Page 90 of Crazy for You
I read the other emails from the lawyer but didn’t find any more info on my birth mom, so I clicked back to the picture.
“I see the resemblance.” Colton touched the screen, his finger landing on the woman in the middle, who had light-brown hair and eyes to match, along with that cool charm necklace.
I zoomed in on the picture, trying to read the inscription on her necklace rather than the resemblance, which I didn’t see. Sure, I had light-brown hair and eyes like her, but that was it. Maybe I took after my biological father. “Where?”
Colton looked at me then at the screen. “Here.” He traced the woman’s nose. “It’s small like yours, and like you, she has a little dimple on the right side of her mouth when she smiles.”
Mom had been the one to make a big deal of my dimple when she’d been alive. Since then, no one had commented on it until now. The more I studied the woman in the photo, the more I agreed with Colton. “If my hair was longer like hers, we could pass for sisters. She looks young in this photo.”
“I would guess thirty-something,” Colton said. “Do you think your mom lives in town?”
“Not sure. I know my parents moved here for my dad’s job, and they adopted me after that. So I assume she lives here.” She could be anywhere in the world.
“Are you going to find out more about her?”
I chewed on a nail. “I think I’m ready.”
He took the computer out of my hands and set it on the other side of him. Then he lifted me up and set me on his lap. Once again, I was straddling him. “I’m ready.”
I could feel his growing erection. “Nan is home, so we can’t.” I lowered my gaze to his groin.
He let out a frustrated sigh as he pouted. “I know, but I’ve been thinking about something and wanted to talk to you. You asked me this morning what happens next with you and me.” He rubbed my bare legs. I’d been lounging in my pajama shorts all day, but I was wearing a bra and stretchy camisole that showed my cleavage.
Intrigue had me biting my bottom lip. “Are you going to tell me or stare at my chest?”
His grin was magnifying. “What would you think of taking a year and exploring the world? After we graduate, of course. After what you just said about finding an outlet, I think it would be good for us to hit the road and clear our heads, so to speak.”
My brows hiked to my hairline. “Like other countries?” I’d never thought past Dad or high school. College had crossed my mind, but my grades weren’t great, and I wasn’t eager to sit through four more years of school. Traveling with Colton for a year sounded freaking amazing. “I don’t have money.” I didn’t even have a job. I did have a trust fund, but couldn’t touch it until I turned twenty-five.
“I have a nice savings account with money I made at a job I had when I was at the academy. And I’m planning on finding work here to keep adding to it. We have several months before we graduate, anyway.”
The giddiness bubbling inside was ready to burst. “Yes. Yes. Yes. I’ll get a job too.” I’d never worked because of Dad, but it was time for me to start. “You know, Dad and I took a road trip after Mom died. We had a great time.”
“For real? Well it’s settled, then.”
I threw myself at him, crashing my mouth to his.
As long as Colton was with me, I was ready to tackle anything head-on.
36
The cafeteria hummed as utensils clanged, kids chatted, and chairs scraped along the scuffed tiled floor.
Georgia and Mia sat on the other side of the table, hovering over my phone. “The lady with the pendant is your mom?”
“Yep. I’m waiting to talk to my dad’s lawyer to find out more.” I’d finally sent the email after Colton had left the night before.
Mia glanced at me. Her hazel eyes sparkled beneath the heavy coats of mascara. “I can see the resemblance.”
Georgia pointed to the screen. “Yeah. It’s the nose.” Then she sat back and studied me. “You’re ready to meet the woman who gave birth to you?” Her skepticism came through loud and clear.
I shrugged. “I guess. I’m a little nervous, to be honest. One minute, I get excited. The next, I don’t want to deal. If anything, I want to wait until after Dad’s funeral—which, by the way, will be one week from today. So mark your calendars.” Nan and I had decided that at dinner the night before, barring any hiccups from the funeral home.
“I can tell you’re not really sure if you want to open that door,” Georgia said.
She knew me well, but I asked just the same, “How do you know?”
Georgia leaned over the table. “You don’t light up. And I can see it in your eyes.”
