“I had a one-night stand in Mexico with a guy. I never got his name.”
“Okay, I don’t understand what that has to do with tonight, though. Is it something you just felt you needed to tell me, because you could have told me when you got back. You didn’t need to wait until tonight, nine months later” she said as she went to pull open the door.
I closed my eyes. I could feel my heart beating hard in my chest, and I was getting dizzy again. My stomach turned as I tried to muster up the words. Penelope stepped out into the hall, and I knew I had to stop her from going back out there. “It was Dylan,” I said loud enough she could hear.
I could feel the tears building, and I knew my face was probably as red as a tomato, but I mustered up the courage to look my mother in the eyes. She was quiet for a moment, studying me, and just when I thought she was going to come and comfort me, she burst into laughter.
Horrified, I wiped my eyes and glared at my mother.
“What is so funny?”
“Oh god, this is too much,” she said, still laughing.
“Mom, it’s not funny,” I said, horrified.
She wiped at the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. “Oh, Aurora, lighten up. It’s not that big of a deal. So what? So, you two bumped uglies. Do you realize I’d actually slept with my divorce lawyer before my last divorce? We’d met one night at a bar, and he’d taken me back to his place. Eighteen months later, I walked into his office to hire him to get me out of the mess I was in.”
“Mom! This isn’t about you and some lawyer,” I cried.
“Aurora, how many times do I need to tell you? Life is about experiences! I bet he was a great experience for you.”
I literally wanted to die. This was exactly like her. Why I thought she’d care was beyond me, and I’d been right. She didn’t give a shit.
“Mom, this is embarrassing.”
“Oh, Aurora, how many times do I have to tell you, life is to be lived, to take chances, to have fun? That was what you were doing. Nothing wrong with it.”
She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into her.
“Mom, can’t you see I’m a mess?” I questioned.
“I can, and you know what I say is an excellent remedy for that. Drinks. So, let’s go get some and join the guys out back.”
She rubbed my shoulder before opening the door and laughed again as she glanced back at me. “My uptight little bird finally spread her wings,” she muttered.
I followed her back into the kitchen, where she poured each of us another drink, adding an extra shot of gin to mine. I made eye contact with her as she screwed the cap back onto the bottle. Why I’d ever wanted to be like her, I’d never know.
“Come on now. Time to act like nothing has happened.”
I let out the breath I was holding as my stomach continued to turn. “What if I can’t?”
“You can! Although, you will never know what might happen later on.” She winked as she made her way to the patio door and slid it open.
“Is everything alright?” I heard Joe ask as we stepped out onto the patio.
“Oh, heavens yes. I’m sorry about that. Aurora and her issues,” she said, giggling as she stepped outside.
I was ready to kill Penelope. I held my breath as I stepped out onto the back deck. My brother and Dylan sat talking. Immediately, Dylan looked over at me while Walker continued talking. I was going to go over and sit beside my mother when Dylan grabbed the chair beside him and pulled it toward him, slapping the seat.
“Come on over here and sit with us.” He grinned.
If I were going to get through this night, there was one thing I was going to need, and that was a lot more gin.
Chapter 5
Dylan
Aurora had barely touched any of the food that my father made. She’d picked at her salad, barely touched the steak, and sat there looking like she was still about to throw up. To be honest, I was in shock that she was here in my father’s house, but I was happy to see her.
