Page 301 of His Virgin Romance Series

“Come on, Mom,” I said tiredly. “We don’t resent that you want your own life. We just… we’re concerned that when it comes to picking men, you pick all the wrong ones. They’re just looking to take advantage of you.”

“And what would you know about men, Gabby?” Mom demanded.

I bristled. “You know what? You’re right, Mom,” I said, standing up. “I don’t have a whole lot of experience with men. And you want to know why that is? It’s because of you.”

“Me?” Mom asked, looking at me with wide eyes.

“Yes,” I said. “I grew up with the knowledge that you had two children by two different men and both men had left and disappointed you. I didn’t have a lot of faith in relationships to begin with. And then Seth moved out, I entered my teens, and suddenly you decided to try and recapture your youth by bringing home a different man every month. They were all losers, Mom; I never understood how you couldn’t see that.

“Because I was only a teenager and I saw it. They were not actually interested in you. They had agendas, and I always knew it would be a matter of time before they left you. I knew you would never leave them because you hated the idea of being alone. You were willing to put up with a whole lot just to claim that you weren’t single. And I just didn’t want to be that person. I wanted to demand more for myself. I didn’t want to be just another name on some asshole’s list.”

“Like me?” Mom asked.

“Yes.” I nodded. “Like you.”

“Well,” Mom said tiredly, and I instantly felt bad about everything I had said. “I guess I’ve been a rotten parent, huh? I set a bad example for you your whole life, and that is the reason you’re so closed off… so rigid.”

I clenched my jaw defensively, forgetting my initial regret at saying everything I had just said. “You know what? I’m just going to grab my things and leave. I have a new apartment now.”

“Well, I hope you’re happy there,” Mom replied, in a tone that suggested she wanted me to leave too.

I walked out of her room, grabbed my stuff, and headed out. I had put all my remaining things into a sling bag so I didn’t have a heavy load to carry back to Miles’s apartment. I shook my head and corrected myself… it was my apartment now too. I had to remember that, it would just take a while to get used to. I was walking back, feeling completely drained and gloomy when I felt my phone ring. It was Seth calling.

“Hey, kid,” he said. “I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing… today’s moving day, right?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “Sorry I missed you this morning… Cory said you had an early shift.”

“Unfortunately, yeah,” he said. “Is everything all right… you sound a little… down?”

I sighed. “Mom and I got into it again.”

“Oh no,” Seth said. “What happened?”

“What always happens,” I sighed. “She had another breakup and I—”

“What?” Seth asked, interrupting me. “She was seeing someone?”

“Fuck,” I said. “Mom said she was going to tell you, but I guess the relationship ended before she could.”

“But you knew?”

“Only because I ran into the guy at her apartment,” I said.

“How was he?” Seth asked.

“Does it even matter now?”

“Good point,” Seth said. “So the fight was about… the breakup?”

“Pretty much. I told her that she picked all the wrong guys and that she was so scared to be alone that she settled for losers and then stayed when they treated her like shit. She took a few shots at me, and I took a few shots at her,” I said. “Same old, same old… I just wish we could communicate better.”

“Don’t let this get you down,” Seth said. “Mom will get over it. She needs to be told the truth… whether she likes it or not.”

“You agreeing with me is not going to help,” I said. “She already thinks we gang up on her.”

Seth chuckled lightly. “Maybe we have good reason to,” he said. “Forget about that for now. How’s the new apartment? Does your new roommate seem normal or do I need to come over and have a talk with him?”

“You are mortifying,” I said, a little guilty about the fact that I was keeping my roommate’s true identity from Seth. I just knew he would get involved when he didn’t have to and it might cause more problems for me in the long run. “There’s no need for any of that. The guy is really nice… very normal.”

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