Page 94 of Break Your Fall

“If that’s how you wanna look at it.”

“That’s how it is,” I say against her brush off. “But foryou. Not for me.”

“Fine,” she spits, turning back for her wine, her crutch. “One broken heart has already ruined my life.” She takes a gulp as she spins back to me. “Is that what you wanna hear? I haven’t had a good man in a long time.”

“Because good men don’t want you, Mom.”

I’m not a tamper today. The need to hurt her the way she hurts me is too strong.

She tries to control her face, conceal the pain, but I catch the twitch in her eye. The glass is closer to her mouth, her lips begging for the rim. “Aspen does.” She takes a swallow, eyes lost in the liquid. “He’s my second chance.”

“You’re taking advantage.”

“Of course I’m taking advantage.” Wine sprays with the words and she wipes at her mouth. “I’m not getting any younger. The chance I’ve been given doesn’t come around often, and I won’t have it ruined.”

But you don’t mind ruining the chances you’ve had with your daughter.

She steps up to me. “I know what you’re wanting. Trying to keep that girl out of this house. Away from me, right? Well, I want the same thing. If you’re gonna do this, Reyna, if you’re gonna let that man into your life, I don’t give a damn if you accept all the apologies in the world, you keep it out of mine.”

I tighten my body against the ache, blink my eyes against the sting. My mother’s telling me exactly what I want to hear, giving me exactly what I need, because it doesn’t involve her. And that’s how I know, dug up from deep down, that she truly never wanted to be.

You don’t need her, Reyna. You don’t need her.

“Enjoy your new family, Mom,” I say before carrying my mind and my heart away from her. “Like I’m enjoying mine.”

The people I do need are standing out in my driveway, talking and laughing as they wait for me.

Orarethey waiting for me?

Jessa is flirting.

My sister is flirting with my Tommy.

My stomach twists as I watch her hand touch his arm, a smile around the words she’s saying to him.

But then the moment stops. Tommy’s mouth moves around words of his own and Jessa drops her hand, responding with a nod, more words, and another smile.

“Hey,” I greet them as I bounce over, addressing my sister, my tone somewhat clipped through my residual jealousy. “What are you doing here?”

“Checking on you,” she says. “You left me hanging.”

I smile as I recall rushing out of her loft with no word once I read Tommy’s text. “Yeah, I’m sorry. One of our friends needed us and. . .” I trail off with a small laugh. “It’s a long story.”

“I like long stories.”

I just smile again, the jealousy still nipping, and I glance at Tommy who’s looking at me, then back at my sister, saying, “You two seem to be getting along.”

“Yeah—” Tommy starts, nerves in his voice, but Jessa cuts him off.

“But I’m not you,” she says to me, her smile pointedly knowing.

Tommy mentioned me. He talked about us. And Jessa dropped her hand, backed off. My stomach flips as I meet Tommy’s unwavering eyes.

“Now that I’m seeing you together, I sense it,” Jessa says now, snapping our attention to her, and Tommy starts backing up.

“Uh, I gotta go do something before I lose my nerve. You two can. . .” He waves his hands between us, then he’s off to his car before I can question what he has to do that takes nerve.

“He’s dreamy,” Jessa croons after a moment.

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