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“You, young man,” Sarah says after handing Oriana her food, pointing the serving spoon at me like a weapon, “can serve yourself. Don’t think I’m just going to ignore what’s going on between you and my daughter.”
I’ve been waiting for this.
“Mom!” Oriana covers her face with her hands, but Sarah ignores her, steely eyes fixed on me.
“Young man? Really, Sarah?”
She tries to look stern, but the corners of her mouth twitch. “I guess that’s part of the problem.” She sighs and spoons pasta into another bowl. “You’re too old for her. She’s so young, so inexperienced.” Despite what she said earlier, she slides a full bowl of pasta over to me. Next to me, Oriana still has her hands over her face, mumbling something unintelligible.
“I get it,” I tell Sarah. “I’d feel the same if it were my daughter. And I didn’t want to fall for Oriana. But the moment I saw her, I just knew. I’ve never felt about another woman like this. Ever.” Out of the corner of my eye, I see Oriana’s hands fall into her lap, a faint blush blooming on her cheeks. “And for some reason I’ll never understand, she feels the same about me. And I swear on my life, on your daughter’s life, that I’ll spend the rest of my days cherishing her. If the only thing I accomplish in my life is making Oriana happy, it will have been worth it.”
Sarah’s face softens and a small smile tugs at her lips. “You really are madly in love with her, huh?”
“Yes.”
Oriana lets out a happy little sigh and puts her hand on my thigh.
“Fine,” Sarah sighs. “I know I couldn’t do anything about this if I wanted to. Just promise me you’ll use protection, okay?”
“Mom! Stop it. You’re embarrassing me.”
“That’s my job, honey.”
Oriana groans, shaking her head. “How about you tell me how you ended up here instead of nagging us about using condoms?”
Sarah finally sits down. “Fine. Like I said, I had nowhere to go after your dad kicked me out. I had no money on me, no cell phone. I was sitting at a bus stop, trying to figure out what to do.”
I can still see the echo of the pain she felt that night on her face. I doubt either of us will ever forget it. The memory of Sarah’s tear-stained face, a bruise already forming on her cheek, makes my muscles tense with rage. She looked pitiful sitting on that grimy bench, arms hugged around her body, tears leaking out of her eyes in an endless stream.
“And then your boyfriend happened to drive by,” she continues, grinning at Oriana, though her eyes still look haunted. “Asked if I needed help. He took me back here, gave me a place to sleep. At the time, I had no idea who he was or that he knew Daniel. We talked the next day, and when we realized our connection—well, Flint promised to help me get you out of there. And I’ll forever be grateful for it,” she finishes, smiling at me.
“It worked out pretty well for both of us, don’t you think?” I say.
She nods. “I’ve never been happier.”
“You really are a knight in shining armor,” Oriana says, squeezing my thigh. Then she looks at her mother. “So, when am I going to meet the baby?”
Sarah’s brows furrow. “What baby?”
“My little brother or sister?”
Sarah blinks, then understanding dawns on her face. “Oh. No. The baby isn’t mine. She’s Holly’s. I was just holding her because, well, I was so nervous about seeing you again and Holly gave me Annabel to hold. Thought it would calm me down.”
“Oh God. I thought—because dad said you were cheating on him, so I thought—I never should have believed him. God, I was so angry at you. And you never deserved it.”
“Nobody can blame you for that,” Sarah says and something like relief flickers in Oriana’s eyes. “But actually—well, uh, I did meet someone after I left,” Sarah continues, looking flustered.
“And he makes you happy? He treats you well?” Oriana asks.
Sarah nods, smiling softly. “He does. His name is Thomas. This is his house, actually. You’ll meet him in a few days. He’s halfway across the country right now. There was a death in the family and we flew up to where his folks live last week. That’s why I wasn’t here when Flint took you. I came back as soon as I could.”
“I look forward to meeting him. If you’re happy, I’m happy. You deserve it, mom. After everything dad put you through…” Oriana trails off, grimacing.
Sarah sighs. “I should have left years ago, when you were still a child. I’m sorry I allowed you to be raised by such a piece of shit.”
“It’s not your fault, mom,” Oriana says quietly, reaching over the table to interlink her fingers with Sarah’s.
“But it is,” she whispers, her voice cracking.
