Page 98 of Holding On

"Why would I tell you to get lost?"

"Because I told you I'd come here, then changed my mind."

"But then you showed up."

"Yeah, but I never should've told you no." I slide her hair back behind her ear. "I needed to be here for you."

"Aren't you worried about people seeing you and saying stuff to the sports media?"

"I'm willing to risk it to help you out."

She smiles. "You're a good guy, Ethan Baxter."

"I can be." I chuckle. "Other times I can be an ass, which you've witnessed more times than I care to admit." I kiss her. "Let's get back inside before they start looking for us."

When we return to the table, our food is there. We sit down and Becca says nothing as she places her napkin on her lap. Her brother is quiet too. The five of us eat in uncomfortable silence, the tension so thick it's making me nervous and I'm not even part of this family. I can only imagine how Becca must feel.

I thought she'd tell her mom her decision as soon as we sat down but instead she's just quietly eating her food. I know she doesn't want to fight with her mom but she needs to stand up for herself and tell her mom no. Or maybe she changed her mind in the short time it took us to walk back to the table.

In the few conversations we've had about her mom, it's clear Becca still struggles with that relationship. Despite her denying it, there's a part of her that still longs for Sherry to act like a mom, but from what Becca's told me, I don't think Sherry can ever be the mom Becca needs her to be. And if she tried, I wouldn't trust her. I don't know much about Sherry, but in the short time I've spent with her today, I can see she manipulates her kids into doing what she wants, preying on their desire to have their mom back.

I hate that manipulative shit. At least my parents just come out and tell me what they want. My dad doesn't even hide the fact that he plans to use my future success for his own benefit, making sure to remind me that he's responsible for my success. So yeah, I don't have to guess about my dad's motives, or my mom's. That's one good thing about them.

After a few minutes, Jim finally breaks the silence. "The pancakes are sure good." He pats his protruding stomach. "Then again, I never met a food I didn't like." He chuckles but nobody laughs with him.

Sherry dabs her mouth with her napkin. "So Michael, tell me about your new girlfriend."

"She's a nurse," he says, not looking at Sherry. He seems mad at her. Did something happen while Becca and I were outside?

"Where does she work?" Sherry asks.

His eyes remain on his plate. "At the hospital." He shovels some eggs in his mouth. He's been eating really fast, like he's in a hurry to leave.

Sherry's lips thin, her face tightening. Her kids aren't reacting the way she wants them to and now she's pissed. "Michael, I'm sure you can tell us more than that about the girl. She's a nurse and what else?"

He finally looks at his mom. "What difference does it make? You don't actually care. You're just making conversation."

Becca stares at her brother, a look of shock on her face. She told me Mike never fights with their mom, but from his raised voice and curt tone, I sense a fight is coming. Or maybe it already happened while I was outside with Becca.

"Mikey, don't use that tone with me," Sherry says. "I was simply curious about this new girl. You seem quite enamored with her."

"How could you do that?" Mike spits out as he glares across the table at Sherry.

"Do what?" Becca asks, her eyes bouncing between Sherry and Mike.

"Do you want to tell her or should I?" Mike asks.

"Hold on a minute," Jim says, sounding nervous. "This is getting out of hand. Let's just forget I even mentioned it. We're here to celebrate our engagement. There's no need to fight."

"Stay out of it," Mike says.

"What's going on?" Becca asks. "What are you guys talking about?"

Sherry sighs. "While you were outside, we were discussing Jim's sons, Brady and Kurt. They're twins and both freshmen in college and—"

"She paid for them," Mike blurts out.

"What?" Becca's brows draw together in confusion. "What do you mean she paid for them? Paid for what?"

---