Mom studied, her eyes moving over my face. Her lips curved into a mischievous smile that made me immediately suspicious. “So,” she said casually, reaching for the popcorn bowl and tossing a piece into her mouth. “How was school?”
“Long.”
She chewed slowly, still watching me with those eyes that missed nothing. “No make-out sessions with Maddox Corvo under the bleachers?”
I groaned. I’d forgotten about her finding Maddox in my bed this morning, but it was apparent she wasn’t ready to let me forget.
“What?” she said innocently, one brow lifting in perfect mock confusion. Her mouth twitched with barely suppressed laughter. “I just want to be apprised of my daughter’s extracurricular activities.”
I rolled my eyes, tucking my knees up onto the couch. “My life is not aGreasemovie. No one is making out under the bleachers.”
“Right,” she said, offering me the popcorn. “You guys all have cars now. Much more convenient.”
I took the bowl. “Please stop talking.”
She laughed softly. “You like him, huh?”
“I think so.”
“It’s confusing. I get it. I’d like to tell you it gets easier as you get older, but that hasn’t been my experience.”
“Wonderful.” I tossed a few pieces of popcorn into my mouth.
“Before you go upstairs to do homework,” she said, closing her laptop, “there’s something I want to talk to you about.”
“Okay,” I said cautiously, not sure how I should be feeling. “Good or bad?”
“Good,” she said, but then tilted her head, her expression shifting slightly. “I think.”
That didn’t exactly fill me with confidence. The relief evaporated as quickly as it had come.
“The guy I’m seeing invited us over to his place for dinner next Sunday. I know you expressed an interest in meeting him, and I told him it was your decision, but I’d like you to come.”
“Oh.” I drew the word out, waiting for the other shoe to drop. “Okay,” I agreed.
“His family will be there too,” she added.
I blinked. “His family?”
She nodded, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. “He has kids. I haven’t met them yet either.”
I could tell she wanted them to like her. This was new for both of us. “They’ll love you. How can they not?”
“I know things are moving fast, but… It’s good. Really good. I’ve never felt this way about a guy before.”
How she said it with that mix of hope, fear, and something dangerously close to love made me worried. Mom didn’t fall for people easily. And my nervousness had nothing to do with losing her to a guy but because of her past. She’d been hurt in a way that changed someone forever, in a way that made her distrustful. Everyone handled trauma differently. Hers definitely wasn’t a healthy way to process all her anger, bitterness, and pain, but it was what she needed to heal, to feel safe—for both of us to feel safe.
Living in constant fear was not living.
I guessed that was what I was seeing in my mom for the first time. She was actually living instead of surviving.
I smiled. “I’m happy for you, Mom. Truly. No one deserves a happily ever after more than you.”
Her brows arched hesitantly. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I assured, setting the bowl on the coffee table and reaching over to hug her. Her arms wrapped around me and squeezed. “And of course, I’ll go. I’ve been dying to meet the only guy in existence who managed to catch Mara Hales’s heart.”
She laughed brightly and unguardedly as I sat back. She grabbed a piece of popcorn from the bowl and tossed it at my forehead. “Smart-ass.” The smile on her lips didn’t fade.
