“Well, I would say I would hope I’m like you, too.I knowall my friends get the icks when their parents get affectionate, but you shouldbe having great sex.I want to have great sex when I’m your age.You and Dalove each other.That love is physical, too.”
“My darling, I am talking about who your father was beforehe met me,” her mother said.
Daisy suddenly wasn’t sure she was ready for thisconversation.“He was Da.Just without you.So I bet he was sad.A littlelonely.”
“Oh, loneliness was not his problem, child.”Her mothersighed like she was remembering something.
Daisy was now certain she didn’t want to know.And yet sheasked the question.“What do you mean?Like he had friends?”
A wry smile crossed her mother’s face.“My darling, he wasfriends with every waitress in the hot wings business.I’m not sure why hotwings in particular, but it was his thing.And I mean it.I’m pretty sure itwas all of them.Like he was a rite of passage.”
“My daddy was a ho?”Her brain couldn’t grasp the concept.Her father was attractive, of course.But he…he was Da.
Her mother laughed.“I don’t think we’re supposed to usethat word.”
Daisy waved her off.“We all have a phase.I mean now we do.I didn’t think like you did.”
Her mom’s head shook.“Oh, I didn’t.I had a teen pregnancyphase and then a mourning phase and then I was in the hospital for a long time.Then I met your dad, who changed everything for me.But he did have a phase.Avery long and storied one sweeping across two continents.I know you thinkyou’re a bad girl, Dais, but you got nothing on your da.And guess what—heturned out fine.Well, until today.”
Guilt swamped her.“I’m sorry.I didn’t mean to come betweenthe two of you.”
Her mother’s head shook.“I think we’ve been moving towardthis moment for a long time.It was different when you were in college.Yourfather could keep fooling himself then.”
“That I wasn’t a…”
Her mother’s eyes narrowed.“Don’t you dare use that word.It’s kind of funny when it’s him.But he would never think that word about awoman.He could pretend you weren’t as active as you were.”
And there was the shame.It wasn’t something she normallyfelt.Her sex life felt normal to her.She’d gone a little crazy in college,but she’d settled a lot since then.“I’m sorry I couldn’t stay pure.”
Her mother sighed.“Daisy, this is a hard conversation.”
“I don’t understand why.If it had been Aidan having a goodtime, I doubt Da or you would be upset.”
“I’m not upset at all, baby,” her mother explained.“Pleasedon’t take my frustration with your father to mean I’m angry with you.I’m not.I’m so happy for you because I think you and Nate are going to be goodtogether.And I don’t care what you did in college as long as you were safe,and you seem to have been.I’m frustrated because your father can’t look pasthis own issues to see it.”
A sense of her own weariness hit.Nate liked her now, butwhat if he turned out to think like her father?“I like him.But I’m sure itwon’t last…”
“Why wouldn’t it last?”her mom asked.
“Because it’s me, Mom.Some guys might think I’m attractivefor a while, but they usually go away.They think I’m high maintenance orsomething.I don’t know.I’ve kind of gotten used to the idea I won’t findanyone.Why do you think I want a career so badly?I’m pretty sure I’m notgoing to have a family.”She didn’t like to wallow, but she was feeling rawright now.“I mean, I’ll be a great aunt to Aidan’s kids and to my friends’kids.So I know it won’t last because no guy wants to put up with me.”
Her mother’s face fell.“Baby, what made you think that?Daisy, you’re a beautiful, smart, funny young woman.Everyone adores you.”
“Really?”Daisy could hear the disbelief in her own tone.“It feels like they tolerate me most of the time.I’m merely Aidan’s kidsister.Da has always been the one who supported me no matter what, and I knowthat’s because I hid a lot from him.But now he’s starting to see who I trulyam, and he’s got a problem with me.Nate will, too.”
“Your father has some blinders on when it comes to you,sweetie.Like I said, it was inevitable they would come off at some point.Theway he treats you has a lot to do with his past.”Her mom sat back, consideringher.“Your father’s family was complicated.His mother, from what I can tell,was a hard woman.He didn’t have a sister growing up.He only had a brother anda mom.His mother was bitter, to say the least, and so he took care of hisbrother.”
“The one we don’t talk about?”She’d always thought it oddsince there were pictures of her mother’s family—including her first husbandand Daisy’s half-sister, Madison.They were all gone now, but there was a placefor Mom’s family in their home.But nothing for her da’s family.He’d takenthem to Ireland, shown them around Dublin, and every now and then he wouldmention his brother.He would show them a building and say this was where heand Rory used to hide when the bullies would come for them.Or that’s thechurch where his mum took them every single Sunday.But no real informationbeyond what they’d passed, and that was that.
Her mom nodded.“Because he betrayed your father in theworst way.Your dad put a lot of his soul into Rory, and it turned out sobadly.He watched him die, would have been the one to pull the trigger if he’dbeen given the chance.He was trying to save me at the time.”
Daisy felt her eyes go wide.Her parents seemed to haveperfect lives.“Da’s brother tried to hurt you?”
“Yes,” her mother agreed.“You know your father and I metduring an investigation, but what we don’t talk about is the mission itself.Hewas investigating a man who turned out to be his own brother.It’s a very longstory.Serena did a good job with it.A Soldier is Forever.”
Now she felt her jaw drop.“The one where Amy works for thedude who stole a billionaire philanthropist’s identity, and Leo has to romanceher to get close only to discover it’s his long-lost brother who is using thecharity as a front for an arms dealership?”
Her mom winced.“Yup.”
