“But I’m not embarrassed,” I say. “And this isn’t a mess. It’s mylife. Maybe it’s unconventional, but I’m not doing anything wrong. I shouldn’t have to apologise to you. I already get cruel comments from thousands of strangers online, I’m not going to take them from people who are meant to love me too.” I take a shuddery breath. “I…I think you should go.”
Mum’s mouth falls open. “I had to skip an entire workday to drive cross-country to see you today?—”
“I didn’t ask you to,” I point out. “I won’t spend time with you if all you ever do is disapprove of everything about me. It makes me feel awful.Youmake me feel awful.”
“Summer, be sensible. We need to come up with a plan?—”
Alec looms over me protectively. “She asked you to leave,” he tells my mum.
Mum gapes at him. “You can’t throw me out! I’m here to talk to my daughter.”
“I know,” he says. His face is coolly polite. “You seem very concerned with how your daughter’s relationship will affect your public standing.” He pauses. “I imagine your reputation will be damaged much more if you get arrested for trespassing.”
Mum’s face turns deathly white.
Fraser guffaws. “Please don’t make him start reciting Scottish trespassing laws, Mrs Faye. He has them all memorised, and it’s pure boring.”
Mum looks at Fraser with unadulterated disgust. She stands, gathering her purse. “Fine,” she snaps. “Fine. I was only trying to help.” She storms past me. “Don’t come running to me when you get strung up online for whatever thoughtless mess you make next. Silly girl.”
I quiver. Alec lays a hand on my shoulder, grounding me.
Suddenly, Cameron is moving. As Mum touches the door handle, he blocks her path with his massive body. “You,” he tells her bluntly, “are a very stupid woman.”
I choke on air. Mum stares at him in disbelief. “Excuse me?”
His face is dark. “I know you think you’re smart,” he says quietly. “Because you’re good at passing exams. But you’re an idiot. That girl”—he jams a thumb at me—“is a light. She’s overflowing with love to give. She’s made all of our lives better. And you can’t even see all the good in her. You. Are. Stupid. And now you’ve lost her.”
I’ve never seen my mum speechless before, but nothing in all of her years of courtroom battles has prepared her for a six-foot-three Scottish sheep farmer calling her stupid.
Cameron pushes open the door and stands aside. “Go.”
Mum looks at me like she expects me to defend her. I don’t. Her scowl deepens. She shoves past Cameron, her heels clackingon the stone tile. Cameron slams the door behind her, sending the cutlery rattling in the drawers.
No one says anything. I sit frozen on my chair.
“Well,” Fraser says eventually, “if you two do make up, our family Christmases are going to be a lot of fun.”
Before I can answer, Cameron has pulled me out of the chair and into his arms, squeezing me in a giant bear hug. “Sorry,” he says into my hair. “She’s awful.”
“Aye.” Fraser crowds up at my back, pressing his cheek to the top of my head. Alec winds an arm around my waist. I’m totally cocooned in boyfriends.
Out of nowhere, I start laughing. The sound bubbles out of me, shaking through my body until my eyes are wet and my stomach hurts.
Cameron frowns at me. “What’s wrong with you?”
“You called my mum stupid,” I choke.
“Aye.”
“No one has ever called her that in her life!”
His forehead bunches. “The woman’s denser than fog.”
Alec tilts my face up to meet his eyes. “Summer,” he says softly. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry, I should never have let her in here. I had no idea she was such a…”
“Raging bitch?” Fraser offers.
Alec’s thumbs gently stroke my jaw. He’s holding me like he’s expecting me to fall apart.
