Luna Leibrock, wasn’t that a porn star’s name? I thought nastily.
Taking a few steps toward her, satisfaction ran through me when she had to crane her neck to keep eye contact. Luna was of average height for a woman, but small next to me. I clearly got my build from my father, whoever he was. “Apologies, Luna, if I don’t believe you. Considering how you fucked off when I was only five.”
“How did you find me?” She was quick to question, almost cutting off my sentence.
“Does it matter?” I shot back.
Her shoulders dropped at my tone. “I understand how you must be feeling, but the situation wasn’t straightforward,” Luna replied, glancing towards the sofas. As she gestured for me to take a seat, I rocked back on my heels.
“I’ll stand thanks,” I said with a head shake.
Moving away, I steppedbehindone of the sofas. I remembered her scent, too, and it annoyed the hell out of me. At least with a piece of furniture separating us, I wouldn’t be tempted to put my hands around her throat. So many chaotic emotions were pumping through me that I suddenly didn’t trust myself.
My thoughts darted to Harper. I hoped she was alright.
“So, explain it to me. Because that is the only reason I’m here.” Removing my hands from my pockets, I rested them on the cold leather of the couch.
Walking to the opposite sofa, my mother took a seat and dropped her hands into her lap. She looked up at me with a quizzical look. “What do you mean? Theonlyreason?”
Snorting, I explained. “Well, I have no intention of pursuing any type of relationship with you.” I half wanted to see hurt cross her features, but hercomposure remained the same. The woman was giving nothing away, and that pissed me off even more.
I noticed Luna’s hair had started graying around the temples. “Do you mean that?” Her eyes narrowed, and I realized she probably thought I was there to blackmail her or some shit like that. Screw up her new family. And part of me wanted to, not the blackmailing part, but the latter. The woman had almost ruined my life; I could so easily have turned hers upside down without breaking a sweat.
I blew out a long breath. “Yes. Why are you worried?”
“I don’t know, I’m not sure what I expected when I received your message. I suppose if I were in your shoes, I’d want some compensation, payback?”
“I’m not after your fucking money!” I snarled.
“OK,” she shot back, distressed by my sudden surge of temper. “Well, revenge then, some way to get back at me?”
My head tilted as I attempted to read her thoughts, crack them open, and drag out those secrets. I knew she was uncomfortable, but hid it well. “Creating waves in your picture-perfect family doesn’t gain me anything.”
Her lip twisted as she said with a head tilt. “How about a mother?”
I couldn’t stop my automatic smirk. “I already have one of those, and it isn’t you.”
She didn’t like that, interesting. “I see. OK. What do you want then?”
It suddenly felt hot in the room, and my skin was on fire.
“Why? Why did you leave me at the center?”
After a few beats of silence and a stare-down, she replied. “I can’t imagine you’ll believe me, but I did it for you, Phoenix.”
“You abandoned me for my own good? How the hell does that work?”
“My life was a mess, I’d screwed up so much, I wasn’t fit to be your mother. The first few years of your life were proof of that. You were better off without me.” She glanced down at her hands, which were still in her lap, and started toying with her rings.
The loss of eye contact pissed me off as I growled. “How can a child be better off without his fucking mother?” I came around the sofa, my hands fisted at my sides.
My words and actions caused the woman to rise warily from her seat, her arms outstretched as she glanced at the open archway which had brought her into the room. “Please keep your voice down,” she hushed.
My smile was mean and spiteful. “Why, worried my little brother might hear something nasty about his perfect mommy?” I said in the same tone, glancing behind her.
Luna’s shoulders slumped, but she remained standing. There was just the corner of the coffee table between us now. “How did you know?”
“Oh, I know all about you and your family.”
