Read Evergreen (Mer Tales, Book 2) for Free Online Page B

Prince’s presence, he was so attractive to me.” Mom giggled like a schoolgirl—something I’d never heard before.
    I shrugged it off as she composed herself and continued.
    “But, unlike Phaleon, it was your dad who asked me about my goals and dreams, and the things that mattered most to me. He shared similar desires and we connected on a deeper level. Once Phaleon planned the big date to kiss me, Jack broke protocol and warned me not to go. At first I was shocked at his boldness, and thought he was saying so because he’d fallen in love with me. But when I flat out asked him, your dad said it was best I didn’t get involved with either of them. I didn’t understand and his rejection hurt. So when I told Leon I only wanted to be friends, they both disappeared the next day, and took my heart with them.”
    Though I knew this talk would be coming sooner or later, the timing sucked. I needed to turn off my brain before my own depression set in, but I continued to listen.
    “Of course, your father had fallen in love with me, and a few years later when he rescued me from drowning, we were promised. I finally learned of the mer and exactly what Leon had planned for me. And your sweet father never wanted me to feel obligated to choose the mer life just for him, so he told me I never had to choose. We’d make it work no matter what. And we believed we could.”
    Mom swayed and put her hands back to catch herself.
    “Are you okay?” I asked.
    “Yeah.” She rubbed her forehead. “I’m tired from last night I think.”
    “Why don’t you sleep then?”
    “No… I want to tell you—”
    If only Dad would let us know he’d found fresher water and she could rest.
    “The thought of Natatoria suffocated me,” she continued, almost as if in a trance. “A lonely place where women harvested merlings and the men supervised their every move. Everything was planned and provided for, right down to the rays of sunlight. But instead of seeing a blessed utopia, I kept telling Jack I wanted a career, a picket fence, and selfishly a home with an oversized bathtub for Jack to sleep in at night. But still, he never put pressure on me.
    “But when Jack would leave me to visit Natatoria, I was the one alone. I worried he’d never return, or that if something bad happened, I couldn’t go to him. I hated how the water separated us, so after my parents passed, I decided your father’s love was greater than anything this world had to offer, and I became a mermaid.
    “Then our lives fell into place. I had you kids. We were happy in our own world in Tahoe. But once King Merric became ill and Phaleon was given the kingdom, things changed. Phaleon began to do things that suggested he never forgave Jack for stealing me from him. And your father, so filled with guilt, continually allowed Phaleon to treat him like a servant.
    “And when your father was sent to find Galadriel and bring her home, I thought it was the end for us. Though Phaleon doesn’t seem to truly love Deidre, he wouldn’t jeopardize his kingdom to steal another’s mate—not in public eyes. The entire scheme was put in motion only to please his son, the future king. I believe Phaleon allowed us to stay away from Natatoria so Tatiana wouldn’t have opportunities to meet merboys her age. And then conveniently, Galadriel runs away right before the coming of age festival. Phaleon had his perfect excuse. And I was afraid for Jack’s life if I didn’t comply. I should have insisted we stay in Tahoe. We should have discussed the situation as a family first before letting your father go, but he worried about discovery of the safe-house if he didn’t. It’s all my fault.”
    “No, Mom,” I said, interrupting her. “It was my fault. I kept getting in trouble.”
    “Son,” she said with glassy eyes, “they used every little infraction to tighten their control so they could justify forcing both of you to be promised as a punishment.”
    “We should have run,