Page 105 of Crew Princess
He didn’t answer, and I froze, unable to make myself leave. I needed to hear what he would say, if he would say it.
“It was—I don’t even know what to say. Something happened.” A pause, and his voice dropped even lower. “I can’t stop feeling her. Is that normal?”
“Who?”
“My mom.”
Our lives, the way we were—tough. We either bled or we made others bleed. We didn’t share or cry on each other’s shoulders, not unless we were so broken that it was the only way back. If Heather made fun of us or said something mocking, I was going to stab her. Straight up.
“I feel my mom sometimes,” she said after a moment.
I waited, but I didn’t hear anything else, and knowing the time had come and I couldn’t put if off anymore, I opened the door. Stepped out. I closed the door and went down the sidewalk to my vehicle.
It meant something, hearing Heather take what had happened seriously. It meant a lot.
And somehow, it made me less vulnerable than before.
Maybe I should’ve thought more on that, but I was past the emotional breakthrough limit for today. I was exhausted, and the night hadn’t even started.
I had a picture session to get through.
Parking and walking up the sidewalk to Cross and Taz’s house, I heard them all inside.
I stepped up on the front porch and stood there. I waited. I savored. The feel of my mom was still with me. And when I went inside, I would lose her. She’d fade, replaced by Cross, the guys, Taz, everything else.
A car door slammed behind me.
I was jerked out of my trance and looked to see who was coming, my mouth opening in surprise.
“What are you doing here?”
Heather laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder. She cut across the lawn as Channing rounded the back of his truck. He tossed his keys in the air, catching them and throwing me a grin.
His eyes sparked. “You really think we’d let you deal with this alone?”
Heather drew up beside me and squeezed affectionately.
Channing strolled up the sidewalk. I rolled my eyes, but his smirk just deepened. His phone rang, but reaching into his pocket, he didn’t even look to see who it was. He silenced it and put it back. He stopped in front of me.
“You’re a Monroe. You’re going to prom.” He leaned in, his forehead pressing against mine for a second as he laughed. “Where the fuck else would we be? We’re your family.” He stepped back. “You don’t have Mom and Dad today, but you have us old folks instead. Deal with it.”
Heather moved in, hugging me, and she whispered, “I know I’m usually not like this, but will you bear with me?” She stepped back, and Channing’s arm came around her shoulders. “I’m feeling a mom moment coming up.”
“Plus.” Channing jerked his head up, indicating inside. “We’ll enjoy scaring a few of those parents in there. Some don’t know how to react with us breathing the same air.”
Heather shoved her elbow in his side, but the door opened just then, and Cross was there.
“Bren?”
Then Taz yelled his name, and he cursed, stepping outside. Shutting the door, he moved aside. “Fucking hell. She’s worse than our mom. I swear.”
His voice trailed off as he looked at me.
And I had no voice because I was looking at him.
He was…
“Bren. Holy shit. You’re—”
