Page 42 of Passion

“But dear, he’s so much older. By the time the baby is an adult, he will be?—”

“Fifty-eight, I know!” I growl-screamed and turned my hands to fists. “What the hell is wrong with you! You still can’t see that I love him? That we’re happy? You’d marry George Clooney if he asked you. He’s nearly twenty years older than you.”

“But dear, we’re both adults.”

I laughed and shook my head. Livid didn’t begin to explain how I felt. “Mom, I’m an adult. I’m twenty-four. I can make my own decisions. You had me when you were twenty-two.”

Lucas appeared out of nowhere, but he didn’t say a word. He stood watching the interaction. I was glad he was letting me handle this myself, though I did try to temper my words now that I knew he was listening.

“I am so upset with you. Since the time I moved out, you’ve done nothing but try to make me come home. You control and manipulate everything I do.” I felt tears burning my eyes. “I am so sick of you treating me like I’m a child.”

Lucas was at my side in a heartbeat, handing me a tissue. Mom’s eyes followed him everywhere he went.

“You have to understand that I am not moving home with you. I am staying here and I am going to have Lucas’s baby. I love him, and I’m not leaving him because you’re afraid of things that will never happen.”

Lucas gently guided me to a chair and helped me sit down. I was so upset I was shaking, and sitting helped me calm down. He said nothing, but he did offer me another tissue.

“Oh, Vera, I?—”

“No!” I shouted. “I’m not finished.” I went to stand, but Lucas took my hand, kissed my forehead, and nodded at the seat, so I sat again. He didn’t control me or tell me what to do, but his actions were so loving, I couldn’t help but yield to him. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t say everything I needed to say. “Mom, you got hurt by a really cruel and sinister man who wanted you to suffer because he was selfish and stupid. Lucas is the most amazing man, Mom. I wish you could see it.”

“Oh, Vera…” Her disappointed tone made me want to scream.

“No, Mom. Look, maybe I don’t have patience to sit and have this discussion with you today.” I covered my face with my hands and sighed. Lucas gently pried them away and offered me a glass of water. It was just what I needed. When I had set the glass down, he handed me another tissue and a peppermint. I couldn’t help but want to cry. He was so sweet.

“Why can’t you see it?” I cried, turning away from my mother.

“I do see it.” Mom was silent for a moment. The only sound in the room was the crinkling of the peppermint candy wrapper as I pried it open. “I see it, sweetheart.”

Lucas’s hand on my shoulder was reassuring, but as I turned and saw tears in Mom’s eyes, it finally broke the anger I felt and the tears came again. I was so sick of crying, but these tears felt like healing.

“You what?” I asked, glancing at Lucas before looking back at my mom.

“I see it.” She sighed and walked over to me. She knelt on the ground in front of me and took both of my hands. I managed to put the peppermint in my mouth before she wrangled me. “I’m so sorry, Vera.”

“What? What do you mean?” I shook my head, suddenly confused as hell.

“Lucas,” she said, looking up at him, “I owe you an apology.” Mom kissed my hands and squeezed them. “You’re right, honey. He is an amazing man. I just watched the most loving and selfless display of affection I’ve ever witnessed.”

Lucas took a step back, giving me space to talk to my Mom, but I still didn’t understand what she meant. “Mom, I’m really confused. What affection?”

“You needed a tissue. He got you one. You needed to sit. He got you a chair. You clearly were upset. He got you a glass of water, another tissue, a peppermint… The way he spoke so kindly to you. Vera, I have been entirely wrong about this man, and I am so sorry.” She blinked, and more tears dribbled across her cheeks. “Will you ever forgive me?”

I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed her. Of course I would forgive her. She was my mom, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t still upset. All I could do was hug her for a moment. When I let her go, she stood and smoothed her slacks out. “I’m going to go freshen up,” she mumbled, then hurried out of the room.

Lucas was quick to replace her, crouching in front of me and kissing my hands. “Are you okay?”

I nodded. “You didn’t stop me from yelling.”

“I told you, I’m never going to control you. You have a right to be angry if you want. I just hope that you let that anger go now. Can you see that she cares about you?”

“I do,” I said, looking down. “How can you be so calm when she literally tried to break us up?”

“Because I’m not worried about any exterior thing that tries to divide us. I’m confident that no matter what happens, if we love each other, we’ll make it through.” He stood and pulled me to my feet, then wrapped his arms around me.

“And I’d really like it if you finished that sandwich because if not, I’m going to be forced to eat it and I don’t want to get a dad bod yet. I haven’t been a dad long enough to have a dad bod.”

I snickered and wiped my face. “Yes, well it is a delicious sandwich. You can have half if you want.” He guided me back to the barstool, and I sat down and had a bite. I felt better now after having blown off that steam. I needed to apologize to Mom for all the shouting, but at least I felt like we were on the same page now.

---