Page 55 of Beneath the Flames
Brie braved bringing up the heated topic again. “Mary, I still think you need to find your birth father.”
“Shut the fuck up, bitch!” Mary snarled.
Brie looked at her compassionately. “Maybe if you can reconcile your relationship with your birth father, you will finally be able to love yourself.”
“Oh, my God, Stinks! Don’t start shoving that self-love crap at me now.”
Brie persisted. “Don’t you get it? You couldn’t allow Faelan to love you because you don’t love yourself.”
Lea let out a gasp. “You’re right, Brie!”
Mary narrowed her eyes, looking like she was about to explode. “You don’t know shit about me. Neither of you do.” She let out a low growl and grumbled, “Fuck, if I’d known you two were going to gang up on me today, I never would have come. No tan is worth this.”
Brie and Lea looked at each other in concern. They’d been friends long enough to weather Mary’s outbursts because they both knew it came from a place of deep pain.
“Don’t you dare say another word about it,” Mary warned, gulping down the rest of her drink.
“Gotcha,” Brie agreed, choosing to respect her demand. But she silently hoped Mary would mull over her words later, when she was alone.
Trying to lighten the mood, Lea suggested, “Why don’t we go for a swim, you two?”
“Feel free to go drown yourself if you want. I’m not moving from this spot,” Mary declared.
Worried that something more was going on, Brie asked nonchalantly, “Would anyone like another drink?”
“Thought you would never ask,” Mary snapped.
After handing out another round, Brie settled down in her lounger and glanced at Lea in concern.
“So, Brie, how are your parents doing?” Lea asked, trying to redirect the conversation.
Brie laughed uncomfortably. “Umm…things have been a little tense, actually. My dad kind of lost it and said something he shouldn’t have to Sir. I’m still trying to forgive him.”
“How did Sir react?” Lea asked.
“He was a gentleman and handled it far more kindlythan my father deserved.”
Lea smiled encouragingly. “At least you didn’t have both men yelling at each other.”
“True. But it’s hard, you guys. I know my father loves me, but ever since I was rescued, things have been weird between us.” She sighed heavily. “I think he still blames Sir for what happened with Holloway because he introduced me to the lifestyle. It’s like all the progress we made got wiped away.”
“That’s rough, girlfriend,” Lea with sympathy.
Mary rolled over onto her stomach, cradling her head in her folded arms. “I think you should reconcile your relationship with your birth father.”
Brie snorted, amused Mary was spitting back her own advice. “Ha-ha…”
“She’s right, you know,” Lea agreed.
“I don’t see how I can,” Brie confessed to them. “Sir has gone to extraordinary lengths to help me heal, but my dad just can’t let go of his belief that Sir is ultimately to blame. It’s infuriating to me!”
Lea looked at her with sympathy. “I hate to say it, but you’re going to have to talk it out. It would be a shame for you to lose your parents over this, and then there’s your children to think about.”
Brie let out a painful sigh, knowing it was unfair to her children. “Although you’re right, I just don’t want to deal with it right now.”
Lea squeezed her hand. “No need to force it, girlfriend. Wait until you’re ready.”
The three lay in silence for a long time. Thankfully, the relaxing sounds of the waves brought a sense ofpeace that seemed to slowly eat away at the tension between them.
