Page 29 of Restrictions

“I know. He eats constantly. I swear. I don’t know how he doesn’t weigh twice what he does.”

She laughs at that, her laugh contagious and beautiful. “Well, he’s an active little thing.”

She doesn’t say “hyper” or “misbehaved” like my parents do. Sheseems to love my son dearly, and I’m incredibly grateful. “Yes. That he is.”

“Active is good, sweetheart. And he’s so full of life and happy. You’re doing a wonderful job.”

My heart swells in my chest, hearing the approval I’ve desperately craved my whole life. I stop, causing Nora to stop and concern to come across her pretty face.

“What’s the matter?”

I shake my head. “Nothing.” I look up toward the back deck of the massive estate and see Tony letting Sebastian inside. “Just, thank you for saying that.”

She smiles as her eyes meet mine. “Is something bothering you?”

“I have a date tomorrow.”

She smiles and laughs lightly, but it’s not cruel, not at all. “That sounds like good news. What’s the matter?”

I shrug and watch as Baz helps Tony set the outdoor patio table with plates and silverware. “I um...” I turn back to her, feeling a safety with her that I never felt with my own mother. “I didn’t tell him about Sebastian, and Asher thinks I should have.”

Nora nods her head, listening intently.

And I hold up one hand, stressed as usual and feeling so guilty about that fact. “Please don’t think I’m terrible. It just all happened so fast, and Sebastian didn’t come up. I swear to you I think about him all the time. He’s always on my mind...”

Nora places two reassuring hands on my shoulders and leans down to look me directly in the eyes. “Stop. You, my dear, are a fantastic mother.”

I stare at her, feeling tears well up in my eyes. “Like I said, it all happened fast, and honestly I was so shocked he was asking me out on a date. I just didn’t tell him I was a mom. Which is horrible.”

She shakes her head. “I’m not surprised at all that someone asked you out on a date. But honey, you can’t feel bad about not mentioning Sebastian during that time. People seem to forget that moms are people too. We have needs. You’re human.”

My shoulders sag with relief when I let out the breath I was holding and see absolutely no judgment in her eyes. “He sawme, like actuallysaw me. Not just a mom. Which is me. I am a mom. I didn’t mean that. I know that sounds horrible.”

And I’m rambling again. She laughs sweetly. “Sweetie, stop. It’s not horrible. You are Sebastian’s mom, and you’ve made that a priority. But you need to start making yourself a priority also.”

“Asher thinks this guy is going to freak out when he finds out. And I’m going to tell him. Sebastian isn’t a secret or shameful to me in any way.”

She nods and moves to my side again, leading me up to the house. “Asher is wonderful. He always has been. He was rambunctious when he was little, a lot like Sebastian and always making jokes and laughing. But then as he got older, he formed a bit of an edge. Both Lincoln and Asher seem to have that edge to them. It’s more subtle with Asher, but it’s there. The skepticism.”

“He was certainly skeptical.”

“He worries about you and Sebastian.”

I smile. “We aren’t his responsibility though. I know he thinks he owes it to Colt.”

I see her flinch slightly when I mention Colt and instantly feel bad, but then she smiles. “Well, Colt was all about responsibility, that’s for sure. But he was the one I worried about the most. He felt so much pressure all the time to be perfect.” I know that feeling well.

“He was, wasn’t he?”

She smiles again. “He was close. But I worried about him. Nothing in life is perfect. It’s messy. And it finally caught up to him in the worst way.”

“Do you think Asher has taken that over?”

She shakes her head as we reach the stairs leading up to the deck. “No. Asher is different. He cares about you and Sebastian maybe even more than himself, but he knows how to relax and find balance in life.”

She’s not wrong about that. “Yeah. I suppose you’re right.”

“I was happy when he said he was moving in with you guys.” She turns to me, smoothing my hair with her hand, not judging the length but comforting me like a mother should. “I think you two make a great pair.”

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