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She got those for my mum.
“Have a safe drive back!” Mum waves Delaney off as she strides her way down the driveway. The gravel beneath her is no match for her high heels as she sinks into it with each step. “Take care of her, Warren,” Mum instructs me as I’m quick to open Delaney’s door, and she graciously steps inside.
“Oh, he will, Helen,” Delaney smirks, her eyes catching mine for a split second before she’s stepped inside and I have to remind myself to close the door.
“Warren!” Mum calls out before I can even make my way over to the driver’s side. “Can I talk to you for a second…inside?”
I peer in through the windshield of the car, watching Delaney eagerly gesture for me to go ahead. I hadn’t realized I was even looking at her for confirmation before it was too late.
I swallow deeply, afraid of what Mum is about to say—despite knowing exactly what the context of the discussion will be.
Thankfully, Mum was asleep as Delaney and I somehow managed to catch the train last night. We made it back to the house in the early hours of the morning.
I suppose she had been right with her claim—Delaney Matthews really doesn’t miss a train.
Since then, despite loving my mum with all of my heart, avoiding her at all costs has been the only way to bypass this inevitable interrogation of “tell me all about London.” In other words, “What happened between you and Delaney?”
I follow Mum into the house, inching slow steps until closing the door gently behind me and meeting her as she stands in the kitchen. Her lips are pursed in a playful pout as she patiently or dare I sayimpatiently,taps her foot against the tiles.
Mum’s already got a new sense of Delaney’s attitude since she’s put on those slippers.
“Now, before you even say anything,” I interject before she’s even muttered a single word, “nothing happened in London.”
“And that’s where I’m going to stop you,” Mum responds quickly, and before I know it, she’s pulled me into her warm embrace as she rests her head against my chest. “Oh, Warren…” She releases a drawn-out breath. “You know how much I love you, right?”
I nod. How could I not?
“And you know how much I want you to find the right person for you, right?”
I nod again. I can’t seem to find words, yet I’m persuaded that each one of these questions is rhetorical. A keen reminder of things I’ve always known.
“Then do me a favor.” She pulls back, holding both of my hands into hers. “Allow yourself to accept that love, dear.” She peers up at me with sincerity in her eyes before brushing along my cheek. “And do yourself a favor. Start to show it.”
I have a hard time maintaining eye contact with her. Mum always knows what to say and how to say it. She hadn’t even needed to speak of Delaney’s name for it to continue to loop through my mind. Instead, I gulp down, sending her the faintest nod with the most reluctant gaze before her attention is directed elsewhere.
“What’s this?” Her eyes narrow in on my hand, forcing me to suppress my dread as she clutches onto my wrist. Her hand now rests over top of the bracelet that I laid awake most of the night, intricately memorizing each detail of, all in an attempt to forget the way Delaney’s touch felt against my skin. The task proved to be virtually impossible.
Finally, I built up the courage to meet Mum’s eyes. If I thought they were playful before, they’re downright devious now. “Oh, Warren.” She smirks with a shake of her head. “That’s rather touristy, isn’t it?”
I suck in a short breath, chewing the inside of my cheek to suppress a smile.“I couldn’t help but notice Delaney had thesame one, too, am I right?” She shoots me a suggestive stare. “Care to share more?”
Rather than opening a can of worms, I pull her in for a final hug, planting a kiss on her cheek. “Bye, Mum,” I tell her as I release her from my embrace. “Thanks for having us. I’ll talk to you soon.”
I leave her standing in the kitchen as I guide my way out of the door and over to the car, watching as she now no longer secretly peers through the curtains but instead eagerly waves goodbye to Delaney and me as I buckle up my seatbelt and start up the ignition.
“God, I love yourMum.” Delaney leans her head back against the seat, staring over at me with a bat of her eyelashes, as for the first time I hear her call her that. “I wish I had that more than anything.”
A deafening silence falls between us until I can take it no longer and muster up enough courage to ask her the follow-up question irking my mind. “Had what?”
She reaches over to the car radio, her voice, and eyes more solemn than I’ve ever seen, paining me with each second. “A family that cares.”
“I promise you,Warren, it’sthisturn!” Delaney points ahead as we approach the third “I promise it’s this way” so far. She’s the only girl I’d allow to drive me in circles, both mentally and physically, without a complaint.
“Are you sure?” I have to look at her in denial. Our road trip back has almost been surmounted by the time it’s taken us to find exactly where she lives. Something I’ve wondered for far too long.
“Yes, I swear!” she nods her head positively. This time it’s her pout that makes me cave yet again as I flick on my indicator and turn at her request.
“Ah, yes!” she perks up, straightening her spine in her seat. “This is it. I recognize exactly where I am.”
