Page 114 of Not Until I Found You

“I don’t know.” I ease out from under her, watching the light move across the windows again, growing closer this time. “Stay here.”

Maxinne doesn’t listen. Instead, she’s pushing up beside me as Sven lets out another loud bark as he paces near the door. I move toward the window, pulling the curtain back enough to see a car I don’t recognize rolling to a stop outside. The driver’s door opens, and a woman steps out. It’s dark enough that I can barely see her except for her long brown hair.

Maxinne sucks in a sharp breath beside me. “Oh my gosh…”

Her eyes are locked on the person outside, and the color completely drains from her face. Her lips part, but no sound comes out at first as her free hand curls into the fabric of my shirt, bracing herself.

“That’s my mom,” she finally says, her voice thin.

Wide eyes lock onto mine, panic already rising within her. I stand up straighter, my heart pounding quickly as every instinct in me is becoming alert. Before I can say anything, she rushes toward the door.

“Max—” I holler, but she’s already out the door, the night air rushing in behind her as she hurries toward the driveway.

I follow her, gravel crunching under our feet as we round the side of the cabin and see her mom moving up the porch steps of Ashton’s cabin.

Her hand lifts, poised to knock, until Maxinne shouts, “Mom!”

She turns and freezes mid-motion, a hand hovering in the air like she forgot what she was about to do. Her eyes lock onto Maxinne, widening in disbelief. Then, her gaze shifts until it lands on me.

The shock that was there before hardens into something else entirely as tension flickers across her features. Her mouth presses into a thin line as her eyes move over me. I’m not sure what she’s searching for, but whatever it is, she isn’t happy about it.

“Mom…what are you doing here?” Maxinne asks as she stops at the bottom of the steps.

Her mom lets out a small breath as she steadies herself. “I’ve been here all day.”

“All day? In Covewood?” Maxinne says, confusion pulling at her features. “Why?”

Her mom’s gaze drifts past her for a second, scanning the stretch of cabins, trees, and the darkness that’s settling in around us. “I needed to see it for myself.”

“See what?” Maxinne asks.

“Covewood.” There’s an edge to her voice now as she steps closer, and that’s when I notice the bandage on her forehead. It’s small at first glance, tucked along her hairline, and white against her skin. She tosses her hands out to her sides, as if to emphasize our surroundings, and there’s another bandage wrapped around her hand, the fabric pulled tight across her palm.

She continues, her eyes returning to Maxinne. “The place that took my family away from me.”

“That’s not—” Maxinne starts, but her words falter. “Mom…what happened?” she asks, stepping closer now, her voice laced with concern.

Her mom waves her off quickly. “I’m fine. It was just a little accident at work.”

Maxinne’s entire expression shifts. “That doesn’t look little.” Her gaze bounces between the two bandages. “When did it happen? Yesterday? Today?”

“About three days ago. One of the machines jammed on the line, and I was trying to clear it before it backed everything up.” She lifts her hand. “It caught me off guard and sliced my palm open, and then I bumped my head in the process. They made me take the rest of the week off because of liability reasons, said I needed time to heal before I came back, but I promise I’m fine.”

“Mom…if they sent you home, it’s more serious than you’re letting on.” Maxinne’s voice softens but doesn’t lose its edge. “So that’s how you were able to come here? You drove all this way just to…what, exactly?”

“To hopefully talk some sense into you.”

“Talk some sense into me?” Maxinne repeats, disbelief threading through her voice. “Mom, you drove three hours, while injured, to stand here and tell me I’m making a mistake? This could’ve been handled through a simple phone call.”

“I came because you’re not thinking clearly.” Her mom’s tone sharpens, though there’s something strained underneath it. “You’ve been in Covewood for, what, two months? And suddenly you’re talking about building a life here as if it’s something you’ve been planning for years.”

“It’s not sudden,” Maxinne pushes back, taking a step closer. “You just don’t understand the whole picture.”

“But I can see what’s happening,” her mom snaps as her gaze darts to me again. “You meet some guy, and now all of a sudden this place is everything you’ve ever wanted.”

Her words sting, but I do my best to not let it show. Maxinne freezes for a second before turning to me, hurt written all over her face, and it cracks me right in the middle of my chest.

Maxinne’s expression hardens before she turns back toward her mom. “Don’t do that.”