Page 94 of Love and Other Chances

I reach my hand up to cup his cheek. “We can do it. Together, even if we aren’t together.”

Brooks leans in to kiss me like he can’t resist any longer. I let all my anxious thoughts melt away as I focus on the tenderness of his lips against mine.

“I love you, Sneaks.”

“You knew at Thanksgiving but didn’t say anything?”

My mom and I sit on barstools in her kitchen, mugs of hot coffee in hand. I take a sip from mine to wait for her answer.

“It wasn’t my news to tell you, Teegan. Your dad said he was going to talk to you and Logan if things continued between them after he met Sonya’s family,” Mom says. She places her hand over mine. “But I was okay with it, sweetheart.”

I sigh and bury my face in my hands. “Why am I such a child? Why did I expect you guys to get back together like some naive little kid?”

Mom gently rubs my back. “It’s not childish to want your parents to be together, Teegan. And I understand how you could have perceived that possibility when Morgan and I have worked so hard to maintain a good relationship after the divorce. I don’t know why it took him so long to date someone, but, for me, I’ve been too focused on finding who I am again aside from being a wife and mother. I didn’t have any available head space to date. But I never thought I’d get back together with your dad, so his relationship isn’t hurting me.”

I blink back tears. “You promise?”

My mom smiles compassionately. “Promise. I really am happy for them. And it won’t hurt my feelings if you love Sonya too, okay? If she and your dad are together long term, I want you to love her too.”

Leaning forward to embrace my mom, I manage to choke out, “Thanks, Mom. I love you.”

We continue talking, but when my mom leaves the room to switch the laundry, I pull my phone out to text Brooks.

Good convo with my mom. I feel more at peace with the situation at least. How’s your morning been?

Less than thirty seconds later, his response comes through.

BROOKS

Good. Hard? Yeah, hard, but good. Just sat and talked a lot about the past few months. The past few years, really. Sort of filling her in on everything. Which makes it painful to think about how much she’s missed. But I’m still glad I came

Thankfully no one was around to hear me talking out loud alone like some psycho

Glad we both had hard but good talks with our moms. Also glad I’ll get to have a few hours driving home with you after so many uncomfortable conversations. I’m ready for a car dancing Trolls sing-along. I love you

BROOKS

Totally agree. Cue it up, Poppy. I’ll be at your house in about an hour

Love you always

Chapter thirty-seven

Brooks and I return home from KC right in time for my weekly video chat with Lana and Amaya.

“Boy, do I have a lot to fill you in on,” I declare as soon as we’re all present on the screen.

I launch into a long monologue about everything that transpired over the past week, hardly pausing to take a breath.

“Okay, wow,” Amaya responds when I finally finish.

“Well, that was a lot,” Lana says. “And you’re feeling . . . how, now?”

“I think I’m feeling okay. Objectively speaking, Sonya really was nice. Like,reallykind. I can see why my dad likes her. She’s actually a couple of years older than him, so it’s not some weird situation where he’s dating someone half his age in some sort of midlife crisis.”

I pause to gather my thoughts. “And from my mom’s perspective, she’s happy for them. She’s completely moved on in life, so all of my delusions about them getting back together someday were very much onlymydelusions. Still, that didn’t make itnothard to see my dad with a woman other than my mom. But having Brooks and Logan there with me this weekend kept me grounded in the moment,” I answer.

Amaya snorts. “More like prevented you from running away.”

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