“It’s a mother’s right,” Hannah agrees. “Mothers havesomany rights that people forget about.”
Yep.
I’m in trouble.
For the rest of my natural life.
I peck Hannah on the cheek. “Thanks for coming. You know where the door is.” Then I peck Mom on the cheek. “Call the doctor. That’ll keep you busy while I get fresh air.”
And then I grab the oranges.
I don’t know why. Maybe I’m feeling like a dick after being cooped up and fussed over all day. Maybe I’m tired of the expectations that I never fuck up because I ran through my lifetime supply of fuckups over a decade ago.
Maybe I want Tavi to get a small win, because God knows she’s trying, even if she confounds me as much as the rest of them.
But when I stoop to peck her on the cheek, too, I get a whiff of something fresh and sweet, like she has chocolate buried in her hair, and I feel an unexpected pull in my cock. “Thanks for the oranges. Maybe next time bring beets too. They’re my favorite.”
“You don’t like beets,” Hannah says.
“Youdon’t like beets,” I throw back. “I eat mine roasted with goat cheese and walnuts.”
“When?” Mom asks. “I’ve never seen you eat beets.”
I stifle a sigh.
“My tastes totally changed with adulthood.” Tavi’s cheeks are glowing pink, and her voice is higher than normal. “I guess it happens all the time?”
“Butbeets?” Hannah makes a face.
Mom echoes the face.
“They’re so good for you,” Tavi says. “I can drop some by later.”
“I’llget him beets,” Mom says.
I leave them to discuss who will take care of my new unexpected favorite vegetable, and I head outside.
Chapter 14
Tavi
I’m back to avoiding Dylan.
It’s not that I’m embarrassed that he didn’t want a blow job to compensate for his concussion. I didn’t go there this time.
It’s more that I don’t fit in his world.
His perfect, charming, normal world with people who can care about him in ways that I can’t.
People who know him, who’ve known him his whole life. People who don’t have to hide who they are to be nice to him.
Normalpeople.
And on top of knowing I’m not good for him, every time I see him, he does something utterly and completely charming that makes me like him even more.
A girl’s gotta protect herself from all these feelings.
When’s the last time I swooned just because a guy kissed my cheek?
