Page 21 of These Pucking Boys: Part Two

I sigh heavily. “Okay, let’s rip off the Band-Aid fast, then.”

“All right. I’m not sure if you know already about my background.”

“What do you mean?”

He peels his eyes off the road for a moment to look at me. “I’m an orphan, lass. I grew up in the foster system.”

“I... I didn’t know that. I’m so sorry.”

“It wasn’t easy.” He rubs his face, then looks at me. “Do you know the baby blankie I still have?”

“The one Ryan was teasing you about it.”

He nods. “It’s the only thing I have from my parents. Hence why I still cling to it even though it’s nothing but rags now.”

Fighting the urge to cry, I swallow the lump in my throat and ask, “Have you ever tried to find them?”

He shakes his head. “No. I spent my entire childhood dreaming of the day they would come fetch me. It neverhappened. I’ve come to accept they didn’t want me, so now I’m the one who doesn’t want them.”

I try not to judge anyone, especially people who give up their kids for adoption, but I’m having a hard time not hating Lachy’s parents in this moment. Even though he says he doesn’t want them, I can sense he still needs them in some capacity. I guess it’s the innate desire to know about our roots, to know where we come from.

“You’re so strong, Lachy. I’d be lost if I didn’t know who my parents were.”

He laughs without humor. “I’m not strong, lass. If I were, I wouldn’t have latched on to the first woman who understood what I’d been through.”

I frown. “Do you mean Lorena?”

“Yeah. She also grew up in the foster system. That’s what drew me to her in the beginning.” He glances at me again, his eyes shining with sadness. It breaks my heart to see him like that. “I thought that because we had a similar past, we would have a similar dream for the future. That blinded me to all the red flags about our relationship.”

“I’m so sorry, Lachy.”

He swallows hard, making his Adam’s apple bob up and down. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. I was lucky that she did what she did before we got married. I’m not saying it wasn’t hard, but now I can look back with complete detachment.”

“Do you really believe that?”

He nods. “I do. Why?”

I bite my lower lip, then look out the window. “It’s... never mind. It’s nothing.”

He touches my leg. “June, you tell me.”

Taking a deep breath, I glance at him. “You didn’t seem detached when Lorena surprised you at the farmer’s market.”

“Well... I was shocked. And then she was saying all those crazy things in front of you, and I panicked.”

“You panicked?”

The interior of the car becomes darker, and I realize Lachy just drove into our garage. This conversation consumed me so completely, I didn’t notice the drive.

He parks the car first before turning to me. “Yes, lass. I panicked, because she was spewing all that nonsense about losing me forever in front of you, and I didn’t know how you’d react.”

I glance at my lap, wriggling my fingers together. “To be honest, I didn’t react well. I was consumed with jealousy, and then you introduced me as your friend. That hurt.”

He pinches my chin between his thumb and index finger and turns my face toward him. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, lass. I’m bloody sorry that you thought for a second you were only a friend to me.”

My heart skips a beat. “I’m not?”

His eyes drop to my mouth. “No, lass. You’re much more than that. You’re my happy ending.”

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