Page 40 of Passion

I cried myself to sleep. I just wanted off this rollercoaster. If only I had the guts to jump.

32

LUCAS

Lorna was riding my last nerve like a jockey at Churchill Downs. Vera wasn’t home from her shoot yet, and Ella was waiting to serve dinner until she arrived. I was left to keep Vera’s mother occupied, and her present aim seemed to be to destroy anything I believed about her daughter in the attempt to make me dislike her. The only thing it accomplished was to make me dislike the woman in front of me.

“So you don’t wonder at all why she’s just staying here?” She turned her nose up at me. “You’ve heard the term ‘sugar daddy’?”

After more than a decade of learning to negotiate with some of the strictest, most shrewd businessmen, I had a fantastic poker face. “I don’t wonder, Ms. Davids. I know. Vera wants to be here. I invited her, and she came.”

“Well,” she muttered and cast a haughty look at me, “I wonder if it’s your money she likes or you.”

“What are you insinuating?” I knew Lorna didn’t think that about her daughter, and I could only assume that she wanted to find my trigger button and push it. The problem for her was, I didn’t have a trigger button. I had learned to let life lead me. If Vera wasn’t happy, she was free to go, genuinely and truly. My heart would be destroyed, and maybe after that, I’d have some sort of coping mechanism or trigger button, but right now, all I felt was love. Love for Vera, and strangely enough, familial love for her mother that kept me from saying what I really thought of the woman.

“I’m saying, I think Vera is used to living a life that I have provided for her for the last two and a half decades, which is very similar to what you’re offering her. She spent a bit of time on her own in less than ideal circumstances, and now maybe she just finds herself wanting those nicer things again.” Lorna smirked at me as if she had played the trump card and won the hand.

“I beg your pardon, but it was Vera who chose to take her own apartment—an apartment that wasn’t even in livable condition. I tried to get your help convincing her to move out, or did you forget that already?” I shook my head at her nonsense. “Did you call your own daughter a gold digger?” The woman would stop at nothing to protect her child. It was admirable in a certain way, even though she was entirely wrong. I hoped that one day, Vera would protect our child from real dangers, though I’d do my best to ensure she always felt safe so she didn’t turn into this mess that her mother displayed.

The front door shut, and Lorna acted offended that I’d confronted her. She didn’t say another word. When Vera trudged in, she was pale, sucking on a candy again. I rose to meet her, offering her a forehead kiss as usual, and pulled her chair out.

“Rough day?” I scooted the chair in as she sat, and Ella appeared with a cart hosting a scrumptious looking meatloaf and a heap of potatoes and carrots surrounding it on a serving platter. She set the food out as I took my seat.

“Sort of.” Vera crunched the candy and pulled another out of her pocket, a peppermint. She eyed her mother, who looked at Vera with suspicion scrawled over her face. “I just felt so tired I fell asleep and they had to redo my hair and makeup. It pissed the photographer off. It’s whatever.”

“Oh, dear,” Lorna said, covering her mouth. Her expression of suspicion shifted to one of knowing.

“What?” Vera asked her. She smiled at Ella, who set a plate of food in front of her and moved on. As Ella served the rest of us, Lorna clicked her tongue and shook her head as if in disbelief. “What, Mom?”

“I can’t believe you haven’t told me this yet.” Lorna turned to look at me, her brows knit in anger. “How long have you known? Why have you kept this a secret?”

Vera’s face drained of the little color it had left. She looked terrified. I looked from her face to her mother’s and back. “What? I don’t have a secret.”

“Oh, Lord have mercy, child. I said it but I didn’t even believe it myself.” Lorna scowled at Vera and shook her head harder. The drama wasn’t necessary, but I had a sinking feeling that my own secret suspicions were about to be confirmed. “The fatigue, the sickness, the peppermints. Vera, you are pregnant? Why? So you could make sure Mr. Smith continues to shell out his money?” She pressed the back of her hand to her forehead. “It’s worse than I thought.”

“Mom!” Vera stood to her feet so quickly she lost her balance and used the table to steady herself. She looked white as a ghost. I rose to offer her my hand. The accusation didn’t surprise me after the conversation I’d just had with Lorna. I was more concerned that Vera would say something she’d regret. “I can’t believe you thought that.”

“So you don't deny it? You’re having the man’s baby? And by the looks of it, you haven’t even told him yet.” Lorna stood too, shocking Ella who stood nearby. Ella apologized and backed away, slinking out of the room quickly. “Vera Laine, I’m ashamed of you.”

“Mrs. Davids, can we please refrain from verbally assaulting your daughter? I’d like to have a peaceful dinner.” I put an arm around Vera’s waist. She was trembling.

“I tried to tell you both that this entire situation was no good. Now look at this mess. You’re dating a woman young enough to be your daughter. She’s gotten herself pregnant. You know this will ruin her career, and you’ll be forced to care for her and the baby because no one will ever hire her again—not with stretch marks and leaky boobs.” Lorna just wouldn’t quit, and I had had enough.

“Mrs. Davids, I?—”

“I should take you home and whip your backside the way I used to when you were a child. Young lady, you get your behind up those stairs and pack your things. You’re coming home with me.” She turned to me and started in. “I’ll have my lawyers contact you about a paternity test and child support because I?—”

“Lorna, enough!” I shouted. I hated shouting, and it made Vera shake harder. She started to step away from me, but I held her firmly to my side. I wasn’t taking this, and she didn’t have to either. “Out of respect for Vera, I will not say what I am actually thinking right now. What I will say is that your daughter is the most precious thing I’ve ever had the pleasure of encountering in my life. You are wrong about her.

“From the first moment I met her, all she talked about was being independent, making a name for herself, and having her career. We used protection every time because she knew the consequences of a pregnancy on her future. She chose her own apartment, and I supported her even when it was unsafe. She is not a gold digger, and she never was. And I’m not controlling her, either. I never would. If you have nothing nice to say, I will ask you to retire to your room because I am having a peaceful dinner with the woman I love very deeply.”

Lorna scoffed angrily and glared at Vera. “You’re going to let him talk to me like this?”

Vera turned into my chest and hid her face. I heard a few sniffles, and I wrapped my arms around her tightly as Lorna stormed out of the room. I held Vera for a moment and then kissed her forehead. She had to feel awful after that.

“Let’s go talk, okay?” I whispered.

She nodded and followed me. I took her hand and led her to the living room where I sat on the couch. She sat on my lap and curled up. She felt lighter than normal, as if she’d lost weight, and her skin really was pale. I worried about her.

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