Page 89 of Faking It Right
“I know, I know. I’m being silly.”
“You’re being a mom,” I corrected her, squeezing her a little tighter.
She pulled back, cupping my face in her hands. “My sweet boy. Please be happy.” She glanced over at Harley, who was laughing at something Sawyer had said, likely at my expense. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you.”
“I am.” The relief of the truth settled deep in my bones. “He is, too.”
After one final round of hugs and Mom pressing yet another bag of snacks into Harley’s hands, we finally got into the car. I lowered the window as I started the engine.
“We’ll text when we arrive,” I promised.
“Drive carefully!” Mom called out. “Send me updates!”
It was too easy to tease her. “Every hundred miles?”
“Every fifty would be better,” she shot back, making Dad laugh.
“Come on, Jacinta, let the boys escape while it’s still daylight,” Dad urged.
We backed out of the driveway, my family shrinking in the rearview mirror. Mom continued waving as we turned the corner, Dad’s arm draped around her shoulders, with Sawyer and Gia flanking them like bookends.
The house vanished once we hit the main road. I settled into my seat with a contented sigh. The emotional roller coaster of goodbyes was over, and three hours of open highway stretched ahead.
Harley sat beside me, gazing out the passenger window. The silence wasn’t empty. It was the comfortable quiet of two people who’d run out of bullshit and didn’t need to fill the space with noise. I turned on some music, keeping the volume low enough to provide a gentle backdrop to our trip.
After a few minutes of peace, Harley reached over and placed his hand on mine, resting on the gearshift. His touch was warm and familiar now, sending a pleasant tingle up my arm instead of the panicked jolt it might have caused only a week ago.
“Are you okay?” Harley asked.
I nodded, surprised to find I genuinely was. “Yeah. It’s weird, but I’m good.” I adjusted my grip to lace our fingers together. “When we drove here, I was a nervous wreck. I kept questioning how we were going to pull off this fake relationship without anyone figuring it out.”
He snorted. “And now we know they were onto us from the start.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me.” I shook my head, still embarrassed by how transparent we’d been. “But that’s not even the main difference. Last time, I was so caught up about what everything meant. Now…”
“Now?” Harley prompted when I trailed off.
I shrugged. “It feels right.”
“This return trip is better in every way,” he agreed. “For one thing, we’re not lying to anyone anymore, including ourselves.”
“True.”
“Plus, you’re not white-knuckling the steering wheel like you’re trying to strangle it.”
I managed a wry smile. “Also true.”
Harley’s voice took on the teasing lilt I’d come to both dread and crave. “And we’ve had significantly more orgasms this trip than on the drive here.”
“Harley!”
“What? It’s a measurable improvement.” He grinned, clearly reveling in my flustered state. “I’m lucky you didn’t insist on building a ridiculous pillow wall between us the first night.”
The fact that idea hadn’t crossed my mind spoke volumes about our relationship.
His tone turned contemplative. “We should make this a tradition.”
“What, visiting my family?”
