on Paul. “You really didn’t know.”

He shook his head. “I didn’t. All I knew was that I was being coerced into staying with a woman I despised in order to keep my kids. If I’d known you were carrying my son…” His words trailed off when he turned his sad eyes toward me.

I’d planned to keep my mouth shut and let these two talk it out, but he looked so damn miserable. “There was no way you could have known, Paul, and it wouldn’t have changed anything. Chloe was trying to take your children, and she threatened to expose your relationship with Mama to the press and drag her name through the mud.”

Mama muttered, “Esa perra,” calling Chloe a bitch under her breath.

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