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“See what he’s doing, Bree? It’s like watching myself being manhandled all over again.”
“Dec…” Bree said as she tried to slow him down by taking her hand out of his.
Declan instantly halted and turned on his heel. He held up a hand. “You, Ma’am, are poison. Your daughter is sharing the news she’s pregnant and you make it all about you. Talking down to your own daughter, telling her she’s stupid…”
She took two steps to her mother. “Mom, I love you. Declan’s just mad you would treat me like this. Like… well, let’s be honest, like you’ve always done whenever I didn’t meet your standards.”
“This isn’t about meeting standards about grades or finding the right job to become self-sufficient, Bree. This is about you getting pregnant with a man who isn’t in love with you.”
“Now hold on, I’m in—”
Bree shot him a pulverizing look over her shoulder and hissed, “Don’t you dare say itnow. I don’t want you to say it like this. Shut the fuck up, Dec.”
Declan held his tongue.
“I know I’m nothing like you. I’m not as strong as you are, or even as independent,” Bree said to her mother.
“Oh, dear Bree… but can’t you see? You are just like me. You’re exactly how I used to be with your father. I was love struck the moment he smiled at me that first time. And let me tell you this… if he ever came knocking… I still don’t know if I would close that door in his face. I see that same quality in you. You’ve devoted your all to him.”
She waved at Declan standing behind Bree, “And now you’re pregnant with his child and never going to move on.”
Declan walked over to them and placed his arm over Bree’s shoulder. “She’s never going to have to move on, Joan.”
Joan snorted.
“The times Rob told me he loved me, pffft. If I got a dollar each time he said I was it for him, I could’ve bought a Ferrari. And in the meantime…” Joan shook her head and looked down at her red pumps.
“What? Had he been cheating during your entire marriage? Not just at the end?” Bree asked.
“Bree….” Joan looked up and her voice held a warning.
“I think I have a right to know. You brought him into this discussion. You’re even comparing Declan to that man. So tell me. All those ‘breaks’ you had, were they because of dad cheating?”
“I’m not having this discussion with you, young lady. This is about you and Declan. Not about me and your father.”
“This is rich. Real great, Joan. First you fixate your own insecurities upon your daughter and the moment she wants you to open up about what happened to this family years ago, you clam up.”
“Why are you still here? I want you out of my home, Declan Mills.”
“No problem. Are you coming, Bree? I’m going next door.” She shook her head, and he gave her a sweet kiss on her forehead. “Okay, I’ll see you at my Dad’s, right?”
“I’ll be just a minute. See you there.”
Declan walked out of the living room, and the front door closed with a bang.
“Are you telling Sean Jr. today? Now there’s another ladies man that could blow some smoke—”
“Mom! Stop it. Sean Jr. did nothing to you. Yes, after his wife died, he slept around with a lot of women. So what?”
“It’s like talking to a brick wall with you. What happened with that nice boy, what’s his name?”
“That boy was so memorable you can’t even remember his name. Mom, I’ve been in love with Dec since forever. You’ve been away for months and months, and now that you’re back from Brazil, you want to tell me how to live my life? No. I’m twenty-six and I’m doing this with Dec. With or without you in our lives.”
“Hmm. That’s a first.”
“What?” Bree said as she dropped her fists from her hips.
“You standing up for yourself. Must be the hormones.”
