Page 28 of Beauty Of Her

And then Mom had to kill it. “Yeah, so?” I reached for my leather jacket, throwing it over my shoulder. “It doesn’t bother me.”

“And she’s okay with it?” Mom’s eyes searched mine, prodding until I cracked.

“I’m not sure.” I shrugged. Again, I needed to stick with honesty, even if it sounded shitty at times. “Plus, we’re so fresh right now. It’s just fun. Easy. We’re seeing where things go.”

Mom bit her bottom lip as she toyed with the diamond heart necklace given to her by Dad on their twentieth anniversary.

“Whatever you want to say, you can say it.” My voice rose, and I jammed my hands into my back pockets.

“Julia has children, correct?”

“Twin daughters. They’re twelve.”

“You’ve met them?” Mom’s eyes lifted to mine.

“No. I probably will today. I’m picking Julia up at her house.”

Mom nodded, processing the information while twisting the gold chain around her neck. “I see. Well, good luck.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I hissed.

“It means you’ll find out, and I wish you luck.” Mom fixed her posture and reached for the bag of pastries. “I’m guessing you’re really not going to take these?”

My heart thudded, threatening to break from my chest. What the hell did Mom mean by wishing me luck? Was she trying to mess with me? I always knew she wanted to see me get back with Libby because she was the perfect woman for me. But that would never happen. I’d rather be single and alone without any contact from a female than have to fake a relationship to appease my mother.

“Seriously, Mom. What does that mean?” I blocked Mom from dodging me.

“You’re so young, Brett. What are you doing with a woman who has already crossed major milestones you haven’t? Don’t you want a fresh start?” Mom’s eyes pleaded with me to agree, but I was never an easy son. Why start now? And I wasn’t acting like this to prove a point. I liked Julia, and I wasn’t going to abandon those feelings.

“I’m going to be fine.” I glared at Mom. “And now I know how you really feel about Julia. You don’t even know her.” My jaw clenched.

“Well, if you two hit it off, will you bring her around? Or are you going to behave like you did with poor Libby?” Mom pouted at the mention of my ex.

My body tensed, and I needed to bide myself another minute of the mother guilt trip before I was free for the next seventy-two hours. “I need to go.” I walked to the front door and waited for Mom to follow.

“It’s just that you’re never serious with anyone, and the second you are, it has to be with someone where the odds are stacked against you?”

I picked up my luggage and pulled the door open. “Still don’t know what you mean, but whatever.” My jaw clicked.

Mom stopped in the doorway and pivoted her body to face mine. “Please think this through before you’re in it too deep, juggling your future and someone else’s baggage.”

I cleared my throat, pushing us both out of the apartment. “Oh, so kids are baggage? Am I your baggage then?” I walked down the dimly lit hallway toward the elevators with Mom trailing.

“Does Julia even know you live in a studio? You’ll need to upgrade your life instantly to accommodate hers.”

We reached the double elevators, and I punched the down button. “Nope. She doesn’t know much about me, but that will change. I’ll let you know how it goes.” The elevator opened, and I stepped in, waiting. “Are you coming?”

“I’ll let you take this one alone to calm down. Just think about everything I said. But have a great time. Florida is so much fun.” Mom popped her shoulders like she hadn’t just dropped ten bombs on me all at once and gave a cute wave as the doors closed on her.

Thirty minutes later, I parked my two-door BMW in Julia’s driveway. This wasn’t the first time I was here, but the attack of nerves my body was busy fighting off almost prevented me from exiting the car. The need to keep impressing a person whom I had already slept with was completely foreign to me. I had always been in control and knew the shelf life of the warm body I was taking home that night. It wasn’t very long. Those thoughts had yet to cross my mind with Julia, and I couldn’t imagine them invading. This was all so fucking bizarre, but I needed to keep going with it because it felt equally amazing to be this intrigued by someone.

I glanced back at my car to gather myself and made it flat to the front door in five seconds.

This was actually a beautiful neighborhood for families. The homes were large, spaced out perfectly, with large trunks of trees separating them. The grass was cut regularly, and most yards had kids’ toys scattered about or bicycles leaning against the house.

The door swung open before I could knock, revealing Julia’s warm smile and flowing brown hair that bounced on her shoulders as she rushed me. “Hey, you’re here!” She did a quick glance at her surroundings in the house. When the coast seemed clear, she pecked me on the lips before stepping aside, inviting me in. The inside of her home was just as nicely decorated as I remembered it. I assumed a big screen television in the den for the family and lots of color everywhere. Color meaning a pile of clothes at least three feet high at the foot of the steps.

“Sorry, it’s a bit chaotic in here.” Julia motioned to the mess. “The girls decided it was time to wash every piece of clothing in their closets.”

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