Read My Mother's Secret for Free Online

they? They didn’t have to open themselves up, put it all on the line and then wait for a yes or no. Girls had all the power. They just didn’t realise it.
    Davey had brought the ring with him because he’d thought that seeing his parents so happy together after forty years, Camilla might be ready for a proposal. And he hoped there’d be a suitably romantic opportunity to ask her. They had, in a very forthright and Nordic sort of way, discussed marriage before. Camilla had said that it was a right but not a duty, and Davey, trying some forthrightness himself, asked what exactly that meant her position was regarding it, and she’d replied that she was certainly entitled to get married to someone if and when she felt the time was right, but she wasn’t obliged to, now or ever. Which had left him wondering where he stood in the entire scheme of things. And yet he loved her and he believed that she loved him, despite his inadequacies. So it was just a question of asking her at the right time. He hoped.
    He wanted to marry her. He wanted to have a family with her. He wanted to be as lucky as his mum and dad and he wanted his own kids to be as lucky as him.
    He hoped it wasn’t too much to ask.
    ‘Tell me about your parents,’ she asked after they’d been on the road for nearly an hour and the playlist from her phone had finished. ‘Forty years together is some achievement.’
    ‘I know,’ he said. ‘I wonder how many people make that any more?’
    ‘Hardly anyone, I’d’ve thought. So what is it about your mum and dad that make them so special?’
    ‘They work well together,’ said Davey after a pause. ‘They complement each other. Mum’s always been a bit dreamy and artistic and Dad is the one who gets things done.’
    ‘You said your mum is a painter. Is she well known in Ireland?’
    ‘Oh, she’s not all that serious about it,’ Davey clarified. ‘It’s more of a hobby than a job.’
    ‘It’s a gift,’ Camilla pointed out.
    ‘Yes, it is. But it’s not like a career or anything. Although …’ His voice trailed off as he trawled through his memories. ‘She went away for an exhibition or a course or something when I was younger. I can’t really remember it too well. She was away for what seemed like weeks. Probably only a few days though.’
    ‘And did she sell paintings at this exhibition?’
    ‘I’ve no idea.’ He shot a shamefaced glance at his girlfriend. ‘I guess I was never interested enough to ask. That’s awful, isn’t it?’
    Camilla shook her head. ‘You were a child. You had your own concerns.’
    ‘Yes, but when I was older I could’ve taken more interest. Oh well, I can ask her about it today.’
    ‘Your parents will like this surprise?’ asked Camilla.
    ‘I sure as hell hope so,’ said Davey. ‘My sister Steffie is convinced Mum will hate it. But when Roisin puts her mind to something, we all have to agree.’
    Camilla knew a little about the two Sheehan girls, having asked Davey about his family on a number of occasions. But like all the men she knew, he was sparing with his information. Not because of any deep desire to be mysterious, but simply because as far as he was concerned, none of it mattered very much.
    ‘I always got on better with Steffie,’ he told her now. ‘Maybe because she was the baby of the family and we were in the house together for a long time. Also, she’s always up for a laugh. Roisin takes everything very seriously and she expects everyone to do what she wants all the time.’
    ‘Perhaps it’s the Roisin sister I will get on with best, in that case.’ Camilla shot him a mischievous look. ‘Because you tell me that I’m too serious sometimes, don’t you? And that I order you around.’
    ‘Oh God, do I?’ He glanced at her in dismay. ‘You’re not in the least like Ro. You’re serious in a completely different way. And you’re not bossy. You’re … um … you’re a perfectionist.’
    ‘And that may be a good thing,’ she