Page 12 of Shaded Amethysts
Once I sat down at the granite counter with Scout in my lap, Mom presented the little boy with an apple juice box. He made grabby hands for the juice before taking a giant slurp from the straw she had inserted for him. Mom’s thin eyebrows snapped together before she asked me in a sharp, accusatory tone, “Have you not fed that child?”
“Oh, I…” When my sentence trailed off, she must have figured out the answer because she moved to the large bag of supplies Molly had dropped off at our house earlier, retrieved a small bowl of dry Cheerios, and set them on the counter in front of him.
The child pounced on the snack like a starving wolf. Mom narrowed her eyes at me, but refrained from further comment on my obvious lack of parenting skills. She probably didn’t want to take a chance that I might decide I couldn’t handle the responsibilities of being a mother.
With Scout’s needs taken care of for the time being, Mom fluttered around the kitchen preparing the two of us mugs of hot tea. “How was the wedding, dear?”
I knew this was how the woman operated. She would ask some innocuous questions first to lull me into a false sense of security before she pounced with what she really wanted to say. I loved my mother, but she could be a lot to handle when things didn’t work out how she wished.
“The wedding was simple, lovely, and perfect for them. They are obviously so in love and ready to spend the rest of their lives together,” I answered honestly.
Mom nodded with a faraway look before she snapped back to the present and said, “I just hope they get this custody nonsense straightened out. Anyone with working eyes can see that this little boy belongs with the two of them.”
I nodded, unsure what to add.
“Of course, with you on their side, how could they lose?” Mother patted my cheek with her cool hand after she set a steaming mug of English breakfast tea on a coaster in front of me.
I wondered if she truly believed that, or if she was trying to build my confidence. Either way, it was kind of her to say.
After taking a tentative sip of the perfectly-sweetened tea, I said, “I sure hope we win this case. It’s bound to be the battle of my lifetime, and I don’t want to let any of them down.”
“You won’t,” Mom assured me, as if she already knew the outcome.
Evidently done with that topic, Mom sat down on the high stool next to mine at the counter with her own mug of tea and asked, “So, how was your date with the gorgeous, new vet in town?”
“It was nice,” I answered honestly, plastering on a smile.
I had known this vanilla response wouldn’t suffice and was proven right when she glared at me and asked, “Nice? Is that all you have to tell me about my future son-in-law?”
I tried to let her down easy. “I don’t think we’re heading in that direction, Mom.”
It became obvious that I had worded my response too lightly when her brows lifted almost to her hairline and she asked, “But you might be?”
I shook my head and said quietly, “He’s not the one for me.”
Unable to hide her annoyance, Mom asked, “Why? Is he too handsome? Too smart? Too successful?”
I didn’t appreciate her trying to force the issue with me, so I answered in a bit too harsh of a tone, “It’s not happening with me and Noah. Got it?”
Mom pursed her lips before she asked, “Why not? Because of that criminal you were seen with at the park today?”
And… There it was. This is what she had been itching to ask me about since I walked through the front door.
Irritation surged through my veins, but I held it in check as I answered through clenched teeth, “No, it’s not because of Gage. Noah simply isn’t the right guy for me.”
When she opened her mouth to respond, I cut her off by adding, “But that doesn’t necessarily mean Gage is right for me, either. Although he is a really nice man, and you should give him a chance before making assumptions about him based on unsubstantiated rumors.”
“Did you know that your precious Gage Tavish went to prison for murder?” Mom practically spat his name before finishing her question and sitting back to gauge my reaction to her bombshell news.
My eyelashes fluttered as I tried to absorb her words. Of course, they might not be true, but Gage had referred to himself as an ex-con.Was he also a murderer?!?
10
Gage
Ihad no right to dream of a real, romantic relationship with lovely, friendly Avery Biggs the way my mind and heart insisted on imagining. She was way too good for me––in every way. She deserved to be with an upstanding, smart, and successful man, like my half-brother.
Even though I knew I should step aside and let her find the happily-ever-after ending she deserved with Noah, I couldn’t help wishing––no matter how irrational it was––that she could somehow choose me over him.
