It’s warm and solid and real.
I stiffen out of instinct. I’m not a hugger.
I awkwardly pat their backs while they hold me like they’ve been waiting to do this forever.
They’re both taller than me. Aksel’s dad has broad shoulders and the same long blond hair, pulled back into a neat ponytail. His mom’s hair is cut short into a soft pixie. It’s mousy brown and threaded with silver.
Whentheyfinallyreleaseme,theyengulfAksel next.
They kiss his cheeks, forehead, and temples. Too many kisses. He laughs and squirms in embarrassment, but he looks happy to have their attention. Their whole embrace is so full of love that I have a hard time looking at them.
And then Aksel pulls back. He slips his arm around my shoulders, anchoring me at his side.
That’s when I see her.
There’s someone standing off to the side by herself.
Someone I hadn’t let myself hope for. Someone my brain refuses to recognize at first because accepting it feels too dangerous.
My jaw drops, and my heart stops.
The noise around me fades to a dull, distant hum as myentire world narrows to one impossible point.
“Hi, Hale,” She says softly, giving me a small wave before clasping her hands together in front of her yellow flower dress. Her knuckles are white, and her shoulders curl inward, like she’s trying to make herself smaller. She looks so different from how I remember.
Healthier.
Her skin clearer. Her eyes brighter.
Happier,evenwiththeanxiousnerveswrittenall over her face.
When I finally speak, my voice comes out rough and cracked, scraped raw from years of not using the word.
“Mom.”
Chapter Twenty-six
Aksel
“That was a doozy of a reveal,” Cammie says lightly, but there’s a sharp edge under her humor. “I guess we now know what you meant by past mistakes being made. Why didn’t you tell Hale his mom was going to be joining your parents in Vegas? That feels a little more serious than your typical white lie.”
Aksel exhales slowly through his nose and shakes hishead once, then again, like maybe if he does it enough, the question will disappear.
“I didn’t know how to tell him,” he says finally. His voice is quiet. Stripped down. Gone is the easy confidence and the teasing warmth he usually carries. This version of Aksel looks broken down.
“Care to expand on that?” Cammie pushes.
Aksel lets out a humorless huff and brings both hands up to cover his eyes, fingers pressing hard against his brow. His elbows rest on his knees as he folds in on himself, posture screaming regret.
“I messed up,” he admits. The words fall flat. “That’s all.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
Hale
The next morning, I’m dragged out of sleep by the shriek of pipes and the unmistakable sound of the shower turning on, followed immediately by loud, off-key singing echoing through the bathroom. Eric’s voice carries far too much cheer for the state I’m in.
I groan, the sound pitiful even to my own ears, and yank my pillow over my head like it might smother the noise,my thoughts, and me. My skull feels stuffed with cotton. My body is sluggish and wrong. I feel hungover without having earned it, which somehow makes it worse. I didn’t have a drop of alcohol last night, yet my head throbs and my stomach twists like I made yet another series of terrible decisions last night.
