I was dimly aware of my mother coming up to us and Rick exiting the vehicle, but for right now, I needed to reassure myself that Tori was here. She was real. Our kiss was deep and emotional, both of us pouring all our feelings out with one kiss.
“I love you,” I whispered against her mouth. “Maybe it’s too soon to tell you that, but I do.”
Her eyes scanned my face, then she huffed out a laugh. “I take it you didn’t see my texts.”
“No,” I said, confused at the change in topic. “My phone’s dead and I didn’t have a charger. I was going to go to the next town over and buy one today.”
“Well when you get it charged up you’ll see that I told you first.”
She looked very happy with herself.
“Told me what?”
“That I love you.”
I figured that she did, but I liked hearing her say it, even though it didn’t change the fact that I hated the world she lived in. I heard my mother make a noise that sounded like, “Aww” and turned around, grabbing Tori’s hand.
“Mom, this is my girlfriend Tori. And that’s her bodyguard Rick. Guys, this is my mom.”
“Hi, I’m Hailey.” At their confused look she shrugged and explained, “Men name their kids after themselves all the time. I figured, why can’t I name my daughter after myself?”
And that explained my mother in a nutshell.
“What are you doing here?” I asked Tori. “I didn’t know you knew where my mom lived.”
“Yeah, thanks for making it more difficult,” Rick grumbled behind her. “It took our PI a few days to track you down. Maybe try pinging a cell phone tower now and then. We had to bribe an Uber staffer to get a lead on you.”
“God, I’m sorry. The lack of a phone charger really messed me up. Well, that and coming home to a bajillion reporters looking for me. It freaked me out.”
“It’s all okay,” Tori said, rubbing my arm. “You’re not used to all that.”
My mom’s eyes bounced between us, her face softening when she saw the comforting gesture.
“Why don’t you folks come in for some tea?”
Despite my mother’s protests, Rick insisted on staying outside the house to keep an eye on things. Mom put the kettle on, serving me and Tori then taking two mugs outside.
“You two probably need time to talk,” she said. “I’ll go keep that big man company. Let me know when you’re finished.”
That was Mom code forI won’t walk in on you if you’re doing something sexy.
“How have you been?” I asked Tori after my mother left.
She looked exhausted. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her clothes seemed a little loose, like she hadn’t been sleeping or eating.
Tori shrugged. “Well, I fired my manager, broke ties with my mother, and sued the paparazzi.”
“So, you had a quiet week then?” I teased.
Tori smirked. “Yeah. I found out that my mom is who called the paparazzi and gave them permission to come into my yard and snap pictures.”
“She can do that?” I asked in surprise.
“No, but it’s not uncommon for celebrities to secretly give them permission to take pictures through an intermediary and then act all outraged about it as a publicity stunt, so they didn’t question her.”
“Wow that’s crazy. I had no idea.”
Why anyone would want to have their privacy invaded like that was a mystery to me.
