Page 89 of Holding On

Chapter Sixteen

Becca

I wake up in Ethan's bed, nestled against his warm body, his arm draped over my back. He's sound asleep, softly breathing, his head just above mine. I want to check the time but don't want to move from this perfect spot. It's warm and cozy and makes me want to drift back to sleep.

My phone vibrates on the nightstand. I'm guessing it's Mike, wondering where I am. I'm sure Heather told him I was with Ethan, but knowing Mike, he's calling to tell me to come home.

When the buzzing stops, I carefully lift Ethan's arm off me and reach for my phone. Checking the screen, I find it's not Mike who called. It was my mom.

What does she want? And why is she calling me? She knows I never answer her calls.

She left a voicemail so I play her message, holding the phone close to my ear so Ethan won't hear.

"Becca, it's Mom. Jim and I want to have brunch with you and Mike tomorrow at eleven. I called Mike and he said he'd be there. Call me back and let me know if you can make it. We're meeting at the hotel downtown. That historic one. I can't remember the name. Anyway, see you then."

Her and Jim? She brought her boyfriend? Why would she bring her boyfriend?

"Hey." I feel Ethan rubbing my arm.

I set my phone down and lie back in my spot. "I was just checking my phone."

"Is something wrong?"

I sigh. "My mom just called. She left a message."

"What did she want?"

"To tell me to meet her and her boyfriend for brunch tomorrow. Apparently Mike already agreed to it."

"Are you gonna go?"

"I don't know. I don't want to, but I don't want Mike going there by himself. He tends to give in to whatever she wants, and she obviously wants something or she wouldn't have shown up. But I really don't want to go. I don't think I can handle it."

"I'll go with you."

I look at him. "What?"

"I said I'll go with you."

"Why would you go with me?"

"To help you get through it. Sometimes it helps to have an outsider at these things. Families tend to behave themselves with strangers around. That's why I always used to invite my friends over for dinner in the rare times my parents and I actually had dinner together."

I sit up. "You'd really go to brunch with me?"

"If you want me to, then yeah. I can't promise it'll help but if you think it might, then I'll be there."

"That would be awesome." I hug him. "Thank you."

This is why I keep coming back to Ethan. He can be super sweet, which makes me forgive him when he's a jerk.

"So tell me about your mom," he says. "Anything I should know before this brunch tomorrow?"

"Not really. I already told you she left us. That should tell you the type of person she is."

"Does she date a lot?"

"I don't talk to her often enough to know, but when I do talk to her, she's usually in a relationship. She was with the guy in Dallas for years. I didn't know they broke up. I didn't even know she'd moved. Whenever Mike tries to tell me about her, I shut him down."

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