“I’m done with this conversation. I love you, Mom, but I can’t have all your toxic b.s. in my life. Goodbye.”
I punched the red button on my phone and tossed it onto the seat next to me.
The whole cab of the fancy town car pulsed with tension. My panting breaths were the only sound as I stared sightlessly in front of me. I couldn’t believe I’d finally done it. I’d dreamt so long about telling my mom exactly what I thought about her and our relationship. It felt so…scary. Oh god.
“Um, not that it’s my place, but I just have to say that I’m so proud of you, Saylor.”
Judy’s quiet words had me blinking in disbelief. “What?”
“It takes a very strong woman to put up and enforce boundaries with your parents like that. I think you did a fantastic job.”
Tears sheened my eyes and made it difficult to see. I would’ve thought she, of all people, would’ve been upset at how that conversation went. A mom should side with the mom, right? “I…I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything, sweet girl. Just know that she might not see the light, so that might not be the only barrier you have to enforce with her. People with myopic vision don’t change all that much in my experience.”
I smiled sadly. “Mal’s lucky to have you in his life.”
“You should tell him that. Often.”
And despite that trainwreck of a phone call, I broke out into husky laughter. “Anything for you, Judy.”
Mal wasn’t the only Holt I was falling in love with.
Later that afternoon, after a fabulous trip to the fabric store withJudy and getting the sewing machine installed in a suddenly cleared out guest room down the hall and while Mal was out at yet another NA meeting, I got up the courage to call Paige.
Paige, of course answered on the first ring.
“Where the hell have you been, bitch?”
I sighed. “I think you get that it’s been a wonderful and weird few days followed by epic tragedy here, right?”
“What I don’t get is how you could marry anyone—let alone a rock star—without telling me? Seriously, Saylor?”
“I was on the other side of the world. It’s not like you could’ve been there in time to stand up for me.”
“I still would’ve appreciated a phone call or text. I can’t believe I had to learn about your wedding from the freakingBabblerof all places.”
“In my defense, I would’ve texted you, but then shit hit the fan with Mal’s best friend dying the night of.”
Paige huffed in a totally different way as my mom had. “Hard to argue when you play the dead best friend card, but I think you still should’ve told me before the wedding.”
“I didn’t want you to talk me out of it.”
“I would never—”
“You would’ve tried and you know it, Paige. It was impetuous, we hardly know each other, and there’s a strong possibility this was a mistake.”
“You already think it’s a mistake? What did that asshole do?”
“Nothing really. It’s just…it’s a lot harder than I thought it would be. We were supposed to have another week in paradise before we came home. Another week to enjoy the beaches and our treehouse and each other, but then…” I sighed. “It’s just hard. He has these moments of absolute sweetness—like how he cleared out a guest room overnight so I could have a workspace here for my sewing machine—but then he can also be so jarringly selfish.”
“What do you mean by selfish? What did he do?”
“I… Nothing huge. Nothing like what Trent did.” I groaned and rubbed at my forehead.
I felt kinda ridiculous harping about yesterday given all that Mal was going through. And he’d tried to make up for it.
I was just worried it was a sign of worse things to come.
