Page 94 of Totally Off Limits

What morewasthere to say?

But her mother continued. “We had dinner with Austin and his parents last night and we’ve smoothed things over between our two families.”

“Oh, that’s good. I wouldn’t want to ruin any of that.”

Paul said, “Sarcasm isn’t helpful here, Sierra.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Her mother’s voice remained calmer than Sierra would have expected. “I know it doesn’t matter much to you, but we choose to live here and be productive citizens—and having pleasant relations with the more powerful families in town helps with that.” She picked up her cup and took a sip, all while Sierra and her father waited, somehow knowing she had far more to say. “However, that doesn’t negate that we want you—and Mia—to be happy. I suppose I was blind to all that. I thought you and Austin, now that you were adults, would see how a strong marriage would benefit you both. Not just our families, but you as individuals…and as a couple.”

Sierra’s heart softened ever so slightly as she began to realize that her parents really did care. “In a transactional sense.”

“Yes…but I imagined you both still had feelings for one another. You never talked much about your relationship with him, but your father and I always thought the two of you broke up because a long-distance relationship would be difficult if not impossible.”

“I guess that was part of it. But as I grew older, I realized that Austin was a good first boyfriend…but that was all.”

“You wanted to dally on the wrong side of the tracks.”

Sierra had tried to puzzle all that shit out herself—and maybe now she could put it into words. “It’s not that. Not at all. There’s something… Let me start over.” Taking a deep breath, she glanced over at Mia and Layne. Her child was giggling as Layne had Jasper chasing his own tail. With a smile, she turned back to her parents, full of hope and purity. “Mickey and I…all through our lives, our paths seemed to cross. He had a rough life, you know? His mom abandoned him and his dad resented him—but he still managed to smile at me and…” A memory she’d long forgotten played like a movie in her mind all of a sudden.

After her family had moved into this home and Sierra often had to take the bus home—she’d missed it one day in middle school. And even though she’d called her mother and she was on the way, it was going to be a while. It just so happened to be one of the first snows of the winter and Sierra had only brought a windbreaker to school, something fashionable but unable to protect against the cold.

Mickey used to play basketball back then—and he was getting ready to make the trek home when he saw Sierra standing on the curb. He’d given her his heavy jacket to wear, draping it over her shoulders. “Don’t you need it for your walk home?” she’d asked.

“I’ll run home and then I won’t feel cold.”

“It’s okay. My mom will be here soon.”

“I’m warm, Sierra.”

“No. Wait—”

But he was already running away.

“We were always helping each other with stuff. When I was in college, we ran into each other—and I think that was when I realized how much I cared for him.”

Her father cleared his throat. “And that’s when Mia was conceived?”

“Yeah.” It felt good letting the truth out—even if this meant it was the last time she’d ever talk with her parents.

“If you love him, you should be with him.”

Sierra’s green eyes grew wide and she looked from her father to her mother, finding confirmation in both their expressions.

“We both want you to be happy, Sierra. I don’t approve of you being an unwed mother, as you know…but, more than that, we don’t want you trapped in a loveless marriage.”

Dad’s eyes said the same thing.

“And, I suppose, I’ve prejudged Mia’s father a bit.” Then her mother completely pulled the rug out from underneath her feet. “We love you and want you to be happy—likewehave been with our marriage. That’s all we’ve ever wanted.”

Jesus Christ. Who was this person and what had she done with her mother?

“I second that,” her father said, smiling. “And you made us grandparents. No matter what we might think we know of her father, Mia has been a shining light in our lives.”

Once Sierra was able to fill her lungs with air again, she said, “I love you guys, too.”

She really did.

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