Page 117 of These Pucking Boys: Part Two

I press the button to lift the back of my bed, and the whirring sound wakes my mother. “June?” She stands. “Oh honey, you’re awake.”

“Hi,” I croak.

She touches my face. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve been shot.”

“You’re safe now, sweetie. We’ll take good care of you.”

I don’t need to ask to know she hasn’t changed her mind about dragging me back to Baron. My mother is too stubborn, and this incident probably solidified her resolve. But I don’t want to get into an argument while I’m lying in a hospital bed.

“I want to see the boys,” I say feebly. “Can you get them for me?”

She frowns. “Honey, you need to rest.”

“Mom... please.”

“What kind of spell did they put on you?”

I’m not sure how I can make her understand this isn’t a cry for help, or a girl-gone-wild moment.

“Do you remember when you met Dad?”

She seems taken aback. “Of course I do.”

“And how long did it take to know he was the one for you?”

She drops her gaze to my bedsheet. “You know the answer to that. I’ve told you the story a million times.”

“You married him after two months, even though everyone in Baron believed you were crazy or worse, that it was a shotgun wedding.”

She lifts her chin stubbornly. “I didn’t give a damn about the forked tongues of those meddling fools.”

“That’s how it is for me, Mom. The only difference is that I fell in love with three wonderful men instead of one. I know it’s hard to believe it’s possible. But what we have is special. Our bond is unbreakable. I don’t need anyone to understand how it works. What matter is that it does, and I’ve never been happier, despite all the crap life has thrown at us.”

A lonely tear rolls down her cheek, but she wipes it away quickly. “You think I’m horrible for not giving you my blessing, but how can I, June? I’m terrified this...relationshipwill leave you in pieces. How can you be sure those men aren’t going to toss you aside once the novelty passes?”

“Because I know them. Did you ever think Dad would do that to you?”

Her spine becomes tense. “Of course not.”

“How could you be so sure?”

She opens and shuts her mouth as if she doesn’t know how to answer that. Then finally, she says, “I just knew.”

“It’s the same for me.”

Shaking her head, she flattens her palm against her chest. “I... this is a lot to take. I don’t know if I’ll be able to get past your choices.”

Disappointment floods through me. I thought I was getting close to convincing her that what I have with my boys is the real deal.

“Could you at least try?”

She turns her back to me and wipes her cheeks. “I’ll tell your boyfriends you’re awake.”

Mom walks out of the room without a backward glance, and a cloak of sadness falls over me. A moment later, the men I love walk into the room, and everything becomes brighter. A bubble of laughter goes up my throat when I notice their attire.

“Did you know you’re still wearing your protective gear?” I smile.

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