Ajax pulled into Lucas’ usual spot in the garage. Neither of them made any attempt to get out of the car. The leather seats of Lucas’ Lexus seemed extra cozy in their silence. They held each other’s stare. It seemed as if there should be a million things to say. Instead, they leaned toward each other. Their lips met. It was the sweetest and sexiest kiss Lucas had ever experienced. Their lips seemed to barely brush, even as they parted. It was like they just wanted to share the same air. The light touch had Lucas burning alive with desire. He never wanted to move. Unfortunately, they couldn’t stay in the car forever.
Ajax pressed his forehead against Lucas’s. His eyes stayed closed like he savored Lucas’ space. “We should go inside.”
“Yeah.”
They reluctantly moved away and stepped from the car. Hand in hand, they headed inside. Lucas hadn’t cleared the mudroom before his mom appeared.
She looked adorable, with her hair in a messy ponytail. Her ripped jeans and soft shirt made her look closer to her age. The walker fooled people. His mom was only forty-three. Since he was twenty-seven and her health had failed her, people automatically assumed she was older. But her looks hadn’t faded, and she glowed since she had her freedom back.
“There you are. I’ve been looking for you everywhere. You didn’t answer my calls.”
Damn. “Yeah. Sorry. I turned my phone off earlier. I guess I forgot to turn it back on. What’s up? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. I just wanted to know if you wanted to go to dinner. Just the two of us,” she tacked on.
Lucas glanced Ajax’s way.
He flashed Lucas a sweet smile. “Go. I’ll still be here when you get back.”
Any other time, Lucas would be thrilled to spend some one-on-one time with his mom. Things still felt off tonight, but he would do anything to keep his mom smiling.
He pasted on a bright smile as he met his mom’s stare again. “Sure. Grab your stuff and we’ll go.”
She shrugged. “I’m good. All I need is to slip on my shoes on the way out the door.”
Lucas made a path for her to push through and step into her slip-on Vans. He cast another longing look Ajax’s way.
Ajax kissed his forehead. “Seriously. I’ll still be waiting. Have fun.”
Lucas nodded. “I love you.”
If he wasn’t mistaken, Lucas swore tears filled Ajax’s eyes again. He blinked them away before Lucas knew for sure. “I love you too. Be careful.”
Lucas nodded and helped his mom out the door. It was second nature for him to get his mom settled in the passenger seat before folding her walker and stashing it in the back seat. He didn’t say anything until they were pulling from the driveway.
“Okay. Tell me what’s wrong.”
Wendy laughed. “Nothing is wrong. It just seems like we never get to spend time alone together anymore. Plus, all they eat is that fancy-ass food. Don’t get me wrong. The cooking is always delicious, but I’m not built that way. I want a greasy burger and bad-for-me fries. Let’s hit a drive-thru and just eat in the car. We can park and chat—like we used to when you were a kid, and I got paid on Fridays.”
Lucas loved that idea. It had always been just them. His mom had given birth to him at sixteen. She had dropped out of school and worked her ass off to support him. Lucas didn’t even know who his father was. It was just them. His mom was amazing.
He pointed at an old-style restaurant where servers on skates brought food to car windows. “How about there?”
“Sounds great.” His mom sounded extra happy tonight, but something about her mood seemed forced.
He didn’t bring it up again until they had their food. “Okay. Seriously, Mom. What’s going on with you tonight?”
Wendy dropped her gaze and toyed with a broken string from a hole in the knee of her jeans. “I’ve just been overthinking. You know how I am.”
A strand of light red hair slipped from her ponytail. Lucas tucked it behind her ear. “You know you can talk to me about anything.”
She flashed him a sweet smile. “I know. This is just a little uncomfortable for me.”
That had Lucas’ anxiety spiking. A nervous chuckle escaped him. “Come on. There’s no such thing as awkward between us. I’m pretty sure we’ve talked about things that would horrify any other mother.”
Wendy laughed. “It was probably wrong of me to have such a close friendship with you your whole life. You’ve always been such an amazing kid. I never had to be one of those, ‘I’m not one of your little friends’ mom.”
Lucas chuckled. “Yeah. You’ve always been such an amazing mom. I’ve never had to act out. I always had the attention other kids wanted.”
