Juliet held tight, though, angling her chin up in her mother’s direction.
Her mother, whose mouth fell open in obvious shock, her eyes widening. She snapped her back straight up, closing her mouth after several long seconds.
Darcy, too, was staring across at her. She offered her a wave. “Hi. I’m Darcy.”
Fuck, Juliet loved that anunreasonableamount at this point. She couldn’t contain her smile at the introduction.
Her mom recovered, waving back at her. “Yes, I know who you are. I’m Tiffany Jacobs.”
“I know,” Darcy echoed her sentiment, and there was something there, in her voice, soknowing. Like she was using her tone to let Juliet’s mom know that she was well-aware of just how complicated everything was here.
Juliet squeezed her hand once more, before releasing her. “Good luck at your meeting.”
Darcy hummed, sliding her eyes from Juliet’s mom to her. Silently asking, again, if Juliet wanted her to stay.
She shook her head.
“Okay. I’ll be back later.” Darcy’s smile was warm, digging right in under her heart. Before she turned and walked toward the garage.
Because Darcy now drove in and out of the house. Here. That she was living in, with Juliet.
She was sure her mom didn’t miss that, either.
With a deep breath, Juliet turned to face her mother, walking over toward the kitchen. “So… what did you want to chat about?”
She asked, very deliberately making her mother bring up the obvious.
Unsurprisingly, her mom didn’t comment on Darcy, which was more frustrating than if shedid. If she said anything, even expressing displeasure. But her mom did what she did best, and pretended Darcy – Juliet’s queerness – didn’t exist.
“Jules, I’m just… I’m concerned about you.”
“You’re concerned,” she repeated, flatly. Narrowing her eyes as she braced both of her hands on the island opposite her mom. “Tell me, why?”
Do it. Fucking say it.
Her mom’s eyes flit to the garage door Darcy had disappeared through, then back to hers. “Why did you break up with Robbie?”
Silence sat heavily between them, because Juliet could onlystare. Seriously?
“Youknowwhy,” she stated, quietly. Staring her mother down, not giving an inch.
“I just mean, you never mentioned having any issues with him. And you’ve been together for so long! By the time I was with Harrison for eight years, we were married, we had two kids–”
Juliet couldn’t listen to this. She didn’t know if it was a byproduct of spending more time with Darcy, but she couldnotlisten to the bullshit that she’d been listening to for so long. “Mom. Please. Can you just be for real? For once?”
Her mom was gripping the other side of the counter. At first, her hands had been resting there, loosely curled. But they were clutching tighter, her knuckles turning white. Her mother’s eyes were fixed down on her own hands, which was how Juliet noticed.
“You have known why my ‘relationship’ with Robbie has never actually gone anywhere. And… I’m tired,” she admitted, hurt and irate andsotired of it all. “Either face the truth or leave. Because you haveknownthe truth about me for years.”
She could see the muscle in her mom’s cheek twitch. The way her knuckles turned evenwhiter.
“You,” her mother paused, eyebrows furrowing deeply. “You’re…withDarcy Kincaid.”
Irrationally, ridiculously, Juliet felt the sting of tears. Just at hearing her mom speak it aloud. Admit that she did know who Juliet was.
“Yes,” she breathed out, her throat tight. “I’m in a relationship with her. She lives here with me.”
Her mom’s breath trembled out, before she tightly pushed her lips together. And then she didn’t say anything. Didn’t even look at Juliet.
