Page 41 of The Moment Promised

She said she was proud ofme.

I felt so seen in that moment, but now that I know she is in great hands, I can revel in the fact I’m not responsible for her anymore.

For now, at least.

I deflect from the thoughts of what would happen if she wasn’t able to get sober, how they told me she wouldn’t make it to the next five years. I cannot think of those things because right now, I’m all my mom has. And what she needs is hope, so hopeful is what I’ll be.

“Your shower has horrible water pressure.” Finn enters my bedroom with dampened hair and a towel wrapped around his waist. My gaze automatically follows the water droplet thatslowly trails down his toned stomach, gliding along V lines and disappearing beneath his towel.

I blink a few times, realizing exactly where I am staring. I lay flat on my bed, putting my book on my bedside table to give Finn my full attention. “You could shower at your own house, you know.” To an outside perspective, it would seem like Finn and I are a couple.

We’ve been playing house the past two days while my mom’s been away. They said she could be in rehab for at least a month. A month of freedom. A month of not worrying. A month of living for only myself.

It’s perfect.

The moment promised isperfect.

“I can’t leave you here by yourself. What if you leave the dryer on and your house catches fire while you’re sleeping? I’d feel shitty for the rest of my life thinking, ‘If I stayed, she would still be alive to banter with me.’”

I bark out laughing.

“And what if someone breaks in? What if you fall down the stairs and no one is there to help you back up?”

I say with humor, “I won’t start the dryer before going to bed, I’ll put up a good fight, and I can help myself up.”

“I’m still staying.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m no damsel in distress.” I don’t care why he’s here. I’m just glad he is. I get to play a new game in my head, where I pretend this is our house, he is my boyfriend, and it is our love that brought us here.

“I know you would be just fine, love. You’ve been taking care of yourself your whole life. I just feel better knowing you’re okay and happy. Plus, I like being here with you.”

I ponder that for only a moment before his muscles pull me from my thoughts. “Who wouldn’t be happy withthisview.” Iroll onto my stomach, propping my chin up with my hands to admire.

He raises his eyebrows, used to my sarcasm. But this isn’t sarcasm.

I don’t know what comes over me, maybe it’s because for the first time in my life I have nothing to worry about other than what’s right in front of me, but I feel confident. And maybe even a little flirty.

Finn grabs some clothes from his bag, then returns to the bathroom to get dressed.

“That’s no fun,” I murmur.

After everything that happened in the ER, we never once spoke of our kiss. How there was so much tension pulling us toward one another it was impossible to ignore.

But now it’s been two days. Surely the time frame in which it should’ve been discussed has expired. I certainly cannot be the one to bring it up, and since Finn hasn’t, I’m sure he concluded it was a mistake.

The thought alone hurts, but I try to ignore it for now.

If a few weeks ago someone would’ve told me Finn would be home from college, or he’d be basically living at my house, or my mom was getting the help she needed in rehab, I would’ve laughed in their face.

Happy endings aren’t handed to girls from broken homes. We don’t expect it, and we certainly don’t believe in it.

But right here, right now, I’m happy, even if I have a feeling that I haven’t reached The End.

I pop up on my elbows, a sudden bolt of excitement shoots through me. “Let’s leave.” A bright smile overtakes me face.

Finn mindlessly stares off into space. “What?”

“Let’s throw some stuff into bags andleave.” I push myself up, standing on the bed.

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