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I hadn’t had the family talk with him.
That was definitely a mistake.
“Alright, that makes things easy. We don’t have to share you for holidays, either.” She winked at me, and my lips curved upward.
My smile would’ve been bigger if I hadn’t just realized I’d screwed up.
Stress made my stomach clench, and I stood. “I’m going to change really quick. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“No problem. Brynn can help me start deciding on colors and themes.” She winked at Brynn, and Brynn beamed, leaning closer. She was definitely a little hungover, but she ignored it well.
I caught Zander’s eye on the way to our room, and his hand met my back in the middle of the hallway. He closed the bedroom door behind us, leaning against the wood while I looked around for our bags.
They sat at the foot of the bed, so I wasn’t sure how I’d missed them. My hurry to open our door had been kind of frantic, though.
His voice followed me to my bag. “You didn’t tell me you didn’t have any family, Miles. I mentioned it a few times, so there was plenty of opportunity.”
I sighed. “I know. I’m sorry. I don’t like to talk about it, and I didn’t want to shut down the conversations, but I should’ve said something.”
Zander sat down on the edge of the bed, his hands in his pockets. His expression was a little… hurt.
My stomach tightened. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, Miles. Talk to me.”
My eyes stung, but I nodded, sitting down on the floor and letting out a shaky breath. “My mom got pregnant with me when she was in high school. Her family disowned her, and they never changed their minds. My sperm donor wasn’t interested in being involved, and his family wanted my mom to put me up for adoption, so she cut ties with them. She worked her ass off to raise me, but my childhood was rough. There was never quite enough food, money, or time. She loved me fiercely, though.”
Forcing my eyes open, I went on. “She found out she had breast cancer when I was seventeen. She spiraled, quickly, and passed away much too soon. The hospital told her family about her death, and her parents came to meet me. They said they regretted kicking her out, but the damage was done. They invited me to move in with them, and when I turned them down, said they’d pay for my housing and groceries until I graduated high school.”
“When they found out I got into college, they offered to pay for it, but I said no to that too. Even if I hadn’t had scholarships to cover almost everything, I still would’ve turned them down. It was the principle of the matter, you know? I wasn’t taking anything else from them. When I said no, they were offended, and they never reached out to me again after I went to college. I met Brynn and Tatum there during my freshman year, though, and we became each other’s family. I still haven’t heard from my mom’s parents since.”
Zander studied me.
I stared back at him, my eyes still a little watery.
His hands landed gently on my hips, and he pulled me up to the bed with him.
I buried my face against his neck as he held me securely to his chest. A few tears escaped, and I stopped trying to hold them back. “I miss her. I try not to think about her too much, and I don’t talk about her often—because when I do, it hurts. I miss her so damn much. And if they had cared, if they had been there, maybe she would’ve gotten scanned every year. Maybe she would still be here with me.”
His grip on me tightened. “She would be proud of you, Sweetheart. Clearly, you’re just as strong as she is.”
More tears fell.
I’d needed to hear that.
I hadn’t realized how badly until he said it—but I’d needed it.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“Thank me by talking to me, Miles. About everything. The way you can’t get your eyes off the sunset. The way you feel when you look at the ocean. The annoying bastard who cut you off in traffic. The color of your underwear. Everything.”
“You know the color of my underwear better than I do most days,” I mumbled into his neck.
He chuckled, his chest rumbling against mine. “Damn straight. Tell me anyway.”
I nodded, and his hand slid over my back gently.
My tears dried, and I felt… better.
