Page 127 of Rare Blend
He smooths my hair and angles my head to place a soft kiss at my neck. “Call her. You can’t avoid her forever.”
“And say what?”
“You could start with hi and go from there.”
On Christmas Eve, I finally cave and decide to call my mom. Ethan is right. I can’t avoid her forever. The phone rings three times, long enough to make me think she won’t answer, but then she does.
“Marisa.” She sounds surprised. “Is that you?”
“Hi, Mom.”
“How are you? Are you okay? I’ve missed you so much, mijita.”
I can hear the emotion in her voice, the sound of a knot sitting in her throat. Guilt engulfs me. “I’m fine… I’ve missed you, too. And I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to call.”
She sighs, her breath shaky. “I’m the one that should be apologizing. I wish I had some grand excuse that sounded good enough to not come see you, but the truth is, I don’t.”
My stomach sinks, and I wait for her to elaborate.
“The truth is, I panicked,” she continues. “All these years later, and it’s still difficult for me to accept that your dad has moved on from me and is happily married.”
“It’s not like he was going to be here,” I say with more bite than I intended.
“I know. But I would’ve had to come into his town, go inside the home he shares with her, and I wasn’t ready.”
I understand where she’s coming from. I wish she would’ve discussed it with me before bailing. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
She laughs, a sad chuckle. “Because you always think I’m so strong. I hate for you to see me weak.”
“You’re allowed to be human. I think I would prefer it, honestly.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she says in a quiet tone.
We’re silent for a few beats before I break it, practically shouting, “I have a boyfriend.”
She laughs again, this time without the underlying sadness. “I know.”
I wait for her tangent, but it never comes. “How do you know? Did Dad tell you?”
There’s a pause before she takes a breath. “No, I knew when I talked to him. Ethan, right?”
“Yes.” I hesitate, holding my breath, waiting for her to say something I don’t want to hear.
“He seems like a special man.”
I stiffen, my spine snapping straight. I think she’s rendered me speechless.
“Marisa, are you still there?”
Coughing, I try to recover. “Who are you and what have you done with my mom?”
She laughs, a big, loud laugh, and it rumbles through the phone. Her laughter dies, but I feel like I can hear her smile. “He asked me how to make you feel better. He asked me how to take care of you.”
“So, what…now you like him?”
“Mija, a man who wants to take care of you when you’re at your worst? That’s a rare find. He sounds like one of the good ones.”
“Seriously, who are you right now?”
