Page 42 of Make Me Swoon

He pops the cork and I hold the glasses out to him to fill. He takes a sip of his, moving to the salmon to prepare it and I take my seat at the counter again.

I take a big gulp of my wine and Hudson notices, raising an eyebrow at me in concern.

“Everything alright?” he asks, setting the salmon on the baking sheet.

“Yeah, it’s just been a long week.”

“Yeah?” he asks and I nod, taking another drink of my wine.

“My mom has been calling me. I have to go to Chicago for my stepsister’s wedding next weekend.”

“And you don’t want to?”

“Not at all. It’s going to be awful. I can already tell you how it will go. I’ll get bossed around, pushed around, for the whole weekend. Nothing that I do will be good enough and I’ll leave at the end with a pounding headache.”

“They’re all really that bad?”

“Yep. I know that I’m still pissed at how she left me and my dad but that’s not the only reason why I’m mad at her, at them.”

He nods, waiting for me to go on and I take a deep breath. I can already feel the stress tightening my muscles and I’m not even with them yet, just talking about them.

“I know that she’s my mom and that’s why I’ve put up with her for this long but the truth is that they just aren’t really loving people. They care more about looks and status than they do people and relationships.”

“Then why go back at all?”

“She’s the last bit of family that I have left. I haven’t seen her in years, so what do I know? Maybe she’s changed.”

“Does it sound like she’s changed on your phone calls?”

“Nope. She’s still demanding, talks down to me and doesn’t ask about me or my life. It’s all about my stepsisters and stepfather. But maybe that’s just stress from all of the wedding planning.”

Hudson looks doubtful but I can tell that he doesn’t want to hurt my feelings or upset me.

“Your mom is an idiot,” he says quietly and I almost choke on my wine. “If you’re going to go and be miserable, then don’t go. If she can’t see how amazing you are, then it’s her loss. You know that, right?”

Part of me knows that he’s right but I still have to wonder what my mom saw in them that she never did in me.

“Besides, you’ve got your super successful restaurant owner and chef boyfriend to hang out with.”

I smile at that, liking that he called himself my boyfriend.

“If I told my mom that I was datingtheHudson Hayes, she would flip out. Maybe then she’d finally be proud of me or have some questions about my life.”

“She should already be proud of you. You’re incredible, Lyla.”

I look away. I’ve never been great at taking compliments so I drain the last of my wine to avoid having to say anything.

“Do you want me to go to the wedding with you? I don’t mind being your backup if you need me,” he offers.

“That’s sweet of you, but I already told her that I wasn’t bringing a plus one. I have a feeling changing that so close to the date would make her snap.”

“Fair enough.”

The oven goes off and he moves to take the food out as I pour myself another glass of wine.

I remember the money that I have for him and I know that I should go get it for him, but I can’t bring myself to do it.

Hudson smiles at me as he sets the plates down on the counter and I pick up my fork, smiling at him as he joins me.

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