Page 47 of The Path To Us

“You think I have magic, huh?”

“Goodness, boy. You’re too much,” she teases, looking up at him. “Are you staying for dinner?”

“Depends. What is it you planned to make me?”

“Does it matter?”

“Not a bit,” he says, chuckling.

She shakes her head at him and turns to me before pointing to the front of the house. “Was that Beau and Lizzy I saw outside? I didn’t know they were together.”

“What do you mean?”

“They were kissing and didn’t even see me pull up.” She says it so nonchalantly, putting away her purse and cleaning out her little cooler she brings with her packed with her lunch every day.

“Oh, yeah? He finally made his move, huh?” Tyson says proudly. He pulls me against his side again like he did earlier. “Everything’s working out the way it’s supposed to, huh?”

I want to wiggle out of his hold but don’t want to cause a scene. My mom winks at me when she notices the intimacy between Tyson and me. Instead, I just stand there staring at my mom, replaying her words. Neither of them seem to notice the fact that I’m freaking out inside and feel like my heart is breaking in half.

The door opens and Beau comes back inside. “Hey, Suzie. I didn’t know you were home.”

“Yeah, you were a little busy,” she teases.

He blushes and looks down. “Yeah. Hey, Tyson, I’m gonna take Lizzy home. Thanks for the snacks, Addy. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Yeah. Sure.”

And then he’s gone.

That was the moment I knew he never thought of me the way I thought of him, and he never would. The memory is so clear in my mind and is a stark reminder of why I need to banish those thoughts and dreams from my heart.

I’m a mother. A business owner. And a grown woman in my thirties. Time to behave like one and stop dreaming this crazy fantasy.

---