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Assumed… More like she’s probably been scouring every tabloid magazine in existence to see if she can find anything to prove I was lying to her, and due to my drunken stupidity, she no doubt stumbled upon a doozy.
But you know, even after being photographed over Treyton’s shoulder with half of my ass hanging out, not one client has said anything. I think maybe I overestimated how much impact being involved with Treyton would have on my business. They don’t care about the drunk girl in the picture, they only care abouthim.Then again, we have yet to make the front page, so I guess time will tell.
“We weren’t together when you came by that day. I wasn’t lying about that.”
“And now? You can’t possibly expect me to believe you two aren’t seeing each other.”
“I’m not sure you would classify it asseeingeach other, but yes, we are together… Sort of.” I make a left turn then an immediate right, heading into an area I know well. I’ve sold so many houses on this side of town over the years it’s a wonder I haven’t bought one just to be closer to the majority of where my listings end up.
“What do you mean,sort of?”
“Well, we haven’t really put a label on it. But we’re exclusive.”
“And how’s that going?”
“Really good.” I try to hide the smile from my voice, but I can’t seem to stop it from slipping through.
“You really like him.” It’s not a question.
“I do, Mom. I really do.” I bite the inside of my cheek. “In fact, I think I might love him.” I don’t think I’ve really, fully admitted it to myself until this very moment.
“Love?” Her voice breaks. “It’s only been a few weeks.”
“I know. And I know it sounds crazy. Trust me, I have no delusions about the nature of this type of relationship. I know it’s a risk. But so is loving anyone. He’s not who you think he is. He’s so much more than how he’s portrayed in the media.”
“And does he feel the same?”
“I doubt it,” I sigh as I opt for the truth. This is my mother, and while I know we’ve had our differences, she can probably relate to my situation more than anyone else I know, even if our situations are vastly different.
I’ve committed now. I’ve let Treyton into my life and into my bed and even into my heart. Now all I can do is brace myself for what will likely be a fatal blow when he undoubtedly discards me like a pair of shoes whose soles have worn thin.
“What makes you so sure?” my mom questions.
“Because he’s Treyton Tyler,” I say, like it should be that obvious.
“And? You’re Clarke Hamilton. What makes you less deserving of his love than him of yours?”
“I don’t know?” I say, simply because I don’t know what else to say.
“Clarke, listen to me. I may have given you a hard time about this man, and I apologize for the way I went about it, but I won’t ever apologize for wanting the best for you. But if he makes you feel like you’re unworthy…”
“He doesn’t,” I cut her off. “In fact, he makes me feel incredibly special.”
“Then why are you so sure he doesn’t feel the same? That he couldn’t possibly love you?”
I think on that for a moment, having never really asked myself that question.
“I guess because I’m scared to believe he could.”
“And why is that?”
“Because you believed Bronson loved you,” I say apologetically. “And I don’t want to set myself up to have my heart broken.”
“Oh, honey, your heart is going to be broken whether he loves you back or not.” Her voice is full of sympathy, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like we’re having arealconversation. “But if you’re worried that Treyton is like Bronson in that regard, he isn’t. You said so yourself. I don’t even know the man and I know that much to be true.”
“How can you know that?”
“Because Bronson made me believe he loved me from the word go. He told me I was the most incredible woman he had ever met and that one day he was going to marry me. He made me feel like our relationship was two sided. But it wasn’t. He just kept saying what I wanted to hear so he could keep having sex with me. I think he liked the power he had over me, knowing with the snap of his fingers he could rip my entire world out from underneath me.”
