to have Adam in my life. Not just at my side, but in my bed. In my body.
It was bliss.
Until life got in the way.
Maybe life was the curse, not the trait we had in our line. There was a reason for the saying, “Life’s a bitch and then you die,” after all.
“I want you to promise me something, Theodosia. I haven’t been a mother to you, because my decisions took that away. I’ll never know you as I ought to, and I’ll grieve that until the day I die—”
“There’s always time,” I cut in, but she ignored me.
“Time is something I have plenty of, you’re right. But the truth is, even if we did get to be friends, we’d never have the relationship we were born to have. How can we? I spent all the years I should have been raising you stuck in this place.
“So, while I have no right to tell you this, no right to ask it of you, I’m going to do it anyway. This is my one and only chance of being a mother to you, and I’m going to ask you to heed it...” She sucked down a breath. “Stay away from him. Avoid him like he was the plague itself, because for you, child, he is. He’s in your blood, and I know how that hurts.
“We Kinkade women, we were destined to meet our jílos, and we were destined to meet them young, so we know the pain of craving them and never being able to have them, of having to live our lives without them at our side.” Her voice turned lower, and her fingers stopped fiddling with the corners she’d torn off the candy wrappers. “Trust me, Theodosia, there’s nothing more agonizing than knowing your one doesn’t roam this world anymore, and it’s because he perished at your hands.”
THEA
“How does it feel, Theodosia?”
My smile was too big for my face as I pondered the reporter’s question. “It feels like all the years of training, all the years of sacrifice, were all worthwhile.” I lifted one of the medals around my neck, pressed a kiss to the decorated face, and murmured, “More than that, it feels like I’ve finally found my place.”
“Okay, so I’m curious…” Renee Lisette, the journalist I’d agreed to speak with, tilted her head to the side when I arched a brow at her. “Why did you agree to this interview?”
“Better the devil you know?” I smiled. “I prefer to deal with people I, at least, have an acquaintance with, even if it’s only small, and you were always pleasant to me.” More than that, she’d never asked me stupid questions at press junkets.
I appreciated that more than she could know.
Renee nodded. “We’ve been around the circuit a time or two, haven’t we?”
“We have.” I beamed at her as I lifted the medals over my head.
The photographer had insisted I wear them, and though I’d felt like a real ass sitting at a coffee shop table with my six golds, Renee had agreed it looked impressive.
Whether she was right or not, I’d find out when her piece went live.
Placing them on the table, I separated them, staring at the gold faces that represented so much.
Already, the sponsorship deals I was being offered were insane. I mean, I’d been happy before, but with so many in one sitting, I was getting more of those ‘female Phelps’ statements tossed at me.
Stupid, but not for my bank balance.
“What do you credit to your success, Theodosia?”
I blinked at her. “Thea, please.”
There’d been a time where I’d been Thea only to one person, but that time was no more. Now, I was Thea to everyone. Mostly because it stopped with the questions. I didn’t think Theodosia was that weird of a name, but apparently, I was the only one who thought that.
“Thea,” Renee amended as she lifted her coffee and took a sip. She’d gone for one that smelled faintly of caramel, and though it was slight, it was sweet enough to make my belly rumble.
In fact, fuck it.
I twisted my head to the side to seek out a server, and when I saw one, raised a hand. “Can I have some of the cheesecake, please?” They had images of the jiggly dessert on the window, and I was craving some.
“With raspberry coulis or without?”
“With, please.”
The woman bowed before disappearing, and I turned back to Renee and said, “Death.”