Page 146 of The Plan

“What were you guys fighting about?”

She shakes her head and turns so she’s out of my grasp. I don’t force her to talk since she obviously doesn’t want to and decide if she’s still upset later, I’ll tell her we need to talk.

“Did you tell your mom about us?”

I turn to look at her, and I feel my brows furrow as I turn back to the road.

“I mean, like everything. How I thought you were using me, the baby, you relapsing, us getting back together. All of it.”

“Yeah, my love, why?”

“What did she say?”

I look over at her and then quickly back to the road, but she’s watching me now. “Well, she knew I relapsed since I went to rehab.” We can all thank August for that. I wasn’t planning on telling our parents, but he was right; they deserved to know. I couldn’t just disappear for two months.

“I didn’t tell anyone about why we ended things or about the baby until recently, actually.”

“Really?”

I look over at her at the shock in her voice. “Yeah, Vid.” I shake my head softly. “It hurts too much to talk about. Only August knew.”

She nods, lost in her thoughts, and I want to ask her why she suddenly wants to know, but I’m going out on a limb and guessing it has to do with her mom.

“Well…”

I rub her leg, and she goes on. “What does your mom think about us being back together?” I think about her question, and a pit grows in my stomach at the worry in her voice. Now I’m sure she’s asking because her mom said something about it.

“She’s ecstatic…” I see her nodding from the corner of my eye. “But she’s not the one who grew a hatred for me and went four years believing I used you.” I look over at her, and she shrinks in her seat.

“What did your mom say, my love?” I keep my tone light as I urge her to spit it out, and she lets out a sigh before she does.

“She doesn’t think we should be together and thinks you're manipulating me, which in itself sounds stupid because I’m not that dumb—”

“You’re not dumb at all.”

“And I literally haven’t told her anything about us besides that we’re working things out, so I’m not sure where she got that from, but she’s just been making these comments about how she’ll be here when you hurt me again and—”

“I’m not going to—”

“You know what? It doesn’t even matter. I don’t care what she thinks.”

“I beg to differ.” She doesn’t respond, and I’m tempted to pull over to talk, but I’m going to be late for my game, and she clearly needs to cool off, so I keep driving and quickly pull into the stadium.

After parking, I go around to open the door for her, but before she can walk off, I pull her back to me. “I know you say you don’t care about her opinion, but I also know you care a lot or you wouldn’t be this upset.”

“I’m just annoyed. I don’t care that—”

“Vid, didn’t you just order a new dining table because she made a comment about the one you had? You two are like best friends. I know you care.”

She shifts her weight between her feet as she rolls her eyes. “I got rid of that table because I didn’t like it. She just pointed it out and fully convinced me.”

“So if she convinces you that we shouldn’t be together, then what?”

Her head snaps up to me, and a crease grows between her brows. “What?!” I almost tell her to forget it but stop myselffrom walking off because we just discussed this, so I force myself to talk to her.

“You just said she’s been telling you this for a while now, and she’s clearly getting in your head if you're asking me whatmymom thinks.” I grab her hand as I go on. “I don’t want to get in between you and your mom, Vid, and I’m definitely not going to make you choose between me, so if us being together is putting a strain on your relationship with her, then—”

“Then what, Sire? We should break up to satisfy her?” She snatches her hand away from mine. I look down at where our hands once were together, then back up at her, and her face softens.

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