“I remember mine. I was so freaking scared.”

“You were?” She’d never talked to her mother about pregnancy or how she found giving birth or anything like that.

They’d never had a mother-daughter conversation.

“Yes. I’d never been pregnant before, and obviously Bear, he wasn’t too happy about it. I wasn’t either.”

This wasn’t news to her. Her parents couldn’t stand to be around each other most of the time. It wasn’t a revelation that her parents wanted nothing to do with having a baby together.

“Bear was great though. Don’t get me wrong, we had a few bad moments. There was a lot of shouting, but we got through it. When I saw you on the screen, it did make it more real.”

“Yeah, this is more real.”

Rebecca sighed. “I’m not going to be the perfect mother. There are times, I’m not going to lie to you, Robin, I don’t like you. It’s no fault of yours, and I’m going to try.”

“Why? Why try now?”

“Because … the one thing I always wanted when I was pregnant I couldn’t have.”

“Which was?”

“My mom,” she said. “I had made sure that door was closed off to me long ago. We’re never going to be close, and I’m not going to pretend we don’t have our differences now, but I will be here for you. You’re going to need a mom during this time.”

“You don’t have to,” Robin said.

Tears filled her eyes, and she cringed as they fell down her cheeks.

“I don’t know what is happening to me. One moment I’m fine, the next I’m crying all over the place.”

“It’s the hormones. Welcome to motherhood. Now, do you want to tell me what is going on with you and Bishop? I hear talk, you know.”

“Mom, you know what is going on.”

“Since you’ve been married, nothing has been … happening?”

“No.”

“Why not? You do know the only way to keep Bishop is to put out for him. You did have the V-card for him, but that’s not going to happen now.”

She stared at her mother and was under no illusions this new act was exactly that, an act. She couldn’t figure out what it was or why.

Her mother didn’t do anything for anyone unless it benefitted her. Why was she asking about Bishop?

Up until now her mother was very much determined to keep her and Bishop together, offering the same advice that no man wanted a woman who wasn’t willing to put out.

“I’m hungry, Mom,” she said.

Before Rebecca could say anything more, Preacher and Bear walked in.

She watched as her mother looked Preacher up and down, seeing the appreciation in her gaze.

She wondered if that was it.