“Luca!” Tammy scolded.
Beverly looked up and startled at the sight of the weapon at Luca’s side.
“I-I just wanted to give her my card,” Beverly explained, holding up a business card. “I would never harm my own child.”
“Give it to me,” Luca insisted.
She nodded and handed the card to Luca.
“Please, Tamara, call me.”
Tammy simply turned and walked away. She was uninterested in having a conversation with the woman that had abandoned her and her dad a long time ago. Luca stayed close, but Lorenzo hurried ahead so that he could open the door for them. Tammy climbed inside and slid over, making room for Luca. She stared out of the window, not looking at anything in particular. Tammy couldn't believe she’d seen her mother after so many years of wondering if she was even alive.
“Are you okay?” Luca asked. His voice was filled with concern.
“Yeah, I’m good.”
Luca handed her the card. Tammy held it a few seconds before looking down at it:
Beverly Beauvais
Drug Counselor
Mount Olive Hospital
“Drug counselor,” Tammy muttered.
Ain't that a bitch?
During the entire twenty minute drive to Jack and Victoria’s house, Tammy was submerged in the few memories that she’d had of her mother. And since she’d worked so hard to forget the woman, she didn't have very many. She did, however, remember the loud fights between Beverly and her dad, which were usually about money that would “mysteriously” disappear. While her dad worked, her mom would often leave Tammy home alone. She was only seven, so she’d had to learn to take care of herself. Mostly, she ate bread soaked with syrup or Ramen noodles whenever she was lucky enough to have some in the house. But more often than not, Tracy went to bed hungry. When her dad would come home from work and asked if she’d eaten, Tracy would lie and say that she had in order to prevent them from fighting.
As Tracy considered her childhood, she tried hard to remember something good about Beverly. Then it occurred to her that when her parents were happy, before Beverly began to change, it was her that taught Tammy to sew. Sewing was her mother’s thing, and she was good at it. She would make her the most beautiful dresses. All the girls at school would envy Tammy’s princess-like wardrobe. Beverly’s love for sewing was the one good thing about her. It was a love that Tammy had inherited.
“Bella?” Luca called, snapping her into the present.
She turned to her handsome fiancé. Worry was etched across his face.
“We’re here.”
When Tammy looked up, they were just passing the guard shack.
“We’ll talk about your mother once we get inside.”
Tracy shook her head. “There’s nothing to talk about. She ain't worth a conversation.”
“But we will talk none the less,” Luca insisted.
Tammy rolled her eyes. Luca wasn't about to let it go. For a so-called mobster, he didn't mind discussing their feelings. It was such a contradiction to his brooding exterior. Tammy, on the other hand, had no problem sweeping shit under the rug.
The vehicle came to a stop in front of the house. They stepped out and walked to the front door. As Luca pressed the code to enter, Tammy was trying to come up with a way to avoid the conversation that Luca was determined to have. He opened the door, and they stepped into the foyer.
Tammy began walking toward the parlor. “Baby, I’m gonna go grab a quick drink. I won't be long. I’ll meet you upstairs.”
“No,cara, I’ll have a drink with you. If you don't want to talk about your mother tonight, we won't. But don't ever try to avoid your husband.”
“You're not my husband yet,” Tammy said with a smirk.
Luca stalked over to her, grabbed her firmly by the back of her neck, and pulled her close. He leaned in and whispered, “You were my wife the first time I entered that sweet pussy. This wedding thing is for you. You already belong to me, already my wife.Capisci?”
Tammy melted against his solid body and held him tight. She had never felt so loved, so blessed.
“Yes, I understand completely.”
