Page 83 of Charmed By Destiny

“Lucas? No way. Like I said, he’s kind. Caring. Tender. Good with his hands. Even better with his magical mouth.”

“You’re blushing.”

“Shut up. It’s fantastic, okay? I took a hot man to bed, and it’s wonderful. No complaints.”

“Good. You deserve to have a gorgeous man playing with your man meat.”

“Why are you like this?”

Maribeth cackled as the car pulled to a stop in front of an elegant row house. She had sent Richard pictures, so he knew it housed a few condos. They exited the car and assured Kevin they were staying in for the night. Richard followed Maribeth up a flight of stairs, and she unlocked her front door.

Although Richard hadn’t known what to expect, he wasn’t prepared for Maribeth’s space. His cousin—with her love of fashion, interior design, and beauty in general—had a beige couch with a nondescript floor lamp next to it. Along one wall was a low cabinet with a TV.

“Mari, what the fuck is this? Did you call Gabriel to decorate this shit?”

“No, I haven’t focused on shopping for stuff. Follow me, put your stuff in the guest room.”

She led him to a small space with a double bed. The coverlet was black, and a set of matching towels were resting on it.

“There’s only one bathroom, so we’ll have to fight over it,” Maribeth said. “Closet is here. I bought hangers for you.”

Without prompting, she hauled his suitcase onto the bed and unzipped it. Richard didn’t fight her as she grabbed a pair of slacks, slung them onto a dark hanger, and put them away.

“Babe, what is going on?” Richard asked.

“Don’t bitch at me for helping you out. I don’t have an ironing board or an iron. The last thing I want to do is listen to you complain for the next couple of days that you have to live with wrinkles.”

“That’s because you refused to let anyone fly out here and help you get this place set up. It’s been four fucking months, Mari. This place looks like you moved in an hour ago.”

“Do you know how many houses I’ve lived in? How many times I worked with decorators to create something I hoped my father would like?” Maribeth asked. “I lost count. On purpose. That was the old me. Now it’s about pleasing myself.”

“Hey, if it makes you happier to have less, you know you have my support. Unconditional, babe.”

Maribeth embraced Richard, and he held on tightly. “That’s because, despite your dramatics, you’re a fantastic, caring person. Which is why Lucas probably already adores you.”

“We can talk about Lucas as much as you want. I’m happy to tell you every detail I can remember about each moment we’ve spent together, but don’t use my life to deflect from yours. I’m worried about you. Talk to me. Is this what you want? Has moving made you happier?”

Pain filled her brown eyes. “I wanted it to.”

“But?”

“But I discovered it doesn’t matter where I am. I’m the problem. No matter where I am, I hurt.”

Richard brushed tears from her cheeks. “Of course you do, you’ve been through it. All your life you wanted a relationship with your father. No matter how many times I wanted to shake you and tell you that you had a family who loved you, it wasn’t enough. Then that asshole turned into the worst kind of evil person by kidnapping Eric and trying to shoot him. I hate that for you. I fucking hate it. You deserved better than that dick.”

“I remember how excited we were to get our tattoos. We were so proud of ourselves. From the time Eric was born, we wanted to protect him. Now we finally had a way. A visible way we could confuse people hunting him. Do you remember how he smiled when he saw them?”

Weeping along with her, Richard tugged her so they both sat on the bed. “Yes. One of my favorite pictures in the living room is the three of us with our hands together. Our tattoos were fresh, and my hands hurt so badly. But I loved that for us.”

“I didn’t get my other arm done because the first one was so painful.”

“So what? Destiny-touched only have it on one hand. I went with both because you know how I feel about symmetry. It would’ve driven me crazy not to have two matching arms.”

“You’re really weird.”

“I know, but you love me anyway.”

“Right in that room, Richard. I was there. I watched my father raise that gun and aim it at our Eric.”

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