AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Don’t even think about it.” Before she could try and take a sip from my cup, I was up and snatching it from her hand. I had it placed on the dresser and was tackling her to my bed before she could push me off. “I’ve missed you, Mom.”
“That’s more like it.” Her sweet laugh filled my room as we lay there catching our breath.
“Why didn’t you call me? How did you get home?” I asked, snuggling into her side. I’d missed her. And soon, I wouldn’t be here anymore. She’d be on her own.
A bit of nostalgia hit me then.
So many changes in such a small amount of time.
Hunter. Graduating. Adulthood.
“That man of yours picked me up and dropped me off thirty minutes ago.” Mom raised her brow, waiting for confirmation.
“There’s no man.”
“Bullshit.”
“He hasn’t asked me to be his girl. You can’t be official if neither asks the other.” Sitting up, I reached over and grabbed my coffee. Took a few sips while trying to explain my side of things.
Mom and I had a very open relationship. We talked. Were honest.
She trusted me.
“Hunter and me, it’s a bit confusing to be honest.”
“How so, baby?” Mom sat up, grabbing a box with some pastries. “Eat and talk. We have thirty minutes before we need to start on your hair and makeup.”
“Where do I even start?” I took a bite of a guava and cheese pastry. “He got here Friday and has forced his way back into my life. One day he’s buried deep at the back of my mind, and the next, he’s here and telling me how good we’d be together. That he loves me and is sorry for being a wimp and walking away all those years ago.”
“Men are stupid like that, sweetheart.” Throwing her arm over my shoulder, Mom pulled me close and kissed my temple. “You know more than anyone how much I loved your father, how much I still do, but the man was an idiot with noble intentions. God rest his soul; the man was a romantic moron. Made a lot of mistakes.”
“Like what? Dad was awesome.” My curiosity was more than sparked here. Dad loved her hard. Most of my memories had them hugging or him kissing her cheek each chance he got.
“He was, baby, no denying that.”
“Why do I feel a ‘but’ coming on?”
“Because he made mistakes. Everyone does.”
“Spill.”
“Have I ever told you that we broke up for a brief period right after high school?” Standing up, Mom picked up another treat from the box and took a huge bite. She seemed lost in a memory. “His idea, by the way.”
“Why?” Following her lead, I took another bite of the turnover and a sip from my drink. “Doesn’t sound like him at all. Remember how we used to joke that he had separation anxiety?”
Mom giggled, shaking her head. “That was all him. Nobody told the idiot to break up with me days before I was heading off to college. Somehow, your father got it into his head that he was stopping—holding me back. He broke both our hearts on some misguided, self-sacrificing noble notion that I could do better than him. It lasted all of two months before he hunted me down and inserted himself back in my life. That man transferred schools, followed me around, and didn’t let any male that was interested get within a five-mile radius.”
“You’re kidding me?”
“I’m dead serious, kiddo.” The doorbell rang downstairs, and her eyes flickered toward the bedroom door. “So, you see, men…all of them, make mistakes. They have good intentions, even though at times, their reasoning is completely idiotic. Don’t shut Hunter out because the man left due to your age and his confusion.” At my shocked expression, she waved me off. “That boy has always talked to me.”
My eyes narrowed. “What did you do?”
She brought a hand up to her chest and gasped. “I did no such—”
“The truth, Mom.”
“Fine, party pooper.” At my raised brow, she laughed. “Honey, I put the fear of God into him. He has been given the talk your father would’ve given him, plus was warned that if he ever hurts my baby again, I’ll bury him with the help of his parents. I’ve never seen someone apologize so much within the span of half an hour.”
