Page 126 of Breakaway Hearts

“Did he hurt you too?” Jules asks. I think she means like she was hurt, which Owen registers as well, because I hear his sharp intake of breath before he recovers and pulls her closer.

“No, he hurt her so bad that she was in the hospital, like your mom, and finally told people what he was doing to her. Those people took her in and kept her safe while she got better, making sure the man could no longer touch her, just like we do here at the shelter. And it took a while, a long time where she felt broken and unlovable and afraid that everyone would hurt her, but eventually, she got better. Made new friends who would protect instead of hurt her.”

“And had you?” Jules asks.

“Yes, she met my dad and had me,” he agrees. “And now my mom is the happiest, most smiley person you’ll ever meet.” He pulls out his phone, I assume to show her photographic evidence of this smile. “She laughs, she sings when she cooks…she’s sunshine.”

“I just have to wait?”

“I don’t know how long it’ll take, and maybe she’ll need a lot of help, to talk to people like the doctors here. But it’s completely normal that she’s sad now, and it in no way means that she’ll be sad forever. Or that she doesn’t love you with every fiber of her being and appreciate those daisies, even if she can’t say it right now.”

Jules hugs him and he whispers something I can’t make out, but I get that feeling in my chest again, like it really doesn’t matter what I tell myself, I have very real, very strong feelings for Owen. And I believe that he would never hurt me or anyone else like that. Especially not with what I just found out about his mom.

But Dr. Kapoor is right. Because that fear that I’ll be wrong, and he’ll hurt me…it hasn’t gone away. I just think the pain might be worth it. Or that it would destroy me even if I don’t let myself have him, so why not be happy while I can?

Chapter Fifty-Two

Owen

Made me feel safe

“What’s on your mind, sweetheart?” Mom asks when I facetime her after dinner.

“What made you give Dad a chance?” I ask her.

“I hit the jackpot with him, so I think you mean to ask why he went for me.”

“You know you’re amazing, Mom,” I say, as my dad yells something similar in the background. “I don’t mean why you liked him, but…he’s the first guy you went out with after your divorce, right?”

“What’s this about, honey?”

“Nothing,” I say, though I’m sure she can connect the dots. “I’m just wondering why you said yes to him after turning down everyone else.”

She laughs so hard it makes me smile. “I love how incredible you think I was,” she tells me. “I felt anything but.”

“Everyone was after her,” my dad argues.

“To answer your question,” Mom presses. “The way I felt…I didn’t trust any of the guys who flirted with me. I didn’t think I was as beautiful as they were pretending, so they either wanted me for another, worse reason, or they were lying, and I shouldn’t trust them anyway.”

“But Dad told you you looked like crap?”

“Excuse me?” he pretends to be offended. “My mother did not raise a liar, or an asshole.”

“Your father, first of all, asked about me as a person. There were a few things I still felt confident about, things the evil ex couldn’t take away from me, and your father nurtured those.”

“In my defense, this wasn’t a ploy, it was an added benefit that you were smart, beautiful, funny, and multi-talented.” Dad comes onto the screen to kiss her.

“So he complimented you on stuff you believed?” I try to summarize, but while I don’t know exactly what happened to Madison, she doesn’t seem meek and small like my mom describes herself from that time period. She feels closed off. Like she learnt her lesson and is never letting anyone else in.

“That sounds shallow,” Mom argues. “It’s just why I didn’t mind his flirting so much. I felt like he would have kept talking to me and being nice even if I told him I was married or not interested. The reason I said yes to a date, then a second, and then forever, was because he always made me feel safe. He saw me flinch once when he raised his voice and never did it again. Acted like he was thrilled he got a kiss rather than upset I didn’t let him inside. Never pushed, and when I did tell him things, he didn’t make me feel broken, he made me feel strong.” She sighs, wiping a tear, then shaking it off. “I’m sorry, I don’t know if that answered your question about Madison?”

“This isn’t about Madison,” I say, almost as a reflex.

“Is there another girl who keeps turning you down?” my uncle cuts in, poking his head over Mom’s shoulder.

“Ryan’s over for dinner with the family,” she explains.

“They’ve been listening the whole time?”