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She put her hand over mine and squeezed. “You don’t know how the city was divided, do you?”
“It was something to do with the feud between our grandfathers, right?”
Beth shook her head. “No, that was a rumor we all spread around so no one could use the truth against us.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The boyfriend I spoke of before, it was Edward Caldwell.”
“What?”
“I know, it’s a shock. He was the rich boy, the popular jock that everyone wanted. I was swept off my feet by him at a young age. I wasn’t from money, you see, so I felt like a princess being with him.”
“I don’t know how you could like someone like him. He’s a monster.”
“He wasn’t back then. He fought for me but my heart was with Marshall.”
“But Marshall is rich too.”
“No, he wasn’t. He was poor, his family were criminals, and Marshall ended up using his street smarts to build his empire.”
“Wow, and now he’s an asshole just like my dad.”
Beth put her arm around me. “Power does crazy things to men.”
I felt like she was warning me but I knew Roman was nothing like his dad. He’d never treat me the way Marshall treated Beth, or the way Edward treated my mother.
“So why did they divide the city?”
“Edward swore he would end Marshall for taking me from him. They started a very public war in the city. Their own fathers couldn’t control them, much like Roman and Tyler.”
“What happened?”
“Eventually, after many lives lost and many buildings being damaged. The sheriff at the time issued them a ban on each others’ sides. A line was drawn and a truce enacted.”
“And so the hatred spread to Roman and Tyler?”
Beth nodded. “They still hated each other, but they each ruled their own side of the city. It was peaceful for a little while.”
“Why are you telling me now?” I asked her.
“Roman may not be like his father, but he is still a man. I wasn’t strong enough to reel Marshall back in, but you are much stronger than I ever was. You stand by him, and you keep him level.”
I nodded. “I will.”
Beth nodded and stood up, helping me up. “Now, put that dress on and let’s get the show on the road.”
She left me alone in the room. I quickly undressed and slid the dress on. It fit me like a glove. I felt so grown up in it, the way the material hugged my curves, my breasts were divine, not too much cleavage but also not too little. I opened the door and Beth came back in.
The look of surprise in her eyes made my eyes water. I wished I had a mother like Beth my entire life.
“Wow,” she said. “Just wow. Okay, turn around, I’ll do your hair.”
I sat down on the chair and let her pull my hair up. This was what it was supposed to be like with a mother. A mother who was proud of her child, who spent time with them without wanting brownie points with a crowd.
“There.”
I got up and looked in the mirror. She’d pulled my hair up, curling them around as she pinned them in a messy bun. I had my natural curls dancing around my face.
