"It felt like she was trying to run from the life she had with my dad; everything they had built together is gone. The only thing left of it is the house that she's put up for sale. The house my dad spent years paying for." Anger and sorrow fill her words, she's pissed, and right now I don't blame her. If that were me, I'd be fucking murderous.
"What happened today?"
"Ugh," she says as she shakes her head, her hair falling down around her face, I reach out and push it back behind her ear, "We sat down to talk, we got talking about Dad. She said that she didn't love Dad. That she didn't want to marry him, the only reason she did was because her parents and my dad's wanted them to. Mom wanted to go travel the world, see the different cultures, and Dad was going into the army, just as his father had, and his grandfather. He was the seventh generation to follow in the footsteps of his forefathers."
"That's pretty commendable."
"It's all he ever knew, you know? It was what the family did. I've let them down. I didn’t follow in their footsteps."
My hands frame her face, "No, Princess, you haven't." I place a kiss gently on her lips. "What else did your mom say?" I try and ask as nicely as I can even though I thoroughly dislike that woman.
"I asked her if she regretted it. I meant marrying my dad. Her response was... Yes, and no. That she had so many plans, that she wanted to see the world and have fun. It was something she had dreamed of for so long, but she couldn't do that while she was pregnant nor while I was growing up."
Yeah, Tina is a selfish bitch. Who the hell says that to her daughter?
"I know that she meant that she sometimes regrets it, or that she'd look back and wonder what if, but the culminations of the lies and secrets got to me. I can't stand the lies."
Now isn't the time to tell her what I do, but I need to, and soon, if I don't and she finds out from someone else, I could lose her.
"Do you think I'm overreacting?" She asks quietly, her
gaze drifting back to the sea.
"No, I don't. I think you know how you feel and right now, you're hurt, and you have every right to be. But Mia she's your mom, you're going to have to talk to her eventually."
Her nose wrinkles in distaste. "I know. Just not now."
"Okay, time to go."
She frowns as I lift her off my lap. "Where are we going?"
Standing I pull her into my arms, "Well, you never ate dinner," I kiss her lips and she immediately melts into my body, "I can taste beer on your lips which means you've been drinking on an empty stomach." My words come out like a reprimand, but I'm not telling her off. I'm just stating the obvious.
"Okay, let's get something to eat, is there a McDonalds around here somewhere?" She asks as she reaches for her shoes.
She wants McDonalds, I'll bring her to it, I don't give a shit how far away it is. "Let's go," I tell her, and she instantly grabs my hand and holds it tightly. We walk toward her car, "You okay?" She's stopped crying and seems to be a little better, but I'm not sure if it's because she's good at hiding things deep inside.
"I suppose, I still have no idea why my mom lied nor why she hid the fact that she was getting married from me and that hurts."
I squeeze her hand, "The only way to find out is to talk to her."
She nods, "Tomorrow, I promise. Thanks, Hudson."
I pull her to a stop, and she crashes into my chest, "What are you thanking me for?"
She gets shy and glances away, "For being here."
I lift her chin so that she can look at me, "Princess, you're mine, and that means that I take care of you. I'm your man, and when you’re upset I'm going to be here, so don't thank me for doing what I'm meant to do."
She reaches up on her tiptoes and kisses me, "You're a good man Hudson."
If only that were fucking true, she doesn't know the real me. I'm debating with myself if I should ever tell her. Right now though, she doesn't need to know. I'm keeping her in the dark for her own protection as well as for my own sanity. I know that if I tell her that I sell drugs and guns she's going to walk away and that cannot happen.
I take her hand again and walk to her car, "Keys." I tell her as I hold out my hand. She doesn't argue, just passes them to me. Getting in, I have to move the seat back, my six-foot-two frame doesn't fit, so I push the seat back all the way and I catch Mia smiling. "What?"
She shakes her head that smile still present, "Just thinking how good you look in my car."
I laugh, she's freaking adorable. Starting the car, it purrs to life, I put it into drive and get the hell out of here.