Page 98 of Illicit Heir

I huff. "Yea, ya said that several times last night." I take another bite of bread.

She blurts out, "They'll take the baby from ya."

I freeze, and my breath catches. This is a new statement from her.

"They will," she insists.

I finish chewing, swallow, then shake my head declaring, "No, they wouldn't do that."

"Of course they would! Ya don't know them," she snaps.

I mutter, "Devin's not Caleb."

She jerks her head back and her voice rises when she says, "Why are ya taking the side of the O'Connors? We're O'Learys. Or have ya forgotten?"

I shove more bread in my mouth, tired of her constant bashing of the O'Connors. Maybe I should feel more loyalty toward the O'Learys, but right now, I can't. It doesn't mean I'm on team O'Connor, but her constant declarations about them are getting old.

She adds, "Your uncle Tommy would roll over in his grave."

I smirk. "He can't roll over in his grave. They burned him, remember?"

Anger flares on Mum's face. My uncle Tommy was a mean bastard. He wasn't even nice to her most of the time. I don't understand why she sticks up for him or any of the O'Learys.

And I know my loyalty is supposed to lie with them and it always has been, but the more time passes, the more I question why. When have they really protected us? I can't think of an instance. But Mum always claims that they're there protecting us, keeping us safe from the world. From what, though, I'm not sure.

She puts her hand on mine and softens her voice. "Ya need to find Caleb and convince him the baby is his. He won't—"

"Are ya crazy?" I interject, horrified at the thought.

"Absolutely not. Caleb can support ya and the baby. You'll both have a great life. It'll be his child. He won't know any different. Ya can give your baby everything I couldn't give ya and more."

Absolute disgust fills me. I gape at her, shaking my head.

She continues, "Think about it, Lauren. What are ya going to do when ya have the baby? We have no money coming in."

I point out, "We need to take the pub back. We're able to right now. All we have to do is make some stupid oath."

Disapproval flares on her expression. She exclaims, "Stupid oath! Shut your mouth, child! And we aren't doing any such thing!"

I scoff. "You're being ridiculous. It's always been our pub, and Devin's right. Alaina won't offer it forever."

Mum insists, "We are not taking an O'Connor oath. I don't care what they attach to it!"

"You're acting like a petulant child."

Mum snaps, "Don't ya dare talk to me in my home like that!" She glares at me as if I've just committed a sin by even suggesting it.

I sigh, calming my voice, admitting, "I don't understand ya. Your entire life, ya worked in the pub. You've busted your butt to keep it alive. And the only skill I have is running it. The smart thing to do is take Alaina's offer."

She seethes, "And give them the opportunity to own us? I don't think so."

I tilt my head, asking, "But it's okay for the O'Learys to own us? The ones who come in and destroy our place and have no remorse? The ones who have never protected us?"

She warns, "Ya better be careful what you say. Your uncle Tommy would—"

"Stop talking about Uncle Tommy. He was a horrible person. He was a vengeful and nasty man. He was cruel to ya too many times to count."

"He wasn't."

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