Page 27

I laughed at my daughter’s question. “No. Of course, I didn’t kill him. I only made him oink like a pig for a few minutes to shut him up.”

“What about the ponytail guy? What did you do to him? Not that I care, but I’m curious.”

I searched her face. “Ponytail guy? Rasmus talked about yer father like they were the best of friends. Don’t ya know him?”

“No. None of his work people ever came around. Dad preferred to hang out with his rich friends.”

My mouth quirked at one corner. “Is that right?”

Fiona nodded. “Yes. But I never liked his rich friends, so I avoided their company.”

“Why didn’t ya tell me about his rich friends when ya visited?”

“I didn’t want you to get mad enough to break out of magick jail and become a fugitive. It was hard enough living with my mother being a criminal.”

I pushed away from her. “Is that what ya truly think of the situation? Has yer father actually convinced ya that I was the one who did something wrong?”

“You broke the rules,” Fiona said, biting her lip.

One of my eyebrows arched in the air. “Whose rules, Fiona?”

Her answer was a shrug, and then an embarrassed, “I don’t know.”

I snorted and turned away from her. She had her head in the sand and until she pulled it out, talking to her would be a waste of air and time.

“Mom, wait...”

I spun around but didn’t move closer. Instead, I gave her a hard stare. “We talked about this a thousand times. I know ya wish yer parents could get along, but that can’t happen because yer father betrayed me. Did ya think a bouquet of beautiful flowers and a ride in his midlife crisis car were going to get me to forgive him? If so, ya’re as deluded as he is.”

“I can’t pick between the two of you. That’s not fair.”

I could have told her life wasn’t fair very often, but she’d find that out soon enough. “Whether or not ya pick a side is yer choice. Eventually, though, ya’re going to have to figure out who ya’re going to believe about the seven years I lost. I wouldn’t blame ya for choosing your father and the wealth he gained from imprisoning me. The kind of money he makes now could make a young woman’s life very cushy.”

“This is not about Dad’s money.”

I stared hard. “What kind of car did he buy ya? Does it match his?”

Her wide eyes glanced at her grandmother. I couldn’t believe I’d guessed right. If I’d picked her car, my child would have been driving something big, cheap, and safe... and my child knew that.

I glared hard at her. “Gigi didn’t say a word. Conn was the one who told me Jack bought a midlife crisis car. The rest was easy to figure out since ya seem as determined as Rasmus that I reconcile with the cheating husband I divorced.”

Fiona held up both hands. “I know you’re hurt, Mom. That’s understandable.”

“No, Iwashurt, Fiona, but I’m not any longer. The divorce made me happy. What upsets me still are people trying to force me back into yer father’s life when that’s the absolute last thing I want. I’m sorry, but ya can’t think the best of both of us. I was protecting my family and my legacy. If ya think that was wrong of me, then fine. Go on and think of me as a criminal. It won’t stop me from loving ya, but I won’t be able to respect ya.”

“I don’t know what I think about either of you anymore. Why won’t you at least talk to Daddy? Maybe this is all a mistake. Maybe there’s something he can do to make this right.”

“Can Jack give me back the years of freedom he stole from me? Can he undo sleeping with those other women—the ones that turned his hair gray and made him look like your grandfather?”

I stared at her until her gaze dropped to concrete surrounding the pool.

“Do ya think it was fun staying in magickal prison for seven years? Do ya think it was fun to sleep alone while the man who vowed to be faithful to me filled his bed with whoever he pleased. I hope when ya’re my age that ya don’t have a daughter speak such an unkind thing to yer face. I hope yer child is wise enough to see the truth no matter how many fancy cars her cheating father buys her.”

Fiona teared up and dashed off. I frowned and let her go. I was done putting up with people judging me unfairly. If she wanted to believe her father, she could believe him, but there was nothing he could say to make me forgive what he’d done to me. She needed to accept that.

And one day I would move on from this mess. One day I would find a new normal where I might find a man with the ability to make me smile again.

Ma snorted when I dropped into the lounger next to her and blew out a frustrated breath. “Ya made yer baby cry.”