Page 14 of Daddy Down Under

“Exactly. I usually get good food out of it, sometimes nice clothes, excellent tips for my surfing lessons, and about half the time, great sex.”

“And the other half?”

He sighed. “Alcohol and cocaine don’t make for great sex.”

“Been there, done that.”

He shot me an inquisitive look. “You’ve done coke?”

“A few times. But then I realized it could all too easily become an addiction, one that could cost me dearly, and I haven’t touched the stuff since. I do like to drink, but I’ve become one of those whiskey snobs, so I rarely get drunk anymore since it’s more about the experience for me. You?”

He shook his head. “Smoking pot is common enough among the surfing crowd, but I don’t do drugs. I’ve seen what they did to my mom.”

Marcia had done drugs? Not when I’d known her, but a lot had happened since then. “I was so sorry to hear of her passing. Unfortunately, I didn’t find out until weeks after.”

“My father didn’t want it widely known. She OD’ed on heroin, much to his fury. He considered that a poor people drug.”

Jesus. And Ocean had only been a teenager back then. “How old were you?”

“Fourteen.”

“It surprised me your parents never divorced. I know your father wasn’t faithful to her.”

“The man doesn’t even know the meaning of the word. And no, they didn’t because they never signed a prenup. She would’ve taken half his fortune in a divorce, and he didn’t want that.”

“I’m sorry you lost your mom so early. Were you close with her?”

Ocean stayed quiet, and so I looked sideways. He was staring out the window. “Your biological parents are dead, right?” he finally asked.

“I never knew who my father was, and my mom died when I was five, so I don’t remember her either. I only have vague associations of being loved and that she smelled like flowers.”

“What did she die of?”

“Armed robbery gone wrong. She worked as a teller in a bank. Some guy tried to rob the place and ended up shooting his way out. Two people died, a cop and my mom.”

Ocean turned his head toward me. “But you ended up with adoptive parents.”

I nodded. “They fostered me first, then ended up adopting me. They’re amazing people and wonderful parents, and every day, I’m grateful they chose me.”

Knowing that you were chosen, that your parents made the conscious, deliberate choice to not only adopt you but love you, was a powerful feeling. I had never felt unwanted or unloved—not until Preston screwed me over anyway. Maybe that was one reason his betrayal had hit me so hard. I’d never seen it coming, had never expected it because I’d never been rejected like that.

“I loved my mom, and I think she did the best she could in loving me, but she was flawed,” Ocean said softly. “Flawed and broken in a way I didn’t understand until much, much later.”

“She was the most amazing person when we met her. Full of life and sparkling. You couldn’t help but be drawn to her. You’re a lot like her, actually.”

I couldn’t believe I hadn’t made that connection before. Ocean had that same magnetic appeal Marsha had. Even I had been a little in love with her, though in a strictly platonic way.

“When did she change?”

I hesitated. Was it fair to tell him this? Then again, he deserved the truth. Maybe it would bring him a modicum of peace and acceptance.

“When she got pregnant with you, she was still so young. Only nineteen, and so was your dad. He wanted her to have an abortion, but she refused. She’d been raised Catholic, and the idea that abortion was a mortal sin was one she couldn’t let go of. So she kept the baby, and Preston was pressured into doing the right thing and marrying her. I don’t think he ever forgave her for that. He…” I let out a heavy sigh. “He cheated on her on their wedding day by fucking one of the waitresses at the reception.”

“Jesus,” Ocean muttered. “She never stood a chance with that bastard, did she?”

He looked so lost and stricken that I took his hand and threaded our fingers together. “I didn’t mean to make you sad.”

“I’m glad you told me. My father refused to even mention her, so there’s so much I don’t know.”

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