Bora shoves at him, pushing him into an empty conference room, and she grabs my hand and tugs me too. Why? I don’t know.
“About you and Mom,” I answer, confused when Bora shuts the door.
“What about us? Oh! Is this about Bora almost walking in on us at the hotel after my show? I’ve told you girls what it means when my “Do Not Disturb” sign is hanging. I can’t help it if you use your emergency keys while that sign is hanging. Be glad your mother is such a screamer, or you’d have kept on walking in,” Dad tells Bora, who turns a funky shade of puce.
“I heard about that, but I’m talking about the other thing. You and Mom… getting married…”
He looks about as confused as a person can be, but Bora mutters something about duct-taping my mouth and shutting hers.
“Married?” Dad laughs. “Hell no. Your mother and I are not long-termers. We just have needs, and your mother is a wildcat in the bed. Still the best lay I’ve had to this day, and I’m still her favorite. It’s this thing I do with my tongue—”
“Stop!” Bora and I both shout in unison. Now I’m the one throwing up in my mouth.
“So sick,” Bora groans, gagging as she tries to choke back her own need to vomit.
“What?” Dad asks innocently. “Helen and Mick are getting married. Just found that out this morning. Is that what you’re talking about?
Bora and I both exchange a look, and we grin, forgetting the disgusting overshare. It’s about damn time Helen and Mick got together, but I wasn’t expecting them to get married.
“No,” I say, turning back to face him. “I was talking about you and Mom, but I’m happy to hear about Helen and Mick.”
“No, your mom and I are not getting married. We’ve been hooking up for years. Nothing has changed. We fuck like rabbits when we see each other, and—”
“I’m done. Can’t listen to anymore. You’re ruining sex for me!” Bora shouts, causing several people to look in and really get a sick thought in their heads. She storms out and throws the door open, mimicking a dramatic teenager stomping off in a huff.
Great. As if we need more rumors spreading.
Fortunately, none of them know he’s our father. That would be one hell of a breaking news story for the tabloids.
And now I’m puking in my mouth again.
This morning started off so much better. Why did I leave Jax’s home?
“So you’re not getting married?” I ask Dad again. “And leave out the stomach-churning details, please.”
He shakes his head, confused. “Why on earth would we get married after all these years?”
It all clicks, and I roll my eyes while shaking my head. Bora has been manipulating me her entire life.
They wasted so many years. Blah. Blah. Blah. It was all a ploy to get me back with Jax.
I’d hate her a little for manipulating me if I didn’t love her for it.
“So, anyway. Ireland. Bora’s impossible, but you’re the good one. Let’s get away. I need a trip.”
“We were just in Hawaii not too long ago,” I remind him, shutting the door before anyone can eavesdrop.
“Hawaii was eons ago,” he exaggerates.
“I can’t go, Dad.”
“Sure you can,” he argues, batting a hand like he’s swatting away what I’m saying. “This place will run fine without you. I was thinking we’d make it a backpacking trip. Like the one we had a few years ago. We could—”
“I can’t,” I say again, sighing.
“There’s this quaint little B and B,” he goes on, ignoring me, “and there’s no Wifi, which means no distractions. We—”
“Dad, I’m not going,” I say firmer. “I have a life here, and I also have a boyfriend.”