Sassy in Lingerie (Lingerie 8)

My mom looked down for a while, like she was bracing herself for the words she was about to share with me. “The only reason why we’re telling you this is because it has to do with Griffin…how our lives are so intertwined.”

I was right.

“I don’t want to get into the specifics of it because they really don’t matter…” My mom lifted her gaze to meet mine. “I’ve been very happy for a long time, and I don’t associate myself with my past. I’ve been nothing but grateful for the life I’ve lived, and I wouldn’t change the past, not to sacrifice the present.

I wasn’t ready for this. I wasn’t ready to listen to my mother’s pain.

“When I was your age, a little older than you are now, I was kidnapped and placed in the trafficking business. A cruel man bought me from the Underground. What happened after that doesn’t matter, but that man was Griffin’s father.”

I wanted to force a reaction, but I couldn’t. I already knew this, and listening to her say it made me feel dead inside. My mother hadn’t deserved that. No woman did. I felt my father stare at me, watching every reaction that I made. “I’m so sorry, Mama…” I could hardly speak without my voice cracking. I felt the tears long before they arrived.

“Don’t be sorry,” she said gently. “It was a long time ago. Your father took me to punish Griffin’s father because of what he did to your aunt. He kept me as a prisoner for a while, but we fell in love quickly. He became my savior, my protector. We’ve been in love ever since. My story has a very happy ending. I wouldn’t change the past because it led me to your father. I believe he’s the man I was supposed to be with. Not once did he view me as a victim or damaged goods. He loved me like I’d never suffered a day in my life.”

I took a deep breath, feeling the pain in my chest. I still wanted to cry, still wanted to break down. “You didn’t deserve that. No woman does…” Before I could stop them, tears fell from my eyes.

My father watched me, his eyes softening.

Mama reached her hand across the table and placed it on mine. “Please don’t cry for me, sweetheart. That time in my life has no hold over me anymore. It has no power whatsoever. I defeated my past, have found love and beauty in this world that can never be taken away.”

“I know. But it…it’s just wrong.”

“And I got my justice,” she said. “I killed him myself. I’ve never felt any remorse for it.”

“You shouldn’t…” I knew Bones hated us for taking his father away, but he was a bad man who’d deserved to die. He’d deserved something worse than death. “You should have tortured him and made him beg for death. You should have ripped all his organs out until there was nothing left.”

Mama squeezed my hand. “He’s gone now, so it doesn’t matter. But I hope you understand why accepting Griffin has been so difficult for both of us. We haven’t said his father’s name in almost thirty years…because it was banned from this house. This man wanted to hurt us as well, and only his love for you changed his mind. It’s hard for me to look at him and not think of what his father did to me. It’s even worse for your father, who also lost his sister. You’re asking a lot of us, and I hope our attempt shows how much you mean to us.”

“It does…absolutely.”

She pulled her hand away. “We wanted you to know, to understand the entire situation.”

“I do,” I said. “And I know it must be hard for you. It would be hard for me. Sometimes I have nightmares about Knuckles. If I had to interact with that man again, I’d be sick to my stomach. But the issue with Griffin is…he’s not his father.”

My father wore the same cold look on his face.

My mother sighed quietly. “I know…”

“I’m not being insensitive because I understand just how painful that was for you,” I said gently. “I understand why this man isn’t your first choice. I understand why you wish I’d fallen for someone else. If I didn’t love him as much as I do, I would just throw in the towel and find love elsewhere. But what we have together…it’s stronger than love. I’m so sorry that I’m putting you through this. Truly. But I have to fight for him.”

My mother gave a slight nod. “I understand.”

“And you said Father kept you as a prisoner…what does that mean?” Was that any different from what Bones did to me?

“My relationship with your father is private,” she said, doing her best not to sound harsh. “Don’t compare our relationship to yours, and don’t validate your decisions based on our past. This man has admitted he wanted to hurt us. Your father never had a vendetta against me.”