Page 79 of Ink & Stardust

“Is that a threat?”

“It’s a promise. Now get in your car, drive away, and don’t ever come back.”

“You want to throw us away on some fuck boy who’ll never be able to give you what I can, be my guest. I was only trying to make things right with you for my mom anyway.”

A laugh tears from my throat, echoing through the air around us.

“Goodbye, Leo. I hope life treats you as fabulously as you have treated me.” I wave my fingers, turning my hand to flip him the middle finger before spinning around, leaving him standing there wondering what the hell just happened.

Truth be told, I’m kind of wondering that myself.

It isn’t until I reach the back porch that the adrenaline starts to wear off and reality sinks in. My hands tremble almost as violently as my insides, angry tears pricking the backs of my eyes. I’m not sure if I want to laugh, cry, vomit, or all three. Honestly, I feel on the verge of the latter.

“Lyric?”

I hear River before I see him, looking up just as he steps down from the porch toward me.

“Please tell me you didn’t just hear all that.” I grimace, the churning in my stomach growing stronger by the second.

“I didn’t hearallof it.” He stops in front of me. “Just the last bit when I realized it wasn’t Avery and the girls. I was fully prepared to come to your rescue but turns out you didn’t need to be rescued after all. How do you feel?”

“Like I’m going to throw up.” I give him a watery smile.

“I’m going to forget the part about you and a guy doing things I’m going to need to burn from my memory and focus instead on how fucking proud I am of you for finally standing up to that dipshit.”

“I just said that to hurt him.” The lie slips out so easily I almost think he believes it for a second.

“No, you didn’t.” He rests his hands on my shoulders. “And that’s okay. I don’t need any details. In fact, I don’t want any details. I just want to know that you’re all right.”

“I am.” I nod. “I’m better than all right. I’m amazing.”

“Then that’s good enough for me.” He smiles, pulling me into a hug.

“I’m sorry about Leo.” My mom slides up next to me in front of the sink where I’m currently washing dishes. “I never dreamed that Diane would tell him you’d be here.”

“River told you?” I guess.

“He didn’t have to. I saw you two outside.”

“Did you hear us?” I hold my breath, praying she says no.

“I didn’t, but I could tell it wasn’t a pleasant conversation.”

“You can say that again.” I glance over at my mom and it’s almost like looking in a mirror thirty years in the future. I look so much like her, something I denied adamantly when I was younger. Now I’m starting to realize how lucky I am to be a spitting image of the amazing woman next to me.

“Are you okay?”

“Surprisingly, I am.” I rinse a dish, then hand it to her to dry, which she does without question. This is kind of our thing. A lot of problems have been solved in front of this very sink, and I’m starting to think I might have another that I need her help with. “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything.” She takes the glass I hand her, drying it before setting it on the counter.

“It’s about a guy.”

“Naturally.” She smiles. “Though I will say I was wondering when you were going to tell me about him.”

“You knew?”

“That my daughter was in love... Of course I did. A mother knows these things.” She gently knocks her hip against mine.

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