Page 58 of Hers to Kiss
He laughed derisively. “How am I supposed to believe that? What other secrets are you keeping from me?”
He saw something cross her face. She opened her mouth, closed it, and looked away. “You do know something, and you’re keeping it from me. Again,” he said accusatorially. “Roberta, you are—”
“Keke likes you,” she said simply. “A lot.”
Pete didn’t finish his thought. He started a new one. “Oh, really? Because she just rejected me. So, she must not like me that much.” He slammed his foot into the floor, grateful he wasn’t driving. He’d have rammed the car in front of them.
“I told her about Mom, and she was the one that said I should tell you. So, yeah, I screwed up. I’m also the reason you’re not with Keke.”
“Explain.”
“We made a pact a long time ago. She agreed never to like you. It wasn’t hard at the time. And we were just stupid kids. Anyway, after I promised Mom not to tell you about her illness, I thought it was best to protect you—from everything, I guess. I knew you liked her, and I didn’t want you to be rejected.” Her face fell, as did the tears down her cheeks. “I didn’t think you could handle it. The pressure. Dad was already giving you so much. Then Keke was rethinking our pact, and since she knew about Mom, I wanted her to just stay away from you.”
“All of you orchestrating my life,” Peter breathed after a few minutes of silence. He couldn’t wrap his head around Bertie’s confession. The women in his life he trusted the most, keeping things from him because they thought he’d be better off.
That he was still the silly kid everyone could pick on. That he wasn’t a man who’d grown up right before their eyes.
“I know… It was wrong. But Mom…wanted you to pursue your dreams without staying behind because of her. She didn’t want to be another anchor. Dad weighs you down enough.”
Pete nodded. He couldn’t really fault her for that. She was his mother. Despite being completely eclipsed by her husband’s parenting style, Pete believed his mom did want the best for him. She didn’t know about Warp Entertainment’s offer, but he’d tell her today. If she was really… Pete blinked hard a few times. If Mom was really dying, then he wanted her to know that he was going to pursue his dreams.
“How is she really?” Pete asked softly.
Bertie took the exit for the hospital. “Not good. The doctors weren’t entirely sure if it was terminal, but Mom knew. She’s felt like her body has been shutting down for about a week now.”
Pete put his head in his hands. This whole week he’d been focused on getting a girl to like him, and his mom was literally dying. His body shuddered, and he fought against the overwhelming desire to break down. He couldn’t. Not now. Not when he didn’t know how much time he had left with his mother. He had to be strong; if not for himself, then for her. He had to prove to everyone that he wasn’t some pansy that couldn’t handle life.
Bertie rubbed his back. “We’re here.”
Pete sniffed and rubbed the tears out of his eyes. Within minutes, a nurse showed them to their mother’s room. Pete’s insides caved. His mother looked like a shell of what she had been earlier that week. Face pale and cheeks sunken, she had probably lost ten or fifteen pounds.
“She’s very weak, but her pulse and vitals have been steady,” the nurse said quietly. “She’s been sleeping for about an hour.”
Bertie and Pete nodded in silence.
“I’ll page the doctor and have him come talk to you. Okay?”
The nurse left. Bertie and Pete looked at each other.
“It was this bad?” Pete asked.
Bertie shook her head. “I saw her a couple of days ago. She looked…pale, but in high spirits.”
“Was she staying at the camp?”
“No. She was going home at night so she could go to the doctor’s early in the morning.”
“Does Dad know?”
Bertie blasted a breath through her lips. “No. He got mad when she told him she was going to stay at home, and I don’t think they’ve spoken in days.”
“He’sgotto know. How can henot know?”
Their mother stirred and opened her eyes. “Oh, hey, kids. Hey, Petey.” She extended her hand. Pete took it gently. More bony than usual, but warm. She held on tightly. “I guess Bertie told you, huh?”
“You could’ve trusted me,” Pete gently chastised. “I can handle it.” He sat on the edge of her bed.
“I was afraid to, honey. I know how stressed you’ve been with the camp and your father hounding you about school and getting you out of the house.”
