Despite everything, I laughed. “I believe you.”
“Good.” She stood up, gathering her purse. “Now go get a hotel room, take a shower, and figure out how you’re going to win my son back. You look terrible, and showing up like this isn’t going to help your case.”
I nodded, getting to my feet. “Thank you. For listening. For understanding.”
“I’m not promising anything,” she reminded me. “James makes his own decisions. But I’ll talk to him, let him know you’re serious this time.”
Hope bloomed in my chest. It wasn’t much, but it was something. A chance. And that was more than I deserved.
As Stacey walked away, I pulled out my phone and took a deep breath before dialing a number I rarely called voluntarily.
“Kent?” My father’s gruff voice answered. “What do you want?”
“We need to talk,” I said, my voice steadier than I expected. “In person. It’s important.”
There was a pause. “Is this about your mother? Because I’m not taking her back?—”
“No,” I cut him off. “It’s about me. And who I am.”
Another pause, longer this time. “Fine. My office, one hour.”
He hung up before I could respond, but it didn’t matter. The first step was done. No turning back now.
I headed to my truck, determination replacing the fear that had consumed me for so long. I was going to tell my father the truth, consequences be damned. And then I was going to find James and beg for his forgiveness, even if I had to do it every day for the rest of my life.
Because Stacey was right. James deserved someone who wasn’t ashamed to love him. And I was finally ready to be that person.
Chapter 29
James
Two Weeks Later
“I think you’re really going to like this place,” Mom said, practically bouncing in the driver’s seat as we drove across town. “It’s got a lake and a little park and lots of walking paths through the woods. It’s amazing.”
“I’m sure you’ll really like it there,” I replied, my voice lacking enthusiasm. “It sounds great…”
She’d been talking about this townhouse she’d found for almost three days now. Don’t get me wrong, I was happy for her, but it was starting to get on my nerves. Her marriage was over and it seemed as if her life only got exponentially better because of it. But my relationship with Kent hit the fucking fan, and I was more miserable than I ever had been in my life. And to top it off, Mom knew something was wrong, so she’d been hanging around…a lot. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her the truth, but she didn’t pry either.
“That’s sweet of you to say,” Mom replied, giving me a quick glance. “But I want you to like it too. That way you visit more often.”
I nodded automatically, staring out the window as we drove through an unfamiliar neighborhood. The houses were getting nicer, the lawns more manicured. Definitely not my part of town.
“How’s work going?” she asked, clearly trying to pull me out of my funk. “That big project still keeping you busy?”
“It’s fine,” I said, forcing myself to engage. “The client’s happy. Might lead to more work.”
“That’s wonderful!”
I couldn’t match her enthusiasm. For the past two weeks, I’d thrown myself into work, trying to drown out thoughts of Kent. It hadn’t worked. Every night I’d lie awake, replaying our last conversation, the hurt and anger in his eyes when I’d kicked him out. Each night, when I finally did fall asleep, it was with my chest aching so badly that I wasn’t sure I’d wake up in the morning.
But I always did. To an empty bed.
Mom pulled into a community that looked like it belonged in a real estate brochure. There were pristine townhouses with stone facades, perfectly trimmed hedges, and a small man-made lake glittering in the distance.
“This is it,” she announced proudly. “What do you think?”
“Wow,” I managed. “This is...fancy. Can you afford this?”
