Page 18 of One Pucking Destiny

The one who goes by J-man adds, “That’s his daughter, man. Not cool.”

Sean’s eyes go wide. “Oh, I didn’t…”

I throw my head back and laugh. “I am not his daughter!”

Beckett hurries around the island and pulls my mom off her feet, hugging her. “Call me if you need anything, and I’ll come right home. Okay?”

She circles her arms around his neck and presses her lips to his. “I’ll be fine. I have my girl. Go have fun with the guys. Don’t worry about us.”

“I love you,” he says.

“I love you,” Mom replies.

“Okay, but I’m serious. Call me.” He kisses her again before setting her down. As he follows the guys out, he looks over his shoulder. “Have fun.”

“You too!” I wave with an amused grin on my face. I turn to my mom. “How do they not drive you crazy?”

She looks toward the hallway and releases a contented sigh. “They grow on you. So you want your normal?” She eyes her phone where the Chinese restaurant’s website is pulled up.

“Yes, please. Chicken lo mein with a side of crab rangoons.”

“You got it.”

An hour later, we’ve finished our Chinese food, and I’ve talked my mom’s ear off, telling her about every patient I’ve worked with this past week. I could talk about animals nonstop.

We sit on the couch, facing one another. She places her hand on my knee. “I am so happy for you. You were born to be a veterinarian.”

“Thanks. It’s pretty cool. So tell me about you. How’s married life?” I ask, and my mom’s smile fades. The pace of my heartbeat increases with anxiety. “Oh no. What is it?”

She squeezes my knee before leaning back against the arm of the couch. “Everything is great. I just have a lot I need to tell you, and it’s stuff I wanted to tell you in person.”

“Okay, but you’re okay?” I ask, still unsure.

“I’m fine. So…” She takes a moment and pulls in a breath. “Let’s start with my father.”

She hasn’t spoken about her father much over the years, but I know he wasn’t a good one. He turned hisback on her when she was pregnant with me, forcing her to leave when she was eighteen.

My mother proceeds to tell me that he contacted her this summer, stating he was dying and she wouldn’t inherit anything unless she was married. The problem with that was that everything would go to her evil older cousin who hurt her when she was younger. Beckett stepped in and offered to marry her.

“So your marriage with Beckett isn’t real?” I ask in complete shock, trying to weigh what she’s telling me versus what I see. I can feel the love between them when they’re together.

“It’s always been legal, but it was just for show, and I couldn’t tell you because my father had to believe it. He had a private investigator follow me and Beckett, and I didn’t know if one was following you, too. I couldn’t risk him finding out it was all a ruse. I wanted to tell you. When we told you we were married, you were so hurt, and it broke my heart. I’m so sorry. And you know it wasn’t about the money for me. I’ve never been a materialistic person. It was about not letting my devil of a cousin get everything. I knew I could do actual good for so many people with my father’s money.” She gives me a few more details about the cousin and some of the things he did to her when she was a child, and my heart shatters.

Tears roll down my face. “I’m sorry you had to gothrough that, Ma.” We come together, and I wrap my arms around her.

I find out that not only did my mom have a horrible childhood and unloving parents but she was also assaulted by her cousin when she was just a girl. My heart breaks for her and everything she’s gone through. I know she didn’t keep this secret from me for money. Growing up, we had very little money, but we were always happy. My mother has a huge heart, so I’m sure she’ll do amazing things with her inheritance.

Finally, my tears abate, and I lean back. “So you’re leaving Beckett?”

She smiles and shakes her head. “No, we actually did fall in love.”

“Oh, okay.” I sigh in relief. “Thank goodness. I knew you were in love. You’ve never been so happy.”

“Well, I did try to leave him last week after my dad died.”

“What?”

She fusses with a piece of lint on her leggings. “I had this stupid idea that I was holding him back or something, so I tried to give him an out.”

---