Seeing that we had enough space to talk, so long as we did it quietly, she whispered, “Thank you.”
“You’re not pissed at me?”
She shook her head. “No. At first, I was confused. Then when I realized why they were here, I wanted to keep the conversation based on them. Knowing I was headed there, Jacinda pointed that out before I had a chance to do it, I had to decide if I was going to sink deeper or swim to the top.”
I got what she was trying to say because I’d felt that way after my parents had died. You either deflected the conversation away from your problems, or you accepted the hand being held out and talked, letting all your issues out into the world. It was harder to do the latter than people thought, and it took guts. Naomi had those guts, though, and part of my intention today had been for her to realize that and have faith in herself.
“Which one did you go with?”
I hadn’t spoken with the women today because what was said was between them, and I’d meddled enough. If Naomi chose to share it with me, that was her choice and hers alone.
Her eyes filled with tears as she stared up at me before she croaked, “I swam.”
I was so relieved by her admission, it felt like I couldn’t breathe.
Wrapping my arms around her, I held her as tightly as I dared. “I’m relieved, baby. I’m sorry I put you in that position, but—”
Her head snapped back. “No, please don’t. I get why you feel that way, but at no point was I pissed at you for doing it. It’s not like you to tell other people things, so I knew you had to have a good reason. I’m just so grateful you did.”
I was still kicking myself for doing it, but if it helped her, then at least there was that.
“Before Shanti comes in, I need to tell you something. I’ve got some information on Jeremy for you to read over.” Her head tilted to the side while she waited for me to elaborate. “I wanted to make sure he wasn’t…” I didn’t know exactly how to phrase it without upsetting her.
“Like my mom,” she concluded, nodding. “That’s been worrying me, and I don’t want to face that kind of toxicity or put Shanti through it.”
I let out a relieved breath. “Exactly that. He’s actually a good guy and works hard. His dad was a professional basketball player, and Jeremy played it at school but studied to be a veterinarian in college instead. His grandad was one, so I’m assuming that’s why. He’s never been arrested, never had a ticket for speeding, and never gotten into trouble.”
“What was a professional basketball player doing with my mom?”
“I’m assuming she wasn’t on drugs back then. Maybe she was and hid it from him?”
She looked off to the side, most likely trying to imagine her mom not being the person she’d always known her to be. I’d only seen the woman from a distance, but even I couldn’t picture it.
“How does he have the same last name?”
“His dad’s called Jeremiah Kelly.” Her eyes widened, recognizing the famous basketball player’s name. I nodded. “Yeah, that was my reaction, too. Anyway, he married her when she was pregnant with Jeremy—who, by the way, isn’t called Jeremiah—and she went from Brandt to Kelly when she took on his name. Your dad changed his name from Owens to Kelly after they got married and moved to Piersville.”
“More than likely to hide from people and debts,” she huffed, again drawing to the same conclusion Alex and I had.
There was one thing, a huge and illegal secret she’d never think of, though.
“There’s something you need to know about your parents, baby, and I need to tell you this before Shanti comes in.”
“Oh, God. Please don’t tell me they’re related. Please! I don’t think I could handle knowing I’m my own cousin or second cousin.”
Ordinarily, that would be funny, but with her parents, it wouldn’t have been an impossible scenario. They were that fucked up.
But still. “No, you’re not your cousin. But your mom was a bigamist.”
She blinked. “Sorry?”
“There’s no record of a divorce between her and Jeremiah, but there is a record of her and your dad getting married.”
Her jaw dropped. “She married him while she was still married to someone else?”
“On a technicality, the marriage between her and your dad isn’t legal.”
“Holy shit,” she breathed. “Callum would love the hell out of this.”
Her response was a big surprise. I’d referred to it as a clusterfuck when I’d made the discovery earlier and had been worried sick Naomi would freak out when I told her. I mean, how much more could she take of the bullshit that woman and man brought into her life? Instead, she was now laughing hard enough to shake me.