Page 98 of The Midseason Fakeout

She steps back to sit in the chair she’d vacated, but this time, the raw parts of her are showing. The woman who doesn’t have it all together. The woman who’s scared. I like her. I like her a lot. She doesn’t make me feel less than for not being perfect.

I take her hand. “Please, will you stay for lunch? I want you to see Warner the way I see it.”

“But the movers.”

I’m about to tell her they can work while we’re at lunch because I honestly don’t care what happens as long as I stay here, but Darrin speaks up. “Cancel them, Mom. You know it’s the right thing.”

She swallows. “But you might never come home.”

Her words send an ache through my heart. Beside me, Aidan wipes at his eyes. “Mom, you’re being crazy,” I tell her. “I’ll come home. We both will.”

“Yeah, you guys have a pool,” Darrin jokes, then reaches out to rub her shoulder.

“Very funny, Darrin Elliott,” she scolds.

I glare at him, and he shrugs. Aidan, however, pulls his shoulders back. “I’ll make sure they come home, Mrs. Covington. I can promise you.”

Mom wipes at her face and notices the black streaks. “I need to freshen up.” She sniffles, and I point her toward the bathroom. The woman who’s always put together, picks herself up, straightens her shoulders, and walks in that direction.

When the door closes, I hug Darrin. “She was lost. Like me.”

Aidan disagrees. “She was protecting you. I can’t blame her. I’m never letting you out of my sight.”

Darrin pushes me away. “Ew, gag. Stop saying shit like that.”

“Darrin, was that a four-letter word I heard out of your mouth?” my mom reprimands from the bathroom, her voice stern again.

“No, Mom,” he calls back, giving Aidan the one-finger salute. I have to cover my mouth to keep from laughing.

I don’t know what’ll happen from here. My mom might still fight me. She might never accept Aidan. But it feels good to have stood my ground. To have fought for what I think is right. For what I really want.

I take Aidan’s hand in mine and squeeze it. Even if my mom comes out of that room and tells me the movers are taking my stuff, if she tells me I have to find my own way, it’ll be fine.

Like an adventure.

Being kicked out of this place and losing all my stuff wasn’t on my to-do list, but right now, I feel like I could do anything, including starting from nothing.

And I know I wouldn’t fail because Aidan promised me forever, and my forever started last night.

27

AIDAN

Coach hangs up the phone,and my arm drops. This couldn’t come at a worse time. I turn slowly, searching out Bailey.

Seeing her stand up to her mother was inspiring. The fact that it all worked out in my favor? Even better. I capture her gaze and frown. “I hate to do this… That was Coach. He needs me to come in for a meeting.”

“Of course,” Bailey says, shrugging. “You can meet us at the restaurant after.”

A knot forms in my stomach. I really don’t like this idea. I eye her mother. She was willing to take the very thing that’s giving me life away from me not twenty minutes ago.

I nod toward Bailey’s room. “Can I talk to you for a sec?”

“Sure.”

She follows me until we’re alone, and I wrap my arms around her. “Sorry, Angel. I want to be there for you, but this sounds important.”

“Aidan, I’m totally fine. I’m sure you can find a way to make it up to me later. Privately.”

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