Nico sighed. “Mom, I thought you were past all this shit. What happened to never marrying for love? What happened to love ruins relationships and relationships ruin love or whatever bullshit you’ve been feeding me for the last decade? You’ve been telling me that for years.”
She shrugged. “The heart wants what the heart wants,” she said wistfully.
Nico growled. “What? Did you read that off a throw pillow at Homegoods?”
“Actually, it’s Emily Dickinson,” Mal said softly.
“Not the time, Rain Man,” Nico shot back. He seethed as he stared at his mother. “I feel like I’m having an out-of-body experience. Does this mean you’re never coming home?” he asked, hating how his voice cracked.
His mom gave him a patient look that told him his answer before she even opened her mouth. “That’s not my home anymore. It hasn’t been for years. I’ll be living in Ecuador, like I said. I won’t be able to visit for a while. At least, not until I can get my citizenship. But you and your friends should totally come and visit. You’ll love it there.”
Fat fucking chance.
Her face grew serious. “Oh, and, I’m really sorry, angel, but I won’t be able to send your allowance anymore or pay your tuition.” Her tone grew pleading, “You understand, right?”
“I—”
She cut him off before he could answer. “Oop. I gotta go. We’re going to a welcome party with some friends. Love you. Big kisses. Say hi to Levi and Shiloh, and tell your sexy little dancer boyfriend I’m rooting for him.”
What? No. That wasn’t the end of this.
“Mom? Mom!” But she was gone. “What the fuck?”
Nico dropped his phone into his lap and buried his face in Mal’s shoulder.
“You okay, Fidget?” he asked softly.
Nico was suddenly exhausted. “She got married.”
Fingers combed through his hair. “I heard.”
“I kept you at arm’s length for months all because of her stupid fucking ideas, just for her to throw it all away for a guy she met three weeks ago,” Nico said, mostly just thinking out loud.
“That’s what you’re upset about?” Mal asked, sounding almost proud. “Not locking me down sooner?”
Nico gave him a flat stare. “I’m upset about a lot of things. So many things I don’t even know where to start.”
The car came to a stop outside Amy’s apartment. “We’re here,” the driver said.
Nico crawled out of the car first, Mal right behind him. He took care of tipping the driver while Nico just sort of stood there in the misty rain.
“She didn’t even tell me she was getting married. I was a literal afterthought,” Nico said. He shook his head, giving a bitter laugh. “Why do I even care?”
Mal wrapped him up in a tight hug right there in the middle of the sidewalk. “Because she’s your mom. Even if she’s also a selfish bitch.”
He let Mal rock him, face tucked into his neck, inhaling his scent like a fucking weirdo. He didn’t know how long they stood there before Nico gently pushed Mal back. “Forget it. Forget her.She’s not going to get to me. Not this time. I swore to never let her blow my life up again. Fuck her.”
Mal’s lips settled on the top of his head in a brief kiss. “That’s the spirit, Fidget.”
“I feel like a real criminal,” Nico said casually, as the lock on Amy’s apartment door finally opened, the new hinges groaning in protest.
He closed the tools back in the slender metal case where they lived, then slid it into his back pocket.
Once safely inside, Mal whistled low as he looked around. “They really do good work.”
It was true. The apartment hardly looked brand new, but the broken furniture was gone, the door replaced, the bathroom floor clean enough to eat off of. It was remarkable, really. At least Casey and—hopefully—Amy would have a place to come home to.
This time, they stuck together, checking every nook and cranny of the tiny kitchen, but found nothing out of place. In the living room, they looked at every shelf, shook out every book they opened, they checked couch cushions and behind pictures. Even under tables. They didn’t know what they were seeking, so they just looked everywhere.
