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“The decision’s already been made, Eden.”
“You can’t choose her!”
“Why not?”
“Because I hate her.”
The silence that follows is uncomfortable and thick. My skin feels too tight and my stomach cramps. I stand there, petulant and embarrassed and hating how the sting of tears makes it hard to see Hunter’s expression. Is he judging me? Does he think I’m being stupid and childish?
Instead of getting upset with me or making fun of me or brushing me off, Hunter holds out his hand. An invitation.
With a heavy breath, I walk over, slip my smaller hand in his and let him pull me across his lap. I circle his neck with my arms and hug him tight, pressing my face against the crook of his neck. It feels right here, safe and warm and comfortable.
“Why do you hate your mother, Eden?” he asks. So gentle, so patient.
“You’re biased,” I point out. “You used to be best friends with her.”
“That’s putting it a bit strongly. I was best friends with Thomas. I wasgoodfriends with Annabeth. Either way, I’m still capable of listening to you.”
I sniffle, hating how these dumb tears won’t seem to dry themselves. “She left me, okay? After my parents divorced, she just…left. Don’t get me wrong, I know it was a hard time for both of them. But she didn’t even fight for me.”
“How so?”
“When Dad asked for full custody, Mom didn’t even try to negotiate. I wasten. I thought she…” I chew on the inside of my cheek. “This is dumb.”
Hunter gives me a light squeeze. “Keep going.”
“I thought she loved me enough to… to stick around, you know. She visited the first year. My birthday, Christmas, but then… There was always some excuse. An audition. A TV booking. Some commercial she had to film in Europe because the production crew wanted a tax break. After a while, she stopped coming up with excuses and just stopped showing up.” I suck in a shaky breath. “Seeing her at the audition was the first time in ages, and I hated how she was acting all friendly and pretending nothing was wrong. The thought of being around her all the time makes me feel…”
Hunter presses a kiss to my temple. “What is it? Tell me.”
“It makes me feel like shit. She’s proven that she never wanted me. Seeing her every day would only be a reminder of that. And when Dad got sick…”
I feel gross. My face is all puffy, my heart is twisted up and aching, my guts are tied up in impossible knots. All the energy I had suddenly drains from my body. I can bring myself to talk about what happened, but I think Hunter knows already. He overheard me atEl Blanco, after all, when I was chewing Dad out for giving his new liver a workout I know it can’t handle.
“Alright,” he says slowly. “Annabeth won’t get the part. I’ll talk of the rest of the team and see if we can get a hold of our third choice.”
Panic rises in my chest. “Y-you’d really do that for me?”
“If you feel this strongly, then yes.”
There’s a sticky lump lodged in the back of my throat. Now that I’ve gotten everything off my chest, I realize how irrational I’m being. Just because things between me and my mother are less than ideal doesn’t mean I want to make things difficult for Hunter. If he genuinely believes that Annabeth is a good fit for his movie, who am I to tell him not to cast her. It’s his project, his money, his passion he’s investing —not mine.
“No, I… Please, don’t do it on my account. If you want to cast her, then cast her.”
“Eden…”
“I’ll just have to learn to deal.”
“Are you sure about this?”
I nod, daring to caress his cheek. I like the rough scrape of his stubble against my fingers, the warmth of his breath against my wrist. “I’m sure. I’m sorry about making a scene.”
His expression softens. “You’re welcome to make a scene anytime you want as long as it means you end up on my lap again.”
I light laugh bubbles past my lips. “Thank you, Hunter. I feel better now.”
He kisses me tenderly on the tip of my nose. “I’m glad to hear it.”
