Page 169 of One More Kiss

“Yes, you’re right. It’s surreal to see that a mother puts forth everything to care for a child, only to watch them grow into a young adult. You’ve done amazing for yourself.”

I smiled, “Thanks, Mom. I couldn’t have gotten where I am without your help. I appreciate everything you’ve ever done for me. Especially sacrificing so much in the earlier years.”

She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and gave me a motherly hug. I felt different, probably because I was older and didn’t really need my mother’s hugs anymore. I was ready to leave and stretch my wings. I wanted to accomplish everything I was set out to do, even if it meant struggling along the way.

My mom wiped her eyes quickly, then asked, “so, when are you going to finally bring Tori around so that I can meet her?”

I laughed, breaking the ice of our mother and son moment. “Well, if everything goes as planned tonight, I was hoping to bring her tomorrow. We don’t usually do anything on a Sunday. I figured if her parents trust me to drive around and bring her on a date, they will allow me to bring her here.”

She clapped her hands together, “goody. I’ll make plans for food and invite a few people over.”

“Don’t do that. Not the first time around. I think you should get to know her first before prancing her around in front of other people,” I said, unsure how Tori would feel about a group of people being here.

My mom didn’t seem happy I turned down her plans. Her shoulders slumped and her lips were pinched together. After a moment she said, “Okay. It’ll be just us. I’m still going to put together a meal though.”

I relented, “sounds good. Thanks, Mom. Well, I must go. Time’s precious and I want to make every second count.”

She smiled. “You go have fun, but not too much fun if you know what I mean.” She pointed at me as if scolding me for doing something I wasn’t even doing at the moment.

“Don’t worry. I can handle things,” I said, laughing. “I’ll see you when I see you. Love you, Mom.”

“You too, my boy,” she said. Her eyes continued following me as I walked out the door and got into my Bronco.

I was excited and couldn’t wait to show up at Tori’s house. Honestly, I had to admit, I was quite nervous. It felt like this was our first date, though we’ve actually been spending a lot of time together. Who knew, I could still feel nervous about being around her?

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