Page 131 of Scores Of The Heart

“He’s my boyfriend, Mom. And I’ve been trying to forget about the last conversation we had that resulted in tears.”

“You feel too much, Cindy. I’ve been saying this to your father for years, not that he ever listened.”

Yes, and you don’t seem to feel enough, mother dear.

“I don’t see how that’s relevant,” I say.

She disregards that. “And I don’t think it’s appropriate for Tyler coming over. I have visitors.”

I roll my eyes. “Well, we’re coming anyway, so your visitors will just have to wait or go do something for an hour or two.”

I didn’t even give her a chance to respond before I hung up.

I’ll see the wrath of her for that, too, but so be it.

“This is shaping up to be one hell of a day,” I sigh, looking out of the window as Henry cozies up between us once again.

Tyler doesn’t say anything. I turn my head to look at him.

“Ty, are you okay? I know that was pretty brutal in there…”

He turns his head and I see genuine concern on his face as well as watery eyes. “I’m not okay, Cind. And surely you can’t be after that. I knew it was going to be hard, but I feel like the world’s biggest asshole. Now you have your dad mad at us both, and next it’s gonna be your mom. It’s not supposed to be like this, and I’ve fucking caused it all.”

“Tyler, it may not be ideal, I admit, but Angelique is on our side. And my parents will have to come on board, like it or not. We have something unique, regardless of all of this. We don’t know all the answers yet, but we will figure it out.”

“It’s going to be a damned sight easier for you and for them if you walked away,” he sighs. “I mean it, Cind. Do you really want the press all over this making judgment over you because we were snapped together? It isn’t fair.”

“That’s not your fault!” I cry. Henry looks up at me from my tone. I soothe him on the head with my hand until he puts his head back down again. “And don’t talk like that. I’m not walking away. Why would that be easier?”

“I’m no good for you, baby. I feel like I’m fucking up your impeccable reputation by just being with me.”

“What?”

“You heard me. I feel like I’ve corrupted you. I was pretty fucking quick to take your virtue after all!”

“Tyler, I’m twenty-seven years old. You didn’t take my virtue or corrupt me! I did nothing I didn’t want to do. My parents can like it or lump it as far as I’m concerned. And I wouldn’t be too worried about my mother, she’s quite happy for me to get back together with my childhood ex who boned another girl in the parish for goodness sake!”

“That doesn’t make me a saint,” he mutters.

“Well, you’d look like one compared to Damon.” I reach out to touch him on the arm. “All relationships have problems,” I murmur.

He looks at me, trying to manage a smile for my sake. “Will you stop being my perfect voice of reason and making everything okay?”

“What would you like me to do? Scream from the rafters how much this sucks?”

“It would make me feel better.”

“Would it really?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know right now, Cind. I just need to get this part over with so your family knows the score. Then I need to go and clear my head in the gym or something.”

I nod, swallowing hard. This has been a lot, and he’s never even met my mom…

When we finally pull up, I take a few deep breaths and decide no matter what happens, I’m not going to let her walk all over me.

Of course, I’m not expecting things to go down very well with her either. In fact, she’s on the defensive the second we walk in. And of course I end up wondering why the hell we even came to see her, because she was never going to approve.

At least her ‘guests’ aren’t hanging around, because there’s no sign of them the whole time we’re there.

---