Page 25 of Always You

“Hey, Mom, there’s someone I’d like you to meet.” Her hazy eyes slowly shift to us as a look filled with aversion washes over her face. In that moment, I wish the world could swallow us whole, knowing that whatever comes out of her mouth next won’t be pretty.Hell nois the first thing that flies through my head, because Charlotte doesn’t deserve this, but before I can say anything, my determined little blonde takes a step forward.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Hansen. I’m Charlotte.” Charls offers her hand with a beaming smile, and I suspiciously wait while my mother eyes her from top to toe. Her brown eyes are bloodshot, and the gray tone of her skin makes her look more dead than alive, yet Charlotte keeps her smile bright.

“So you’re the girl fucking him for his car?” she spits, and I notice Charls’s face fall, but only a little, her hand still hanging in the air.

“Mom,” I seethe.

“Actually, he’s just lending me his truck out of the kindness of his heart.” Charls chuckles, dropping her hand back beside her body, as if my mother’s comment didn’t affect her.

“Oh, so you’re a freeloader, like he is?” she snarls, stepping a little closer with an ominous look. Without thinking, I step in front of Charlotte, shielding her from any outburst that might occur in the next second, but she lays her hand on my arm, forcing me to look at her with a single glance.

“It’s okay.” She smiles, then puts her focus back on my mother. I try to detect the bullshit, but before I can find any, she puts on a warrior expression.

“I guess I am, Mrs. Hansen. But he definitely isn’t. Thanks to him, I can get my mom to the hospital without the hassle of an Uber or taking the bus.” The corner of her mouth curls in a grin that doesn’t match her eyes as she keeps talking. “Call me whatever you want, but your son is anything but a freeloader.”

I raise my eyebrows in shock, feeling a renewed sense of pride. Ever since it’s been just my mom and me, I’ve felt alone, dealing with my demons and fighting my mom on a daily basis. I don’t bring friends home. I avoid my house as much as possible. Jason knows how life changed after the accident, but he doesn’t know how awful it really is.

He would never expect that I may need some backup every once in a while.

And to be honest, I never thought I did. But seeing this little spitfire go head to head with my mother, in the most polite way, makes me realize that’s exactly what I need.

Someone to back me up every now and then.

“You listen to me, little girl,” my mom growls, stepping closer, trying to move around me. “You don’t know shit.”

“I know your son is doing the best he can, considering you leave him to fend for himself every day,” Charlotte says, waymore calm and collected than I am, though I don’t miss the accusing tone. I roll back my shoulders, lifting my chin, not sure I know what I did to deserve this girl defending me.

“He’s a grown ass man!” My mother’s pale features grow flush with each word spitting out of her mouth.

“He’s a teenager who needs his parents to take care of him. Who needs hismother.”

Oh, damn. This girl says all the things that cut straight through me.

“He’s almost eighteen! He should take care of me!”

My insides constrict as I swallow away the lump in my throat that’s as dry as the fucking Arizona dessert. I try to keep reminding myself that my mother is sick. She’s grieving her husband and her son, and she doesn’t really mean all the shit she says.

“Respectfully, but isn’t that exactly what he’s been doing?” Charlotte retorts.

“Shut your pie hole, you fucking hussy!” My mother takes a threatening step forward, and I throw my arm in front of Charlotte’s chest.

“Mom, back off.” My jaw ticks, fueled by the rage spreading heat in my stomach. If my mother comes any closer, I won’t hesitate to put myself in front of her and protect Charlotte at all costs.

“Don’t you tell me to back off, boy!” Her attention snaps to me with a vicious glare. “And you!” She flicks her devilish gleam back to Charlotte, a piercing finger pointed at her. “How dare you come into my house, talking to me like you know it all!”

Charls’s hand squeezing my bicep, and I take a deep breath while her presence calms the anger running through my veins.

“I didn’t mean any disrespect, ma’am. You’re right. I don’t know it all. But I know Hunter.” Her tone is resolute, swelling my chest. “And that’s enough. It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Hansen.” Her words combined with the anger surging throughme makes it hard to breathe and relax, but I heard them loud and clear. She sticks up for me like I’m hers to stick up for, and even though I’m furious as hell, I’ve never felt better at the same time. Charlotte moves her gaze up to me while I keep my focus on my mom breathing through her nose like a raging bull.

A very drunk, raging bull.

“Are you coming?” I don’t know how she does it, but this girl either has balls of steel or she’s a damn good actress.

Without waiting for my answer, she tugs my arm, pulling me over the threshold and into the warmth of the sun again, as I give my mom another disappointed glare.

I wish it was different. I wish she was still the mother who would be excited to meet the friends I brought home. Especially if it’s a girl.

But this is just one more reminder of what used to be.

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