“I have to be somewhere,” I reply, even though I shouldn’t. I don’t owe him anything.
“It’s five in the morning. Where do you have to be?” he asks calmly, but his gray eyes burn with annoyance.
For fuck’s sake. Why is my phone in the backseat of his car and I need to get past him to get it?
“None of your business.” I move to open the door but he tightly holds the handle.
I glare at him, and he returns it with one of his own.
“Get in the car. This is my last warning.” His serrated tone surprises me.
“What will you do?—”
Taking a step in my direction he hisses, “Carol is inside the car, and I won’t have you disrespect my wife and your mother. So get your ass inside and talk to her.”
I freeze. “Mo-Mom is here?”
I’ve never stuttered in my life before.
He nods slowly and opens the door.
My body folds inside the car. The moment the door closes, the woman in the passenger seat turns to me and I’m hit by the sight of a teary woman.
“Heath! Oh my God. You’re okay.” Her hands cup my cheeks and she brings my face close to hers as she places a damn kiss on my forehead.
I’m so stunned I barely resist or show my disgust.
“I told you he’ll be fine, Mia,” Dad assures her in a gentle tone as he joins us.
Mom continues sobbing and feeling my face to assure herself that I’m here and okay.
It takes me five minutes to get a grip on myself and break free from her hold and push back from her so she can’t touch me.
What the fuck just happened?
“Heath—”
“He’s fine. Give him space.” Dad lays a hand on her back and rubs as he pulls her to him. He kisses her temple as she cries in his chest while speaking words that don’t make any sense.
My parents are here.
Right in front of me.
“I told you I’ll take care of it. Now stop crying. You know you look awful when you cry.”
I stiffen at hearing those words.
What the fuck? I said the same words to Hope.
“He was in jail—” she sobs in his chest.
He kisses her head. “Not anymore. I got him out. Now will you please stop crying? You’re breaking my heart.”
Reluctantly she pulls back, and he wipes away all her tears and presses a kiss to her forehead. He whispers something to her that I can’t hear, or perhaps I don’t want to hear when I’m busy staring at the woman who’s my mother.
The first thing I notice is, she’s lost weight. Significantly. She looks thin and weak as if she hasn’t eaten for days. There are dark circles under her eyes and a hollowness to her cheeks that wasn’t there before. Her bony face is still beautiful without makeup, but there’s a sadness to it. When she looks up, her ocean blue eyes meet mine that are a replica of hers. They’re sad and filled with worry,
“I missed you so much,” she says on the brim of tears.
