Page 35 of Trusting You

“Hey,” I leaned in and handed him the plate. “Thought you might be hungry.”

He lifted the sandwich to his mouth and sighed as he took a bite. “Thanks, I’m starving.”

“Don’t thank me. Thank my mom,” I looked back at the house as I debated whether I really wanted to stay out here.

“Can we talk?” he sighed as he practically inhaled his lunch.

“There’s not much to talk about,” I snapped. “We had fun. It’s over now,” I crossed my arms over my chest.

He motioned to the passenger seat and I rolled my eyes as I climbed in. “That’s all I was to you? A fun time?” he looked hurt as he stared at me in disbelief.

“Sucks, doesn’t it,” I was being a bitch, but I didn’t care. “Now you know how all your girlfriends feel.”

“You were never just a girlfriend to me,” he murmured. “You were different. We were different. I cared about you. Why can’t you see that?”

“Right,” I rolled my eyes as I leaned back in the seat. “You cared so much.”

“I spent the entire week with YOU,” he pointed at me. “I’ve made countless trips out here for YOU. Hell, I just spent a night in my car hoping to get five minutes of your time. I don’t know what else I can do to prove I’m in this,” he flung his arms out to the side.

“It’s not just about me,” my voice raised to match his. “It’s about HIM,” I pointed to the house. “Everything I do is about HIM. You see, I don’t get what I want anymore. He does. He comes first in every decision I make. I forgot about that last weekend. I let my wants come first. I can’t do that. EVER!” I stressed. “You will never understand that.”

Aaron

“I do understand,” I ground out, matching her anger. She hadn’t even given me a chance. She’d decided all on her own that this wasn’t going to work. “I do understand,” I said again as I lowered my voice.

We both sat there staring at each other before she slumped back against the seat. A single tear slipped down her cheek and she angrily wiped at it.

I swallowed before I began to speak. “I used to be him,” I murmured. “Fuck!” I hissed. I hadn’t talked about my past much. Melinda knew a little, but not all of it. Very few people knew all of it. My dad had taken me to therapy for months when I was little to get over it, and now here I was seventeen years later dredging it all up again. “I told you Avery wasn’t my mom,” I began. My dad got my mom pregnant when they were barely out of high school. She left us right after I was born,” I glanced at Mel to see she was watching me intently. “He raised me with the help of my grandmother. He was older than you, but still… I was his whole world. He didn’t date. I never even met Avery until a year after they started seeing each other. My mom came back when I was four. My dad didn’t like it, but he tried really hard for me to have a relationship with her. I didn’t remember her, but she was my mom.” I swallowed as I remembered what it was like in that house. My mom, Sarah, was a weak, spineless individual. She dated losers, and she brought those losers around me. She didn’t stand up for me like my dad did. He never would have let someone touch me, but she did. She let her boyfriend hit me.” I closed my eyes as I the memories began to swamp me. I still remembered the last time he hit me. What it felt like, and how she just watched. I remember my dad and how he came and got me. How he and Avery took care of me, and loved me. They fought for me, and made sure that no one ever hurt me again.

“I’m sorry,” she sniffed as she turned to look at me.

“I get it. I know what you’re doing, but I would never hurt him,” I pointed at the house. “Don’t you see? He’s just like me only he has a mom looking out for him, and from what I can tell, she’s a good one.” She bit her lip as she stared at me. “I know you didn’t know all this shit that’s my life, but you still could have told me. When you care about someone, you tell them everything,” he smiled as he reached across the console and grabbed my hand.

She nodded her head before whispering, “You wanna meet him?”

“Sure, but not right now,” her face fell, but I squeezed her hand. “Right now, I kinda just wanna sit with you. Maybe we could all have dinner together tonight?”

“That sounds nice,” she smiled softly before leaning her head on my shoulder. “I’m sorry I ran off like that. I was scared, and I didn’t know what to do with the feelings I was having.”

“It’s ok. This is new to me too,” I smiled before I worked up the courage to tell her what I really wanted to say.

“We can learn together,” she giggled and I pressed a kiss to her head. “But can we do it inside? It’ll be more comfortable.”

“Sure,” I chuckled. “I owe your dad anyway.”

Chapter 16

Melinda

Aaron and I sat in his Jeep talking for most of the afternoon. Time seemed to fly by, but it was easy to open up now that we didn’t have any secrets. We talked about everything, and nothing all at the same time. I stayed until I needed to go in to get ready for our date.

“I’m going to go back to the dorms and beg Em to let me use her shower,” Aaron chuckled. “She owes me,” he cranked the engine. “I’ll be back in about an hour. Is that enough time for you?”

“Sure,” I shrugged. “Brook is usually up from his afternoon nap by now, and all I’ll have to do is get him dressed.”

“Hey Mel,” he called as I climbed out “relax,” he squeezed my hand before offering a wave.

I nodded as I waved back, and jogged back up to the house. I had no idea what to expect with our date tonight. I’d never taken Brooklyn out with me before. I didn’t really date, but then again, I was always worried that as soon as whomever I was out with discovered I was a mom it would send them running.

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