“No. Well, not physically.”
Her face softened in understanding, and she pulled me close again. “Ah…I see.”
I sniffed, and my mom tightened her arms around me. “Mom…does it always hurt?”
She paused her movements. “Sometimes, yes. It does.” She seemed to understand what I meant.
A knock on the door had me jumping, and my mom yanked back with a soft curse.
“Well, who could that be?” She breathlessly asked.
I wiped my face. “I don’t know. Kinda early for visitors.” I followed behind my mom, curious who it could be.
It was Tyler. A very harried-looking and disheveled Tyler. His shirt was wrinkled, and his hair was a mess.
“Did you walk here?” I asked.
But his attention wasn’t on me; he was focused on my mom. “What’s wrong? Why do you look upset?”
She stepped back, her gaze averting from his. “It’s nothing. I’m fine. I–maybe you should try your truck and see if it’s working.”
He watched my mom for a moment, and then with a tight nod, he turned to walk towards his truck.
“Well, that was rude. He didn’t even say hi.”
My mom didn’t answer. Her focus was on Tyler, who in turn was looking at us through his windscreen. I heard his truck roarto life and he didn’t seem all that surprised it worked. He stared at my mom for a fraction longer before finally pulling away.
“That was weird.”
Instead of responding, my mom wrapped her arm around my shoulders and guided me back inside. “C’mon, let’s have coffee, and you can tell me what happened.”
Oh, god. I didn’t have it in me to lie to her and make up a story. “Actually, I think I’m just gonna head up to bed. Sorry, Mom. I’m just not up to talking.”
She looked at me with concern, but nodded and gave me another long hug. “That’s okay, sweetheart. I’m here if you need me.”
Feeling bereft, I traipsed up the stairs before I crawled into bed, threw my blanket over my head, and allowed silent tears to fall.
Chapter 10
Michael
Three weeks later
Iscrubbed a tired hand down my face as I closed my laptop. The school lunch hour was almost finished, so I had ten minutes to get back to my classroom. Usually I’d look out for Lucy to check whether she was where she said she’d be, but I decided to give myself a day off from playing her parole officer.
I also wasn’t an idiot. As much as I wanted to trust my daughter, I knew her unfortunate…dalliance with a certain member of the faculty would overrule her better judgment. I also couldn’t trusthimto stay away, although they were both quick to promise me as such after I’d caught them.
But today, I was too exhausted to track Lucy down. I took my packed lunch and sequestered myself in the small office attached to my classroom. I tried to eat and work, but I simply stared at my blank screen and thought abouther.
Dina.
I missed her like crazy. And knowing that I hurt her by running away—again—and ignoring her calls and messages wasa tough pill to swallow. I wasn’t a good man. Certainly not good enough for Dina.
My only excuse was my karma smacking me dead in the face. Coming home and catching Lucy with a man almost twice her age, and a person of authority, was like having water poured all over me. I was a fucking hypocrite.
How could I blow up on my daughter and Roman Drake without taking a long, hard look at my own actions? If I thought their relationship was disgusting and inappropriate…then what did that make me? No better than Roman fucking Drake.
But giving Dina up, knowing I had made the right decision, didn’t make me feel any better. My heart and soul revolted against me, determined to punish my body and appetite for denying them their balm.
