Page 94 of All for Love

MERCEDES

My mother had gone up one side of me and down the other. We’d been yelling at each other for over an hour—for the first time in our lives. We’d both cried, then yelled again, then cried some more.

Emotionally, I was as wrung out as I’d ever been, and still, it wasn’t enough. Mom refused to even consider hearing me out, asking me dozens of questions but then interrupting every time I tried to answer or screaming at me when she didn’t like what I managed to get out.

She was shaking, red faced, and wet eyed, and I’d never seen her so unreasonable. So upset. It was my fault and I was taking responsibility for that, but I was quickly realizing that we weren’t going to get anywhere tonight.

We wouldn’t be getting anywhere anytime soon unless she managed to calm down a bit. I hadn’t been expecting her to take the news well, but this was a few levels above what I’d thought might happen.

“You and Kody are done!” she snarled, pointing a shaking finger at my chest. “Do you hear me, Mercedes? You’re done!”

“Mom.”

“No!” she yelled shrilly, her eyes wide and wild. “You have to end it. For the sake of my marriage, you will end it!”

“Why?” I asked softly, holding my palms up to show her I came in peace. “Just explain this to me, Mom. I really don’t understand.”

Her nostrils flared and she scoffed, her head shaking. “Don’t play dumb with me. You’re better than that. I know you are.”

“I’m not playing dumb. I just really don’t understand why we have to end things for the sake of your marriage. Why can’t you be married to Mr. Wagner while I’m in a relationship with Kody? Those two things have nothing to do with each other.”

“No!” she shrieked. “Don’t tell me our relationships are unrelated. They’re not. You and Kody are related, however.”

Disgust smacked into me and my temper rose up. “No, we’re not. We’re not actually siblings, Mom. He’s in his thirties and I’m nearly there. We are not now, nor will we ever be, related.”

Breathing hard, a bark of hysterical, disbelieving laughter pealed out of her. “He’s your stepbrother, Mercedes. What part of that do you not understand?”

“No, Mom. What part of that do you not understand? You realize that Mr. Wagner isn’t my father, right? He didn’t have anything to do with my conception. Kody and I didn’t grow up together.”

She snorted. “Oh, spare me the theatrics. I heard it all from your boyfriend this morning. You’re not siblings. You didn’t grow up together. Blah, blah, blah. It doesn’t matter, Mercedes. None of that matters. The only thing that does is that I’m married to his father, and that makes him your brother.”

“No, it doesn’t. That’s not how it works. In order for him to be my brother, we’d have to share blood. Which we don’t. Not even almost. I have no idea what his past is like, we don’t share any history, or blood, or relatives. Not even distant ones.”

“He. Is. Your. Brother!”

“No,” I said firmly, crossing my arms over my chest as my heart slammed against it. “He’s not. We’re never going to be brother and sister, Mom. This is a big deal, I get that, but it’s not nearly as big a deal as you’re making it out to be.”

Just then, my phone chimed where I’d left it—which was right in front of where my mother was now standing. She snatched it up before I could move a muscle, then scowled at the screen as she held the device so tight I was worried it might crack.

“This is disgusting.” She waved the phone in the air. “I’m ashamed of you, Mercedes. Your whole life, I have been a proud mother. I’ve been in the front row for every graduation, recital, concert, and award. I have been proud, but I’m not anymore. I thought you were better than this.”

She looked me right in the eyes and dropped the phone back down on the coffee table with a loud thud. “I thought I raised you better than this. I can’t believe you’re being so selfish, and I can’t believe that you’d put me in this position after everything I’ve done for you.”

Mom sent me one last, piercing glare, shaking her head. She glanced back down at my phone for a moment and then stormed out, slamming my front door behind her. As she left, I lost the ability to feel my legs.

They went numb and I collapsed down on my sofa, finally letting the tears fall that I’d been holding back all night. This was bad. Really bad. My mother had never acted that way before—not toward me or anyone else as far as I knew.

I’d known that it would be bad when the truth came out. It wasn’t like I’d expected her to pop a bottle of champagne and celebrate, but this was crazy.

I honestly didn’t know if, or how, we were ever going to get through it.

* * *

The buzz,buzz, buzz of my phone vibrating on the coffee table woke me up the next morning. Blinking as I came to, I realized I must’ve fallen asleep right there on the sofa. My eyes were sore and they were undoubtedly puffy. My heart ached as soon as the events of last night came tumbling back into my mind.

All of it happened in a heartbeat, and I sat up. My stomach hurt from how much I’d cried. I reached for the phone, ignoring the simultaneous way my heart skipped a beat of elation and pain seared through me when I saw the name on my screen.

“Kody?” I answered. “You’re alive?” My voice was hoarse, my nose stuffy from crying half the damn night.