My Cruel Lover (Wicked Poison 3)

“Is that all you see?”

She scoffs and shakes her head. “No. Do you really want to know what I see?”

“Enlighten me, Mother,” I egg her on, crossing my arms over my body, taking that please educate me with your damn thoughts stance.

“You won’t leave?” she asks. “I mean … you did ask.”

“No, now tell me.”

“Fine then.” She takes a deep breath. “I see a woman who’s not good enough for my son. My son who has a lot at stake and something for her to win. You may have been smart with women in the past, but you aren’t with this one. What? So you’re going to marry her, and then when she leaves, she takes everything you have worked so hard for with her, and she runs away with the next man in line who can give her more than you can.” She takes a deep breath, and I grind my teeth at her words. “I know girls like her. Lost, looking for love, and shown money. Now that’s all she wants. It’s why she went after Anderson … money. How much is she getting from that family? Considering how well off they are, I’m sure she would be getting enough to not work a day in her life. Have you seen under her bed? Do you really know all her secrets? It’s quite evident you don’t. All I’m saying is watch her, get to know her first. Gold-diggers are good at hiding where they stash their cash.”

My mother’s eyes fall on something behind me, and I turn.

Jacinta’s standing there, her eyes glassy as she looks at me.

“I think we should leave.”

My mother offers her a small wave as Jacinta turns and walks away.

“You said you wouldn’t leave,” my mother reminds me.

“That was before you turned into an A-class bitch.”

“Beckham,” my mother calls out after me, but I don’t even pause, walking straight out the front door. Jacinta is heading down the driveway.

“Jacinta.”

She doesn’t stop. Her feet keep up the rapid pace she’s set, and I have to jog to catch up with her. When I finally reach her, I grab her shoulder, but Jacinta shrugs me off and keeps going.

“Will you stop?”

She finally does, in her tracks, and whips around to face me. Tears are falling down her face. “I’ve put up with a lot in my life, Beckham. A lot. But I am not going to put up with someone who cannot defend me, who sits there and listens to those awful comments your mother threw my way. I get it. I do. She’s your mother. But if my mother, rest her soul, said anything like that about you, I would have corrected her the minute the words spewed from her mouth. But no, you encouraged her. I heard it all, and you never once defended me. I want to go home, and I would very much like you to not follow. I’ll see you Monday. Please don’t stop by again.”

“Let me drive you home.”

“I’ve called a cab. I can pay for that myself, so you don’t have to worry about my gold-digging ways. Thank you very much.” Jacinta turns and proceeds down the driveway, and my feet stay stuck in the gravel as I watch her leave.

“Beckham.” It’s Rhianna, and she’s looking at the end of the driveway as I watch Jacinta get into a cab, and it pulls out into traffic. I’ve been standing here waiting and watching. “You should know better than anyone to protect people you love around our mother.”

I turn to face her, and she smiles sadly.

“You’ve watched us go through it, and now you’re the golden child.”

“She left,” is all I say.

Rhianna’s forehead scrunches as she comes closer then touches my shoulder. “Give her time if that’s what she wants. But not too long … if you want her, that is.” She squeezes, releases me, then turns, and walks back inside the house where I was brought up.

Allowing myself to breathe for a few moments, I eventually turn and step inside. My mother is standing at the door, waiting for me.

“That was so wrong,” I tell her. “And worse than that, I let you say it. I didn’t defend Jacinta at all.”

“Because you know what I said is true.”

“No, it’s not. If you took the time to get to know her, you would know that.” I close, then open my eyes, trying to get rid of the vision of Jacinta’s hurt face, then I spin around and walk to my car. Over my shoulder, I say, “You fuck up all your relationships. How our father has managed to stay with you, I will never know.”

She gasps. “Beckham.”

“You better think of a way to make that shit up to Jacinta. Fuck! Even try to get to know her because I plan to keep her around for a long time.”