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Alyssa just nodded. She could hardly say that she didn’t want to tell her much about Bentley. The first and obvious reason being that he was Ria’s son. But even apart from that, she knew that her mum would be like this. She’d probably want Bentley to introduce her to every eligible, wealthy man he knew.
She tried to muster up a smile and mumbled something unintelligible. Her mum wasn’t looking for her to answer, anyway.
“And this dinner tonight? Aren’t you excited?”
“I suppose.” Alyssa wasn’t thrilled about the dinner. She’d been looking forward to coming back this weekend and spending time with Bentley. If they were going to go out, she’d rather go to Molly’s with his sister and all their friends. She didn’t particularly enjoy big gatherings where people were there to network rather than to simply have fun.
“Alyssa! Whatever is the matter? What’s your problem?”
Alyssa held her gaze for a long few moments. Then, she sucked in a deep breath. There was nothing for it, she was just going to tell her who Bentley was. They’d decided that they wouldn’t mention that detail until after she met him. But it didn’t feel right. As much as her mum annoyed her, Alyssa hated lying to her – even if it was a lie by omission.
“My problem is that there’s a reason I haven’t told you more about Bentley before.”
“What? What haven’t you told me?”
“Don’t look so worried. It’s nothing terrible. He’s a good guy. I think you’ll like him – at least, you will if you give him a chance.”
Her mum leaned forward, giving her full attention. “And why do you think I might not give him a chance? What’s wrong with him?”
“There’s nothing wrong with him. It’s just … I don’t think you’re going to be happy when I tell you who he is.”
“Why? Who is he?”
“You know how Dad met someone?”
Her mum’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Yes. I was here when he proposed to her, remember? What’s Russ got to do with anything, anyway?”
Alyssa gripped the arm of her seat tight. It made her angry that her mum still insisted on calling him Russ. He was her dad. Alyssa called him Dad. She just wished that her mum could have the tiniest bit of respect for her feelings. But as she had done for years, she stuffed her own feelings down and focused on her mum instead.
“Dad’s lady, Ria? She’s Bentley’s mom.”
Her mum just stared at her for a long few moments. “I see. And you like him?”
Alyssa nodded slowly. She might as well lay it all on the line. “I don’t just like him, I love him. And he loves me too.”
Her mum sat up straighter, her lips pressed into a narrow line, and her cheeks looked pinched.
Alyssa held her breath as she waited.
“Well.” Her mum drew in a big breath and then blew it out slowly. “If you love him, sweetheart …”
Alyssa was stunned to see tears shining in her eyes. She was even more stunned when her mum reached across the space between them and took hold of her hand.
“If you love him, then I’m in your corner. I’m sure I’ll like him.”
Alyssa was so stunned that she didn’t know what to say.
Her mum gave a short laugh. “You’ve never once, in all your life, told me that you loved a guy you were seeing. You’re serious about him, I can tell. And even though I don’t do a very good job of showing it, I love you. If he’s the one for you, then I’ll support you.”
She made a face. “But do me a favor? Can you please make sure that I don’t have to be around your father and his woman?”
Alyssa squeezed her hand. “I will. Although …” She should let it go, and she knew it. She should be making the most of this; it was a major victory and an unexpected one. But she didn’t want to make a promise that she couldn’t keep.
“I’ll do my best to make sure that you don’t run into them whenever possible.” She swallowed. “But there might come a time …” She didn’t want to finish that sentence. She didn’t wantto hope for something that might not happen. And she didn’t want to alert her mum yet to just how serious things between her and Bentley were.
She should have known better. Her mum immediately caught on to what she meant. To Alyssa’s relief, she smiled. “Of course, if there’s a wedding then, for your sake, I shall be the gracious mother of the bride.” She narrowed her eyes. “But you’ll have to give me time to find an amazing date to bring.”
Alyssa had to laugh. Her mum had surprised her in the best way with her reaction, but she hadn’t turned over a new leaf completely.
