He eyes her.
I gape at her.
She’s blinking quickly, likeshe’strying not to cry too.
“That,” he says quietly. “Exactly that.”
She nods.
Then she nods again.
Like she knowssheisexactlywho he didn’t want to know.
He didn’t wantherapproval because she suddenly found out he had a big bank account.
“I—I apologize if it seems that I’m one of those people,” she says quietly. “I’ll try to only think of you as a porn star.”
I choke on a noise that might be a laugh, or it might be a sob.
I’m not entirely sure which.
“I’m not a porn star,” he replies. “I’m a naked motivational knitter.”
“Of course. I’ll make sure to tell Charles.”
“Are you two serious right now?” I ask them.
They both ignore me.
“I thought you’d take this worse,” Theo says to her. “Youdon’t need my money.”
She glances at me but still leaves my question hanging. “It’s quite the wake-up call to rewatch a video of your daughter yelling at you toshut upover your reactions to her, ah, favorite naked motivational knitter, and then to realize everything you’ve done to protect her has backfired the same way everything your own parents did to try to prepare you for the world made you resent them too.”
Mom’s face is going a mottled red.
Theo studies her for a minute, then nods. “I could probably get you a sound clip of some of my advice on the subject of parents respecting their kids’ choices.”
“That won’t be necessary. But thank you.”
“Offer stands.”
“What’s happening?” I point between them. “What’s happening here?”
“I’m realizing I’m late to get dinner in the oven at home,” Mom replies. “Laney, sweetheart, if you needanything, you know your father or I can be here in five minutes. Day or night. Anything. Theo, it was…lovely to see you again.”
“Is this reverse psychology?” I ask her.
She shakes her head as she reaches the foyer. “Love you, sweetheart.”
And then she’s pulling the door open before she’s even put on her coat and boots.
And it’s just me and Theo.
Me, Theo, and three kittens who are peeking back in at us from the kitchen.
“Why are you here?” I ask him.
He holds my gaze for an eternity. An eternity when I want to hug him and kiss him and tell him I love him and I don’t know if I can love him as big as he deserves to be loved, and an eternity when I want him to pull me into his arms and tell me that he wants me,onlyme, and that he’ll do anything to get me back.
