Zero pinned me down and smelled me and got hard and I'm terrified he knows.
"No. They're fine. I'm fine."
"Because if they're giving you a hard time—"
"They're not." I squeeze her hand. "Really, Margot. I'm okay. I promise."
She doesn't believe me.
But she wants to.
I can see it in her face. The way she's trying to balance worry with hope. The way her mouth tightens at the corners. The way she blinks a little too fast, like she's fighting tears. Trying to believe that her new marriage and her son can coexist without destroying each other.
"I just—" She pauses. Looks down at our joined hands. "I know this has been an adjustment. For everyone. And I know Richard's sons can be... intense."
That's one word for it.
"I'm happy for you," I say, and I mean it. "You deserve this. You deserve Richard and this house and everything that comes with it."
"So do you."
I don't respond.
Because we both know that's not true.
The headache pulses. Sharp. Insistent. Like something is pressing against the inside of my skull, trying to break through.
I ignore it.
"I'm just glad you haven't gotten tired of me yet," I say, trying for humor.
Her face crumples. "Max—"
"I'm kidding." I force a smile. "Bad joke."
"I will never get tired of you. Do you hear me? Never." She cups my face. Her palms are warm against my too-hot cheeks. Am I running a fever? When did that start? "You're my son. That doesn't change because I married Richard. That doesn't change because we live in a different house. Nothing changes that."
My throat tightens.
"Okay," I whisper.
"Okay?"
"Okay."
She pulls me into a hug, and I let her. Hold on maybe a little too tight. My fingers dig into her shoulder blades. Ican smell her perfume—something floral and soft and familiar. Home. She smells like home.
I'm twenty years old. Too old to need my mom like this.
But I do.
God, I do.
We sit like that for a long moment. Her hand stroking my hair. The touch is soothing. Grounding. For a second, the headache dulls. My face pressed against her shoulder.
The headache dulls. Just slightly.
"I love you," she says.
