Page 25 of Forbidden Love Still Blooms

“Isn't this fun?” Mom asks.

I flash her a smile. She's discarded her brown apron and is wearing jeans and a pink blouse, but the leaves in her hair aren't intentional decorations. “Yeah, can't wait to see the floats this year.” Reaching over, I pluck a leaf from her short strands.

She blinks, cups her scalp, finding the other bits. “Can't take me anywhere, huh?” she giggles.

I want to take you anywhere else but here.

“Hey, Mom?”

“Hm?”

“When was the last time you had a vacation?”

Her face falls. “Lori …”

“Just went somewhere outside of Crestwind for more than a night. A weekend away, maybe more.”

Her voice is a whisper. “You know I could never.”

“But if youcould.”

“Hey! Lori!” a voice shouts over the noise of the nearby crowd. My mom turns, both of us spotting Dezmond. He's dressed in tan slacks and a plain black tee. No rips or stains; it's the nicest I've ever seen him look. But when he gets closer, I notice the greenish hue to his skin. He's definitely hungover. His cheekbone is swollen and there’s a scab on his bottom lip.

“Hello, Dez,” I say through a tight smile.

His grin could cut glass. He aims it at me, then my mother. “Hey. Mrs. Jones. How's the shop doing? Making nice money?”

I tense up, shoot him a warning look. My mom blinks a few times with uncertainty. “Things are fine, Dezmond. Thanks for asking. Here to enjoy the parade?”

“And other things,” he chuckles.

“You look tired,” I say to him as I cross my arms. “Rough night?”

That stupid smile of his falls away; he eyeballs me, wondering if I heard about him ending up in jail, or if I figured it out the more obvious way. He touches his cheekbone where a purple bruise stands out. “Slept just fine, babe.”

I cringe when he calls me that. “Cool. Great. Did you want something?” Maybe he'll drop to his knees right here and begin his sham proposal. It might be better to get it over with, and plus, there's not that many people to see it happen yet. The crowd is still light.

He sniffs, shrugs. “Thought we'd go for a walk. Mind if I steal her away, Ma?”

My mother's mouth falls open. I copy her, aghast at the gall he has. She says, “It's not up to me what she does. Lori?”

Dezmond doesn't let me answer; he grabs my forearm, pulling me towards downtown. “Great! Come on, move it.”

Shuffling to balance myself, I walk beside him with an apologetic smile at my mother. Her face is riddled with confusion. When we're far enough away, and she can't see us anymore, I rip my arm from his grip. “What the hell is wrong with you, Dez?”

“Shut the fuck up,” he hisses. He scans side to side, then tries to grab me again; I dodge it, glaring down my nose at him. “Fine, whatever, we'll talk here. What the fuck did you tell Alemo?”

Oh. Now I know why he's pissed. “I don't know what you mean,” I lie.

“Yes, you do! You—” Seething, he makes claws with his hands, teeth bared. He wishes he could strangle me. “Alemo cornered me last night at the Drip Head Bar. Said you promisedIwould bring him the five hundred I owe plus an extra fifty for making him wait until the end of the day for it!”

So that's what happened last night.I'd told Dez I was going back into the gambling hall to confirm I was indeed his fiancée. Of course, I'd never do that. My goal was keeping as many people in the dark as possible about the planned engagement. I'd smiled at Alemo, said Dez was goofing around about the wife stuff, that he was obviously drunk, but I'd loan him the cash and he'd get it to Alemo by the end of the evening.

I didn't expect that lie would get in the way of meeting Dezmond at his house, though.

He's still rambling furiously. “Him and his pals nearly threw me into the bay! They wanted to break my legs! If someone hadn't called the cops, I'd be in a coma.Why the hell are you smiling?”

I didn't know I was. Now I can't stop. “Sorry,” I say sweetly. “I was trying to bide some time to get the money, that's all.”

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