Page 71 of Blue Moon Love

“In high school, and it wasn’t?—”

“No!” She lifted her finger and wagged it in my face. “Not just high school; you went to Kane and Ruby’s wedding together.”

I’d only done that to make Sam jealous. Which was the same reason we’d dated in high school. It hadn’t worked either time. Plus, Taylor was the one who told me to ask Remi to go with me because she was in denial of her feelings for him.

“As friends,” I explained. “We were just friends.”

“I don’t see why, just because your cousin goes out once with a man, a doctor, he’s off limits. That’s crazy! And what happened with Jonah?! So handsome! So successful! What? Why is he just a friend?”

Of course she knew about the status of my relationship with Jonah, even though I’d never told her. This was Wishing Well. Everyone knew everything. I knew she wasn’t going to drop this. Ever. If I didn’t handle this situation right, she would take matters into her own hands. Men might start showing up at my door.

It was time to come clean.

After glancing around and seeing that the other women were all occupied getting their hair and makeup done, I moved closer to my mom and quietly confessed, “I love Sam.”

She had zero reaction; she just stared at me blankly.

Thinking she must not have heard me or didn’t understand the magnitude of what I’d just said, I softly clarified, “I’m in love with Sam.”

“Yes. And?” she replied matter-of-factly, not at all seeming surprised at what I’d just admitted.

“What do you mean, yes, and?”

“I mean, yes, and what else is new?”

“Wait? You knew that I was in love with him?” Everyone in town had asked me about Sam and mine’s relationship at one time or another, even my father, but my mother never had. I always assumed that if she had suspected anything, she would have confronted me about it since she didn’t really keep her opinions, thoughts, or feelings on any subject matter to herself.

“Of course I knew! Everyone knows!”

Her voice rose, and I glanced over at Ruby and Taylor. From the look on their faces, they’d overheard our conversation.

“We knew,” Taylor backed up my mom, confirming my hunch. Ruby nodded in agreement.

My head spun back toward my mom. “Why didn’t you ever say anything to me? Ask me about it?”

“Why? So you can lie to my face?” She shook her head and made a tsking sound. “No, no, no. This is true love. I knew that you’d tell me when you were ready.” Tears filled her eyes as she cupped my face again. “So this is it, Amorina, you are ready?”

“It doesn’t matter if I am or not. Sam doesn?—”

“Shh, shh, shh. Don’t speak nonsense. That boy, he loves you. He might not know what to do about it, but you’ll help him. That’s your job. To help him. You’ll figure it out together.”

My mom pulled me into one of her famous bear hugs. Usually, I found them suffocating, but right now, right now it was exactly what I needed. It was warm and comforting, and everything I was feeling was exposed after admitting my love for Sam even if everyone already knew.

I was still in my mom’s oppressive but appreciated embrace when the door opened and the wedding planner came in and walked over to Taylor. The two were discussing an issue with the seating that I couldn’t quite hear.

“What do you know about her?” my mom whispered conspiratorially.

“Willow?” I clarified.

“No. Your cousin.” My mom’s hands flew in the air expressively. “Of course, Willow.”

“Not a lot. She’s from Seattle. She worked at a corporate job but hated it. She came here so she could start her own business and because the cost of living is better.”

My mom waved her hand dismissively. “I don’t care about that.”

“You asked what I knew about her.”

“Yes, I did. Is she single?” my mom emphasized, indicating I was a total idiot not to have read between the lines of her questioning.

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