Page 42 of My Mom's Man
“We got close and recently sort of fell into each other,” I explain, voice wobbling. “I’m eighteen. It was consensual.”
“She’s covering for him,” Mom shrieks. “Why is she covering for him?”
“I’m not,” I cry out, heart hammering in my chest. “They broke up and we hooked up. That’s it. Mom walked in on us and drew her own conclusions. I’msorry we wasted your time when there are real emergencies going on out there.”
Sheriff rises to his feet. “That’s the truth, Miss Abrams?”
“Yes.”
Mom shakes her head in frustration. “No. Go arrest him. I know where he’s at. Your own employee—his best friend—three doors down is no doubt hiding him. We need to do the rape kit.”
“I wasn’t raped,” I blurt out, finally meeting my mom’s wild glare. “Stop with all this.”
She blinks several times and shudders. “I was supposed to protect you.”
“He did nothing wrong!” I slide off the end of the bed and push past them to my room. “I get that you love me, Mom, and want to keep me safe, butyou’rethe one hurting me right now.”
I ignore the gasp from her as I shoot Ava a text, asking if she can come get me. Brayden is my friend, but he’s too close to the situation. Literally. I need to get away from all this. Once I confirm she’ll be here in the next fifteen minutes, I pack a bag, shoving a few nights’ worth of clothes inside.
“Where are you going?” Mom asks, voice cracking and losing the fire. “Are you coming with me?”
I yank the zipper closed and whirl on her. “No, mother. I’m getting away from you. And when things cool off, I need to find Reid and apologize to him. IfI know him, he’s beating himself up over this entire ordeal.”
“As he should,” she spits out. “He’s a monster.”
Anger bursts out of me like lightning, zapping the closest person to me. Mom.
“Enough.” I storm over to her and grab hold of her shoulders. “I’m telling you woman to woman that it was one-hundred-percent consensual.”
Tears well in her eyes and she shakes her head.
“And daughter to mother, it was after you two broke up.” I chew on my bottom lip to keep the tears at bay. “I’m sorry we’ve hurt you, but I’m not sorry for loving him.”
She scoffs. “You don’t love him!”
“I love him more than you ever did,” I accuse, unable to keep from crying. “You used him, Mom. He’s a wonderful man who deserves to be taken care of and adored. You leeched onto him and took and took and took. We’re not victims in this. He’s not the bad guy.”
“Honey—”
I hug my mother, cutting off her argument. “I love you, Mom. We can talk when you’ve cooled off. Send the sheriff away, please.”
Her whole body shakes with sobs as she hugs me and then worsens when I peel myself out of her grip. Sheriff McMahon gives me a grim smile and a nod as I pass. My mom was wrong about this, and he knows it.
Outside, Ava hasn’t arrived yet, so I start down the road toward the direction where she lives.Within a few minutes, she pulls up in her shiny mom SUV and shoots me a worried look.
“I just need to get away,” I choke out. “My family just blew up.”
Ava reaches over to take my hand. “Oh, Emma. I’m so sorry.”
At least she understands the complications of loving an older man.
“You don’t have to clean,” Quinn says, frowning. “We have a person who does that.”
It’s been three days since I came to stay with Quinn and Ava. They’ve been so kind and caring. Helping cleaning up after dinner is the least I can do.
“It keeps my mind busy,” I tell him with a forced smile. “You sure you two don’t need a date night? I’ll work for free.”
“We’re good.” He scoops June out of her highchair and sits her on his hip. “Right, Ju-Ju-Bee?”
