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Obviously still conflicted, Minty let me tug him to his feet. “All right. I just need a few minutes.”
A “few minutes” turned out to be an hour and a half while Minty fidgeted with his hair and clothes, choosing the perfect number of colored barrettes, and picking out the right skirt to go with his frothy, yellow shirt, and then deciding between some balletslippers he had and his cowboy boots.
I watched him put on his makeup and choose his clothes with a new understanding.
This wasn’t just his style, his self-expression, and his bravery.
This was his armor too.
When it was time to leave, he was ready.
Chapter Twenty-Four
‡
Minty
I’d never takenany of my friends to my mom’s house, except for Daniel. Well, technically, Windy had come with me once, but I’d made him wait in the car while I ran inside and grabbed a few things from my old room. My mom hadn’t even been home.
So, when I pulled my truck to a stop in front of the trailer, I couldn’t help but see the place through Luke’s eyes, and what I saw was grim. The gray-blue siding was slick with the earlier rain, and the low-hanging winter clouds were the same color as the worn, wooden steps that led up to the front door. Luke’s house wasn’t all that big, but it was ten times nicer than Mama’s mobile home. Daniel’s mom had been generous in gifting it to us, but she hadn’t been extravagant in the least. There were no extras, and there was no hiding our poverty.
“This is it,” I said, unbuckling my seatbelt and hopping from the cab of the truck with ease. The soggy, grassless ground squished beneath my cowboy boots. I closed my loose, green military surplus jacket around me to block out the cold. “Home, sweet home.” My distaste for the place seeped into my tone.
Luke shut the door of the truck behind him, stuffed his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels, examining Mama’s short, evergreen gardenia shrubs, strung over with blinking Christmas lights. “Looks cozy.”
It had been once, back before my father had found us here. I used to feel safe in the trailer. I’d loved when it rained, especially. Being tucked up inside with a hot mug of coffee, snug in my bed while the rain came down had been its own kind of heaven.
Now…
A drop of rain hit my head. It slid cold and slow down my cheek.
“Let’s do this,” I said, straightening my shoulders. I checked my crossbody purse to make sure the birthday card was still tucked inside.
Luke crowded up on the step behind me as I knocked on the door and then flung it open, stepping into the warm living room. A kerosene heater sat in the corner, keeping the temperature toasty despite the chilly, wet weather.
“Sugarbaby!” Mama cried, coming around the corner from the kitchen, her eyes alight with happiness at seeing me. She wore a blue, long-sleeved housedress that brought out her eyes, and her blonde hair was loose, hanging down her back. I summoned a smile. It was her birthday, and I needed to be happy. In some ways, Iwashappy. It was just there was so much I was keeping from her…
“Happy birthday, Mama.” I breathed in her scent as she folded me into her arms. When we broke our hug, her eyes strayed to Luke who stood behind me. With a delighted smile, she shot a thrilled glance my way before asking, “And who is this handsome man you’ve brought with you?”
“Mama, this is Luke.” I gestured between them. “Luke, this is my mama.”
“Mrs. Arnold, it’s a pleasure,” Luke said, like he was royalty and had been born with social graces running through his veins. He put out his hand, shaking Mama’s delicately. “And happy birthday, ma’am. I hope you don’t mind me crashing your party.”
“Any friend of Mitchell’s is always welcome.” She gave the wordfrienda special emphasis that made me roll my eyes.
“Yes. He’s my boyfriend,” I said, testing out the label. It felt good, and when Luke smiled to hear it, it felt even better.
“Ahh!” She clapped her hands together and bounced on her toes. It seemed that Luke was probably gift enough.
I laughed at her antics. “Surprise!”
“You hadn’t said anything about a boyfriend,” she scolded, still grinning from ear to ear. I smelled her famous lasagna coming from the kitchen and noticed that her skin was broken out, the way it sometimes did when she had eaten too many of the free gut bombs from her job at HeyDey Burgers. “Are you keeping secrets from me these days?”
Yes. So many secrets, actually.
I cleared my throat. “We just became boyfriends this week.”
Luke scoffed, pulling me close to his side. “I don’t know about that. We’ve been seeing each other exclusively for a couple of months now.”
