Page 32 of His Red Carnation

She looked between us, her eyes still wide with confusion.

“Callan, I need to talk to my daughter alone,” she said quietly.

“Of course,” he replied, standing up quickly and nearly bolting for the door.

Mom watched him leave, closing the door softly behind him. She turned back to me, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Is this for real, Sloane? You actually love him?” Her voice was surprisingly calm, but I could hear the underlying concern.

I nodded immediately. “Yes. I know he’s older—mucholder—but something just clicked between us,” I explained, my heart racing.

Mom sighed, raising her hands to her face as she shook her head. “Sloane,” she groaned. “Your dad is going to have a fucking fit.”

“Dad isn’t going to find out,” I assured her.

She smiled and tilted her head at me. “Baby, I just walked in on you and Callan making out. And we’ve only been home for two hours.”

She had a point. “We’ll be more careful,” I urged her.

Mom was silent as she stared at me. I couldn’t stand that she was so quiet.

“Mom, what are you thinking? I know this is crazy, but it’s real. I assure you…it’sveryreal between us. It’s not just sex. I am…I’msoin love with him.”

Mom blinked. “I must be crazy because as shocked as I am, I’m not mad. I’m just…I’m very shocked right now, Sloane.”

I nodded. I could understand that.But wait…

“You’re not mad?” I asked with confusion.

She sighed and got up from the chair, then slowly walked towards me and sat next to me on the bed. She took my hand and gave it a squeeze.

“I get it, baby. He’s hot,” she said, a laugh escaping her. “You’re not one to jump into things or act impulsively, so this must be something special. And Callan wouldn’t do anything this reckless unless he was on drugs again, but I’m pretty sure he’s not,” she joked, a playful glint in her eyes.

Oh. I didn’t even know that about him. I realized we still had a lot to learn about each other.

“He’s not,” I assured her. “I should know. We’ve been inseparable for the past five days,” I admitted.

She shook her head at me again. “Dios mío, baby.” She laughed. “Just please make sure of this one thing.”

I waited for her to continue, my heart racing again.

“Please be careful in public. If anyone finds out, this could really hurt Daddy’s re-election. People don’t understand these kinds of things.”

I nodded quickly. “I know.” I stared down at the floor, feeling guilty for even risking this.

“Maybe Callan can take you to Berkeley this week. You two can have some alone time to get things out of your system, like making out without the door locked,” she teased me.

I sighed with relief. I couldn’t believe how supportive she was being.

“Why are you so amazing, Mom?” I asked, giving her hand a squeeze.

She smiled widely. “Because all I care about is my daughter’s happiness. If you’re happy, then I’m happy.”

I almost started crying. “I am very happy, Mom. More than I ever thought was possible.”

* * *

Mom wanted to have a private chat with Callan, and I didn’t want to be stuck in my room. I stepped out into the hallway and began to play with the keys of the piano, mindlessly singing “Work Song” by Hozier, the lyrics flowing softly from my lips.

---