Mati hugged her mom, cutting off the lecture and squeezing her tight. Her mom hugged her back, just as strong as Mati remembered. She closed her eyes and tried to recall the last time they’d done more than a perfunctory kiss on the cheek.
“I’ve got this, Mom,” she said.
“Don’t you dare do anything to put your future in jeopardy,” her mother scolded, still holding her tight. “You’ve built a good life for yourself. Don’t let this ruin it.”
Mati didn’t know what to say. She’d never in a million years would’ve thought her mother would see her life that way. “I won’t,” she promised, her voice thick.
And she wouldn’t, but that didn’t mean she would let her parents fall.
Reese sat in the car with David, his leg bouncing, and stared at the front door to Mati’s parents’ house.
David’s hand slid over his knee, stilling it. “She’s fine.”
“She is. She will be. I know that, but it’s killing me not be in there with her.”
“Me, too,” David said, capturing Reese’s hand and threading their fingers together.
Reese finally tore his eyes away from the house. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being here with us. For coming all the way up here. For keeping me sane for the past fifteen minutes.”
David smiled, scanned the street, and leaned in to kiss Reese. “You’re welcome. Thank you for inviting me.”
“We’ll always want you here,” Reese said, maybe too honestly, given how David’s eyes widened. Reese scrambled to decide if he should backpedal or dive in, finally landing onfuck it. “You don’t need an invitation. Ever. You’ll always be welcome here. With us.”
It wasn’t exactly what he wanted to say, but it was close.
David looked around again and then kissed Reese more thoroughly.
Reese licked his lips when David leaned back into his own seat. “Let’s hope Mati’s mother wasn’t watching that.”
“Or anyone else,” David added.
“I don’t give a flying fuck about anyone else, for what it’s worth.”
David cocked his head. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I don’t care if they see us kissing. Or holding hands. Or doing whatever else we might like to do in public.”
“You don’t?” David asked.
“No, I don’t.”
David smiled and kissed Reese again—this time without checking.
Reese was wondering how much making out in the car would compromise security when David’s eyes darted over his shoulder.
Mati was marching down the front walk, her expression grim. She practically tore the car door from its hinges and flung herself in the back seat.
“Those stupid motherfucking idiots, I’m going to kill them, slowly and painfully, until they’re writhing on the floor, begging me to forgive them for every stupid, misogynistic, stubborn, ignorant, and arrogant mistake they’ve ever made in the name of that stupid motherfucking father-and-son bullshit company.”
She slammed the door so hard Reese’s teeth hurt.
The three of them sat and digested that.
“It didn’t go well, I take it?” Reese said at last.
