Page 136 of Until I Own You

When our eyes meet again, I see my mother is crying too.

“Don’t cry, Mom. That’s going to make me cry more…” Crying after over a decade of not crying is painful. The tension in my jaw and the front of my neck is shattering.

“I didn’t realize you were in so much pain,” she says. “I’m such an idiot.”

I have never held it against her for meeting Solomon. For falling in love with him. But it did happen fast. Only a couple of years after Dad died.

And then they were getting married.

She went from an era of darkness to an era of light. In the blink of an eye.

But I remained in the darkness. Just tried to smile so she didn’t worry.

“You’re not an idiot, Mom.”

She says nothing. And I say nothing.

The truth is still out there. Undealt with and unclaimed.

“I know it’s not convenient,” I say in a soft tone. “But I fell in love with Bridget.”

“Did you tell her?”

“Not that I love her.”

My mom waves her hand. “Oh, Seth.”

“What?! That’s a scary thing to say!”

She tsks. “I know, I know, But you have to let people know how you feel.”

“Well, she knows I want to be with her.”

“And she doesn’t feel the same?”

I shrug. “She doesn’t want to ruin things for you and Solomon. Maybe that’s her way of sparing my feelings but… I don’t know.”

My mom’s lips spread into a wide smile. “And you’re telling me because you want to clear the pathway so you two can have a shot. Is that right?”

I look down. “Yeah. I know it’s not an easy thing to accept. And I’m sorry for going behind your back, but–”

“You two are adults. And you’re not…it’s not like you were kids together. I’m sure this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. If anything, this explains so many of the quarrels you two have had over the years.”

I chuckle. “Well, I suppose.”

“All I need to know as your mother is that she makes you happy. Does she make you happy, Seth?”

I make sure to look her in her eyes. “I didn’t know that I could feel like this again, Mom. After Dad died, I thought my life would pale in comparison to one spent with him. But Bridget has made me see that’s not true.”

“Then, I see nothing wrong with it. I’ll do whatever you can to help.”

“Really?”

“Of course. My baby is in love. I’ve always wondered why you haven’t brought a girl home, and it turns out it’s because she’s been here the whole time.”

I groan. “Moooommm.”

She pats my hand. “I’m teasing you. Drink some tea.”

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