Page 192 of Beautiful Collide

My mind short-circuits.

Think.

Think of something to say that won’t make her storm out the door.

I open my mouth and then shut it.

Nope.

Nothing.

There’s no fixing this.

I really put my foot in my mouth this time.

I’m about to say anything—hell, I’ll beg for her forgiveness—when her phone buzzes on the coffee table.

She picks it up, glances at the screen, and freezes. “It’s your mom.”

“What?” I sit straight up. “Why is she calling you?”

“I don’t know,” she says, staring at the phone like it’s a ticking time bomb. Finally, she presses the speaker button.

“Molly, sweetheart.” My mom’s voice fills the room, bright and cheerful. Her normal, happy self. I don’t even have to hear what she says to know this won’t go well. “Oh, I’m so glad you picked up.”

“Hi, Mrs. Wilde.” Molly glances at me like she’s hoping I’ll save her.

“Call me Mary.” My mom laughs. “We’re family now, after all.”

Shit.

She knows, and by the look on Molly’s face, she’s come to the same realization as I have.

I groan, dragging a hand down my face. Of course, she knows.

It’s all over the news.

Plus, if that isn’t bad enough, Anna practically stalks me. She even has a damn Google alert that tells her whenever someone posts about me.

“Anna saw something online,” my mom continues, oblivious to my growing mortification. “When she told me, I thought she was joking, but then I was like . . . well, that makes sense. I’m not blind.”

“What do you mean?” Molly croaks.

“I could see the way Hudson looked at you that night at dinner. It was obvious something was going on. It makes sense. You’re perfect for him, after all.”

I look over at Molly, who is currently mouthing the word, “Perfect.” Her eyes are wide, and she looks very confused, but she shakes her head after a second.

Molly bites back a laugh. “Thank you.”

“Oh, honey, I’m so happy for you both.” Jeez, my mom is gushing. I need to put an end to this, or she’s liable to say something really embarrassing.

“Hi, Mom,” I cut in, making my presence known and hoping that’s enough to stop her.

“Hudson, what am I going to do with you?”

“You’re going to have to be more specific, Mom.”

“You keeping this a secret. Why didn’t you tell me?”

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