"Ow," I huff.
"Walk him out," my mom hisses through clenched teeth, her elbow in my ribs. "Andbenice."
I climb to my feet, shooting a dirty look at the ground instead of at her, and hurry after him for the second time since he showed up unannounced a couple hours ago.
As I arrive at the front door a few feet behind him, he reaches for the handle, letting himself out in the warm summer evening air. Without looking back at me, he says, "I thought I heard your fairy-footed pitter patter."
The inside joke causes a smile to overtake my face.
My damn traitorous face. Fucking nostalgia. It's a powerful bitch.
"My feet are enjoying the break from stomping around in high heels." I'm providing him with an excuse instead of acknowledging the throwback to our past, to the time he told me he liked my light feet, joking how it trained his ears to listen closer for my approach when I was barefoot.
He turns around suddenly and it takes me by surprise. I can't stop my forward momentum in time. My palms rise to stop the collision, and I wind up with my hands pressed to his rock-hard chest.
He grabs my shoulders, catching me.
My mind screams at me to step back, but my heart wants two more seconds in this space.
"Autumn," Owen says my name softly.
His thick, husky voice snaps me from the moment. I rip myself from his arms. "Don't, Owen. Just don't."
His eyes plead with me. "I have a lot to say, Autumn."
"Don't you think you said enough?"
Guilt rides across his face.Good. He should feel bad.
"That's what I want to talk about. I—”
I shake my head and he stops. "I'm here to get my mom through this. I'm here to support her while she fights. I am not here to revisit the past. Don't mistake my presence here as an invitation to take a ride down memory lane."
There. I put my foot down.
A short stream of air bursts from his nose. "You're just as stubborn as you ever were!"
"You call it stubborn. From a different angle, it's strength of conviction." I shrug. "Call it what you want. You drew lines in the sand a long time ago. I'm simply staying on my side."
Anger lights up his face. "You are unbelievable. Fucking unbelievable." Owen sweeps the air around him with one arm. "Welcome back, Autumn. It's about damn time."
He turns to get into his car and I step forward. "What the fuck does that mean?" My words slip through clenched teeth.
Owen spins back around and leans in to me. "It means you should've come years ago."
"Excuse me?” My head reels back. Mr. Fucking Judgy Asshole was at it again. “Don't act like I ignored the situation. I worked harder than any other person in my office just so I could make more money and pay her medical bills. My hard work made it possible for her to pay foryou, Owen. For the best care, for home nurses, and replacing her income so she didn't have to worry about working while she battled. Don't you act like I stepped back with hands up when she got the bad news."
A little bit of guilt creeps into his face. "Autumn, she neededyou. Not your money."
Oh, this self-righteous asshole.
"Weekly dinners and now you think you know my mom better than I do?” I step closer to him so that he is well within range if I decide to smack him, “She told me to stay there, Owen. She made it clear where she wanted me to be, and I respected her wishes."
His face carries a mixture of hurt and anger, "Fuck that, Autumn. You didn't want to come back because you didn't want to face me. You let her tell you what you wanted to hear."
There is so much anger inside me that my fingers are vibrating. My lips tremble, but there is nothing left inside me to hurl at Owen. This exchange has depleted me. He has touched on the guilt I feel deep inside my soul.
Tears sting my eyes. Owen sees them, and the angry planes of his face soften.
