Bull (The Buck Boys Heroes 1)

It’s a treasure to her. It’s a symbol of the commitment she made to the man she’s always loved.

“I wanted to tell you,” I confess. “And dad. I wanted to tell everyone before I wore them all the time.”

“You wanted to tell us you married a man you don’t love?”

I slide both rings back on my finger before I look her in the eyes. “I love him, Mom.”

That sends tears down her cheeks again. “You said you married him to fulfill Mr. Abdon’s wish.”

“We did, but things are different now.” I hold back a sob. “We’ve spent a lot of time together. My heart knows he’s the one, Mom. I love him.”

“Does he love you?” I hear the plea in her voice.

I know that she only wants what is best for me. She wants me to be happy.

“I think he does,” I say quietly. “We’re supposed to talk about things tonight, but I feel it. I feel his love when he looks at me. I see it in his eyes. I hear it in his voice.”

“He loves you.” She smiles softly. “A woman knows when a man has given his heart to her.”

My hands jump to the center of my chest. “I know.”

She takes a sip of the tea and nods her head. That’s her silent approval that it’s exactly the way she likes.

I settle back into my chair and ask the question I’ve been dreading. “How is dad taking this?”

She sets the mug down carefully on the table. “I didn’t tell him. I came here to talk to you first.”

A sigh of relief escapes me. “Let me tell him, Mom.”

“I think that’s best.” She nods. “I think you and your husband should tell him together.”

I like that idea.

“We will.”

She scrubs a hand over her face. “There’s something else, Trina. I’m sorry for this, but…”

“What is it?” I interrupt her, suddenly feeling the knot reforming in my stomach.

Her eyes close briefly. “I didn’t know what was happening. I had no idea what was going on, so when Mr. Abdon told me you were married, I told him he was wrong.”

I listen intently, hoping that’s as far as their discussion went.

She shakes her head. “I told him that there’s no way any daughter of mine would marry a man without telling her family.”

Dread drops over me. “What did he say, Mom?”

“He didn’t know what to say.” She shrugs. “I told him that you weren’t at all fond of your boss. I said that the last time I saw you that you didn’t have any wedding rings on and never mentioned a husband. I told him we had lunch at your apartment together that day.”

I drop my gaze to my lap.

“He asked where we had lunch and I told him here.” She sighs. “I said your apartment is on West Forty-Third Street, and I came here with sandwiches after I went to the library. He wanted to know what day that was. I told him. It seemed very important to him, Trina, so I told him.”

I can’t be angry with her. My mom is the most honest person I’ve ever known.

“I’m sorry,” she apologizes. “He left the bakery in tears, Trina. He was very upset.”

I reach across the table to take her hand in mine. “It’s okay, Mom. It’s all going to be okay.”

I say that even though I know nothing is okay. The lie that Graham and I concocted to make Mr. Abdon’s dying wish a reality may actually break his already fragile heart.

Chapter Forty-Nine

Trina

I curse under my breath as the call goes directly to Graham’s voicemail again.

“Please, Graham, please.” I try to calm my voice, but it’s useless. “This is an emergency. You have to call me now.”

That’s the third time I’ve tried to call him in the past five minutes.

The first time was when I said goodbye to my mom on the sidewalk outside of my building.

I got her into a taxi that I flagged down and then pressed the button on my phone to connect me with Graham.

Tears fell as I left him a voicemail message.

Then I checked his calendar on my phone. He’s in a meeting with one of the district managers for Abdons.

He told me that he was going to meet up with him for a drink, but he didn’t say where.

Dammit, I wish I knew which bar he was in.

Frustrated but determined to handle this catastrophe, I edge forward on the backseat of the Uber I’m in.

“We’re almost there.” The woman behind the wheel smiles at my reflection in the rearview mirror. “You seem anxious to get to where we’re going.”

“You have no idea,” I whisper.

“Maybe I do,” she bounces back at me. “I can see you’re a bundle of nerves. I’m all ears if you need to talk.”

I manage a soft smile even though my world is currently crumbling around me. “I appreciate that. I really do, but I’m all right.”