“Landon and Langston are…my boyfriends,” I blurted, shocked and slightly proud of myself.
There was a deep groove in my mother’s forehead as she stared at the three of us for a moment. Then, surprisingly, she started laughing.
Now I was the one who was confused. “What’s so funny?”
“Your…boyfriends? Plural?” She laughed even harder.
Granted, her chuckles died a quick death when Sir reached for my other hand, linking our fingers together.
“Oh, my God. You’re serious.” My mother’s face turned a bright red. “Luci, this is absolutely unacceptable.”
And there it was. I knew that this was a bad idea.
“Actually, Mrs. Wagner, we didn’t come to get your approval.” Master’s tone was rigid yet civil.
That threw my mother for a loop.
“We simply felt that it was important to officially meet you,” he continued. “And to let you know that Luci will be moving in with us.”
“Both of you?” My mother’s mouth hung open a little.
“Yes, ma’am,” Sir confirmed.
“How long have you been dating…them?” she asked, her eyes narrowed on me.
“Three months,” I admitted.
“Three months! And you’re moving in with them?” Her voice was reaching a fever pitch.
Sir glanced over at me and Master. “Would you mind waiting out in the truck? I’d like to have a conversation with your mother.”
“No,” my mother snapped. “That’s not necessary. I don’t even want to know what depravity Luciana is a part of. I take absolutely no responsibility for her…ridiculous decisions.”
Before I could plan a counterattack, Master pulled me up from the sofa and led me toward the front door. I pulled on his hand once, but he held firm, forcing me to follow him.
“Come on, pet,” he said softly. “Let Landon handle this. The man’s quite adept at dealing with unruly people.”
I was so embarrassed I started to cry. I couldn’t believe my mother would react like that. It wasn’t like I hadn’t suspected what she would say or do, but that…
She called me depraved and it…it hurt.
When we got to the truck, Master opened the back passenger door but he didn’t urge me inside. He turned me to face him, cupping my head in his big hands.
“Look at me, Luci,” he insisted.
I opened my eyes and tried to focus through the watery haze of tears.
“I know it didn’t go the way you wanted it to,” he said softly. “But it was imperative that we meet them. I think you’ll find that, in the future, you’ll have a chance to repair the relationship with your mother.”
“You’re wrong,” I said on a sob. “It’s a lost cause.”
“It’s not,” he assured me. “However, if she would’ve found out that you moved in with us and you didn’t bother to tell her about the relationship, she would’ve been just as angry.”
It was true. She would have. And then it would’ve been my fault.
Master tilted my head back a little more, locking eyes with me. “One thing you need to know about me and Landon…we’re not embarrassed about what we want.” He fingered my collar. “We’ve waited our entire lives for you, Luci. And we’re not ashamed to admit it. If that’s not something you want, then you need to tell us now.”
I grabbed his wrists. “I’m not ashamed either,” I said, praying he would believe me. “I’m not embarrassed about being with the two of you. In fact, I’m proud of that. I’m just…I’m embarrassed that my mother doesn’t love me.”
Master leaned down and pressed his lips against my forehead. “Your mother loves you in her own way. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have let you come over today. A strained relationship is still better than no relationship at all.” He pulled back so I could see his face again. “Luci, your mother’s selfish. She thinks about herself first and foremost. Nobody’s perfect. But that’s on her, not you.”
I had never thought of it that way.
I heard the front door open and I turned to see Sir walking out. He shook Jim’s hand and then sauntered down the steps to the truck.
“Come on,” Master urged. “Let’s go have dinner. We’ll talk more when we get there.”
I agreed, although I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what my mother had to say when I wasn’t there.
•
They took me to a fancy restaurant. I wasn’t quite dressed for the occasion, but no one seemed to mind. We were led to a private table in the back corner, away from most of the other patrons. While the waiter bustled about, bringing water, then wine, and finally taking our order, I sat patiently, wondering if Landon was going to tell me what happened.
And then when he finally did, I wished he hadn’t.
“She’ll come around,” Landon said, holding my hand in his. “She doesn’t know how to feel, Luci. You’ve admitted that you didn’t have a close relationship with her. This is her way of dealing.”
