Page 130 of That Moment
“Oh, she told you?” Axel grins, taking the empty seat beside me. “Good, saves me the trouble.”
“Youtold him,” I snap.
He shrugs, reaching for the mashed potatoes. “Same thing.”
“No, not the same thing, Axel. That wasmynews to share.”
“Sweetheart,” Mom warns gently, but I’m past gentle.
My dad's eyes narrow. “This better not have anything to do with that boy from the garage.”
“That boy?” I scoff, tossing my napkins onto the table in a dramatic fashion. “He’s not a boy,” I shoot back before I can stop myself. “He’s a man. And I’m tired of everyone treating me like I’m making some terrible mistake because I’m not chasing the same dream I had at twenty-two. I’m twenty-nine goddamn years old, so I think I can make my own choices, thank you.”
Axel exhales dramatically. “Here we go.”
I turn on him, fury flashing. “Don’t start with me dickbreath! You’ve said enough for one day.”
“Adrienne,” Dad says sharply, but I keep going, voice trembling now.
“I know what I want, Dad. It’s a life here. With him. And with this family. But if you can’t accept that, then maybe it’ll just be me and Scotty. I love him and he loves me and none of you can do shit about that.”
The words hang in the air, heavier than any argument we’ve had before.
Mom’s hand flies to her chest. Dad leans back, stunned. Axel mutters, “Well, damn.”
“Enough!” Mom’s voice cuts through all of it. She never yells, but when she does, the entire house freezes. We all go still. Her gaze softens after a beat. “Adrienne, honey… maybe get some air.”
My throat tightens. “Yeah. I think that’s a good idea.” I stand, grabbing my glass of wine.
As I pass Axel, he whispers, “Are you on your period?”
I shoot him a glare sharp enough to slice through bone and walk out the back door. Usually, a stupid comment like that from him would break the tension between us, send me into a fit of laughter that ends with both of us apologize to each other. That’s how we’ve always been. But not tonight.
I grip the railing, breathing hard, eyes on the distant line of the mountains. Somewhere inside, my family keeps talking, their voices rising and falling like static, but I stop listening. For once, I said exactly what I meant. And I meant every word.
The screen door clicks open. Mom steps out, carrying her own glass of wine. She doesn’t say anything at first, just eases onto the swing beside me. For a long moment, we rock in silence. Finally, she murmurs, “You know your father. He wants the world for you, but he doesn’t know when to rein it in and let you make your own choices.”
“I know that, Mom, I do, really, but he has to learn that I’m not that little girl anymore. I understand why he pushed me harder than the boys. I get it. I lived it in college, I saw the way men looked at me as a law student, and then as an intern, and then when I started working my way up. Why does he think that after all of that, after the way he raised me, that I can’t be trusted to make my own decisions?”
She sighs, her shoulders dropping as she reaches a hand out to rest on my knee. “Sweetheart, he knows that you can make those decisions; he’s just scared. He’s your dad; it’s hard for him not to see you as his little girl. Trust me, he wants what’s best for you. He wants you to be happy.”
I let out a sharp laugh that doesn’t feel like one. “Yeah, well, apparently love and happiness don’t make the cut.”
“I love the passion and fire that’s inside of you, that comes from your dad. He recognized himself inside you a long time ago.” Her hand slides over mine, grounding me. “I saw the way you looked when you told him no. Adrienne, I’m proud of you.”
My throat tightens, the sting behind my eyes growing hotter. “Even if that choice doesn’t come with a fancy title or an L.A. zip code?”
“Especially then.” She squeezes my hand, her voice firm but soft. “You’ve worked hard. You’ve earned every bit of respect youalready have. You don’t need to prove yourself to anyone. Not even your father.”
I press my lips together, fighting the ache in my chest. “It’s just… every time he looks at me, I feel like I’m disappointing him. Like I’m settling. But he doesn’t look at the boys the same way.”
She tilts her head, studying me with those mom eyes, the ones that always saw right through me when I was a kid. “Are you settling, Adrienne? Or are you finally choosing something because it makes you happy, not because it makes sense on paper?”
The locket at my throat feels heavier, like it’s pulsing with my heartbeat. My mouth goes dry, but I manage a whisper. “I’m happy, Mom. For the first time in a long time… I’m happy. I know it’s sudden, and I know it’s a crazy change from the dreams I always had about leaving here and running some huge firm in L.A.”
She smiles, brushing a curl from my cheek. “Then that’s enough. The rest will catch up in time. Even your father.”
I exhale shakily, leaning into her touch. I know I still have to face my brother and dad, and I probably owe them an apology at some point for the way I lashed out. But for now, I snuggle closer to my mom, letting her warmth seep into the cracks Dad and Axel left raw.
