Page 62 of Pucking Secret

Laura scoffs and crosses her arms and stares coldly into my eyes. There’s venom in her expression, and I tense, knowing whatever she says is going to cut right through me like a knife.

However, I could never have prepared myself for the words that finally come tumbling from her lips.

“Oh look, it’s Owen.” Laura doesn’t blink. “Is the baby daddy finally stepping up?”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS

STACEY

If Mom had walkedinto this moment with a bomb in her hands, I’m not sure she could have done much more damage than she has. Owen stares at her, clearly shocked. I can hardly breathe as the world spins around me.

This can’t be happening. Not now. Not when Gram is fighting for her life and my world is already crumbling. When Owen turns his stunned gaze to me, I immediately scramble to do damage control.

“Owen, listen to me,” I quickly say, grabbing his arms. “I was going to tell you, I swear…”

He slowly shakes his head but doesn’t say anything. He turns his eyes away from me and stares off down the hall, as if he’s completely zoned out. Panic seizes me and I move in front of him, trying to meet his gaze. When he keeps looking away from me, my heart races until I’m breathless. No, no, no! I want to grab his face and force him to focus on me, but touching him likely isn’t the best idea right now. Still, his silence and refusal to look me in the eye is terrifying. I’d almost rather he shout atme and show me his anger and hurt instead of this zombielike expression.

“I need time,” he murmurs.

Mom scoffs and puts her hands on her hips. “Typical. Doesn’t want to deal with his mess. Are you going to run off again without a backward glance?”

“Mom!” I exclaim. “Shut up!”

“I tried to tell you…. I quickly say, looking back at Owen. “I was going to tell you tonight, but then the call about Gram came…” I try to reach for him, but he steps away from me and shakes his head. “Owen, please, let me explain,” I cry out, “… please look at me!”

“I need time,” he says again in a firmer tone. He doesn’t look at me as he turns and walks off, disappearing through the doors Mom just came through. I watch him go, my heart sinking. Part of me wants to chase after him and plead my case, but I can’t leave when Gram is still fighting for her life.

Frustration, anxiety, and fear overwhelm me…but there’s also fury. A burning, raging fury. And I know just where to direct my anger.

Whirling on my mom, I snap, “What the hell was that?”

She arches her eyebrow and shrugs. “What? I wasn’t expecting to see him here.”

“Why would you tell him that he’s Millie’s father?” I hiss, doing my best not to shout in the middle of the hospital. “That wasn’t any of your business!”

“How was I supposed to know he didn’t know? You had always said he did.” Mom asks defensively. “He was here, wasn’t he? Why would I assume otherwise seeing you two together?”

“Do you realize what you’ve done?” My voice is getting louder, but I don’t care anymore. It’s too much. Gram, Owen, Mom… I’m being crushed under the weight of it all, and I just can’t take it. “Why do you always have to ruin things? You comein here with your cold, shitty attitude and make sure everyone else is as miserable as you are. You had no right to talk to him like that!”

In the back of my mind, though, I know this is my fault. I should have told Owen. I shouldn’t have waited so long… but I can’t stop from directing my anger at Mom. After everything she put me through and all the issues that we have with each other, I can’t stop the rage from seeping into my voice as I blame her for everything.

Mom scoffs and narrows her eyes at me. “No right? After what that asshole did? He ruined you and then left to go live his golden boy life with his rich new family. I have every right to rip him apart if I want.”

“He didn’t ruin me!” I shout. “Stop saying shit like that. Do you know how awful that is? Things might not have turned out how I planned when I was younger, but I have a good life, and I have Millie! Stop fucking undermining that!”

“You could have had so much more! You had so much potential, and here you are, just like I was, working our asses off to clean up the messes the men in our lives have left behind.”

Shaking my head, I let out a bitter laugh. “Is that really all you care about? What were you expecting? I become a rich doctor and take care of you the rest of your life? Let you live however you want? Are you fucking kidding me?”

Damn it, if I’d been able to think straight, I’d have anticipated Mom showing up here. I knew she was in town, and her name is on the emergency contact list for Gram, right along with mine. And for all our issues, she’s not so coldhearted that she wouldn’t come running after hearing that her mother was in the hospital.

I should have been prepared. I should have told Owen everything. Now I have a colossal mess that I need to figure out what to do about. Thinking of Owen — stunned, confused, andno doubt hurt — my heart aches. Everyone kept telling me to talk to him. Gram told me to tell him the truth. God, I have screwed that up so badly.

What must he think of me right now? Does he hate me?

“What’s going on with your grandmother?” Mom asks sharply, yanking me from my spiraling thoughts.

I blink, focusing back on her. She’s gazing at me expectantly, appearing impatient. Is she seriously just going to ignore what I said to her? Goddamn it, she always does this! If she hears something she doesn’t like, she just avoids talking about it and closes herself off. Well, fuck that! I’m not letting her off the hook so easily. Not this time. Not when she’s so thoroughly fucked up my life.

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