This was what I’d do from now on. No more Mason telling me when I could and couldn’t see her. No more Mason holding me back from spending all the damn time I could with Mom. She was mine, and I wasn’t going to let her go.
“Melissa is here,” Mom said, nodding over to the window. Her eyes landed on James, who stood outside, tilting his hat toward her. She broke out into a big smile, then turned back to me. “You should go talk to her.”
Though I really didn’t want to talk to her right now, I kissed Mom’s forehead and walked out of the room, holding the door open for James. Almost immediately, I could hear Mom’s laugh, and everything felt so much better. She might not remember today or tomorrow or the next few months—which would hurt—but at least she was happy.
My gaze met Melissa’s, and I nodded toward a more private area of the waiting room because there were far too many people here. I didn’t know what I was going to say to her, but I wanted to let her know that this wasn’t how it was supposed to be and that she shouldn’t date Mason. Mom wanted me to make things right with her, and I would at least try.
When I reached the waiting room, I sat in an empty corner, wanting our conversation to be private. Well, as private as it could. I could see Michael watching us intently from across the room. His daughter and I were fighting. He couldn’t choose one or the other, and I wouldn’t let him choose. I wanted Melissa to have a good relationship with her father because I never could have one, and her mother seemed like a big asshole.
“Hey,” Melissa said, sitting next to me.
I gulped and glanced over at her. “Hey.”
In my heart, I knew that we needed to talk. And now that Mom’s surgery was over, I could breathe for a few moments. But … I didn’t know what to say to her. That I was fucking her dad and that I loved him? That Mason was a total asshole?
But I had to say something, so I turned to her at the same time she turned to me.
“I need to—”
“Don’t see Mas—”
We both paused at the same time, and then she urged me to go on. I took a deep breath. I didn’t know how serious she was about Mason, but I needed to warn her before something bad happened to her. Michael had cut her off for a good reason—to teach her responsibility and respect—but she was susceptible to the same abuse that I had been.
“Don’t see Mason unless you’re serious about him. I didn’t tell you how bad he abused me because … because I didn’t see it at the time. Don’t let him control you. Don’t let things go when you know something is up. He’s … not a good guy. He’ll gaslight you. He’ll get jealous. He’ll try to hurt you with words. If you need anything, ask Mich—your father.”
“He cut me off,” she said, her words coming out harsh.
I knew that I was the reason he’d cut her off, but I wanted her to grow up too. She couldn’t party for the rest of her life at frats with men who didn’t give a fuck about her.
“Your father will still help you if you change and realize your mistakes.”
Her lips twisted into a menacing scowl. “Don’t try to be my mom, Mia. You’re my friend,” she said with so much disdain.
I parted my lips to argue with her, then pressed them back together. Both of those titles seemed off right now. I wasn’t her mom, and I wasn’t trying to be her mom, but I also wasn’t her friend. I didn’t know if our friendship could recover from this.
“I’m not trying to be your mother. I just want you to know that he loves you, no matter what,” I said. “You should appreciate what he’s done for you because not any father or mother could or would do that.”
“He kicked me out,” she said again through gritted teeth.
“Well, you need to grow up, Melissa,” I said, getting angry. “You can’t live off of his money for the rest of your life.” The words felt wrong, coming from me, because I had used Mason for his money for years, but I had also worked while staying with him. I chipped in when I could. I paid for Mom’s piling hospital bills. I had done it all even though I should’ve been focusing on school. But Mom deserved it. “It’ll be good for you, and you’ll add experience to your résumé when you apply to jobs in the future.”
She stayed quiet for a long time with her arms crossed over her chest and her focus fixed on the floor. “How long have you been fucking my dad?” she asked. The question came out quietly and with so much spite, yet I knew Michael heard it from across the room.
“It happened a month ago, maybe a bit longer.” I frowned. Everything had been going on lately that I couldn’t keep track of my months anymore. “I never meant for this thing between me and him to be anything more than physical,” I said, staring her right in the eye. I’d promised Mom that I wouldn’t take any shit from anyone anymore, and I didn’t plan on letting myself feel bad over my feelings toward Michael because they were so fucking beautiful and not anything I had ever experienced before. “It started as something to help blow off steam.”
Melissa’s nose scrunched up, and she looked away, staying quiet for more than a few seconds. Then, she blew a deep breath from her nose. “I can’t believe you’re fucking my fucking father.”
“I can’t believe that you fucked my boyfriend, and still are sleeping with that asshole,” I said, tired of this argument only being one-sided.
I took the blame, yes, but she wasn’t innocent either, and she needed to understand that what she had done was wrong too.
“It’s not the same.”
“No, it’s not.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “But it still happened.”
She shook her head. So many emotions crossed her face—betrayal, hurt, and shame. Yet I didn’t know what to say to her to make it better—nor did I know if I wanted to make this better or to try to salvage our relationship. After another moment, she stood and walked over to the elevator, disappearing into it.
I sighed through my nose and glanced up at Serena, who stood in front of me.
