Page 59 of The Masks We Burn

The sweet alfredo is the first thing to reach my nose, and my stomach growls in response. I take a step forward, but Amora tugs on my sleeve, her voice low. “I should go.”

My brows furrow. “Did you have something to do tonight? I’d love if you stayed but understand if—”

She shakes her head once. “No, I don’t. Are you sure, though?”

A smile takes over my face, something inside of me no longer caring if she sees how happy I am with her. “Absolutely.”

Amora and I join my parents at the dining table, passing around the large containers as my mother talks about how beautiful Solace Square is. She then tells us about the long ride over where they were able to listen to one of the audio farming books and half of it was crap.

“You can’t just bury a spud seed in the ground. They’re tubular. They need good, moist soil so they can grow and spread out,” I explain to Amora who looks the same as I do sitting in math class.

“So, Amora. Tell us about yourself. What are you in school for?” my dad asks, sneaking another breadstick when my mother isn’t looking.

She sees anyway and gives him a raised brow. “Don’t complain to me later when you’re bloated.”

“You know I will.” He bops her on the nose before turning back to Amora. “You don’t watch football by chance, do you?”

She shakes her head. “Not since I used to cheer in high school.”

“Oh, you cheered? That’s how I met Will’s father. He was the star quarterback, and I was the head cheerleader.”

“Oh, really?” Amora perks up, taking a bite out of her chicken parm. “Were you high school sweethearts?”

My dad and I both laugh as my mother swats us both on the hand. “I wasn’t the nicest girl back then, and he wasn’t winning any gentlemen of the year awards either. But we both won homecoming court every year, and sooner or later we somehow ended up in a local cornfield after a bonfire.”

“Ma.” My face contorts in a grimace. “I’m eating.”

My mother’s eyebrows raise high enough to touch her hairline. “Is that so? How about—” She pauses and glances back at Amora. “You were telling us about yourself, honey?”

Amora’s smile grows more genuine, some of the shyness leaving her. “Oh no, please, by all means, what were you about to say?”

I notice the instant deflection and my mother must too because her grin fades just a fraction. She’s always been better at picking up on people, which was one of the main reasons I never brought anyone home. She ripped the first few girls a new one, and we both agreed to only bring around the important ones.

Amora’s the first one my mom’s heard about since I was thirteen.

“Well, I have so many stories, dear. Which would you like to hear first? The time Will jumped off the roof and into a hay pile with a family of snakes living inside or the time we whipped off his diaper and went rolling around in the pig pen at our neighbor’s farm?”

Amora bursts into belly-rolling laughter, her hand covering her nose when she snorts. “All of them. Please.”

I give my mom a quick nod before letting my eyes linger on Amora. For the next hour, she laughs until she’s nearly crying as my mother tells her every last childhood memory I have, and I soak in all of it. Her happiness radiates across the table, infecting all of us until we are all bubbling with laughter and exchanging words as though we’ve done it a thousand times.

When our stomachs are full and the table is clean, my parents decide to get on the road so they don’t get home too late. My mother goes to Amora first, and this time, the embrace is much less awkward. “It was so nice meeting you, honey. And even though you and my son are doing this for your own reasons, I do hope to see you again.”

Amora nods, wrapping her arms around her back. “It was really nice to meet you, Mrs. Cassidy. You have raised a wonderful son, and I know you’ll be seeing me around, even if I’m just coming to hear more of those stories.”

My lips part to make a smart remark, but before I get the chance, my heart nearly shatters in my fucking chest. Amora’s eyes well, and she closes them, laying her head on my mom’s shoulder as if she’s known her for her entire life.

I swallow around the sudden lump in my throat as my mother releases her and says something only Amora can hear. Amora nods, brushing her hand across her cheek, and turns to my dad, her lips pursed with defiance, ready to finish theirhealthy debatefrom dinner.

Everything feels so right, and real, I almost forget how much it isn’t...

My mom steals me from my thoughts to say goodbye, kissing both cheeks before pulling me in for a hug. “I like her, Will.”

A smile consumes my face as I glance over at Amora, giving my father a hard time aboutSailor Moon. My heart expands in my chest, knowing that no matter what happens, this girl will forever have a piece of me.

“I do too, Ma.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

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