She looked up, her expression clearing into a welcoming smile. “Hi, sweetheart. Keys? Right.” Mum pushed back from the desk, opened a locked cabinet, and pulled out a set of keys. When she handed them over, she said, “Room five.”
Ooh, the best study room. “Thanks. Are you okay?”
She tucked her thick, dark hair behind her ear. “Budget stuff. Total headache. I guess I’m supposed to pull what we need out of my ass.”
I winced. “Sorry.”
Mum reached out to stroke my cheek. “Thanks, sweetie. You look … you look great.” A smile twitched her lips. “It wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain guy declaring himself in front of an entire lecture hall, would it?”
My lips parted in surprise. “How did you know?”
“Faculty gossip.”
Guilt flashed through me. “Mum, I was going to tell you. It’s been a crazy week.”
“I know. So … you happy?”
Biting my lip against the cheeky grin that wanted to overtake my whole face, I nodded.
“Look at you.” Her eyes misted over. “My baby all grown up and falling in love.”
“Mum—”
“I know, I know. Don’t get sappy.” She hauled me into a hug, and I embraced her tightly, breathing in her familiar perfume. I felt safe in her arms. Always had. And I knew how lucky I was to have that.
“I was going to tell you today,” I promised. “I wanted to tell you face-to-face.”
“I believe you.” She kissed my temple and released me. Laughter lit her eyes. “Your dad knows.”
I grimaced. “And?”
“He had his suspicions when you brought Sebastian over to the house. But suspecting and knowing are two different things, so he would like to re-meet your young man and instill in him the utter terror of knowing the consequences that awaits him if he hurts you.”
I rolled my eyes, remembering the way Dad and my uncles acted around Beth’s boyfriend Callan. “That’s ridiculous.”
“No, it’s not.” Mum shook her head. “Your dad loves you more than he ever thought he could love anything, including me, which is saying a lot.”
“Mum—”
“That’s the way it should be. The love you have for your children is like the universe. Constantly expanding and overwhelming and mysterious and terrifyingly beautiful.”
Tears brightened my eyes.
“One day, you’ll get that. And one day you’ll understand why your dad needs to threaten your boyfriend with bodily harm if he hurts you.”
Laughing, I nodded. “Okay. I love you.”
“I love you too. Bring your young man over to meet us soon, okay.”
“I will.” I kissed her cheek and pulled her office door open. “Don’t work too hard.”
“You too, sweetheart.”
Study room five was in the back corner, far from the others. It was a sanctuary for those of us trying to finish dissertations. The first thing I did was switch my phone to silent before I plugged in my laptop.
I’d perhaps been in the room for twenty minutes of my allotted ninety minutes when someone tried to enter, rattling the locked door handle. It was followed by a knock.
“Occupied!” I yelled out in impatient annoyance. There was a freaking sign on the door that said as much.
