Page 181 of Severed Rivalry
53
however you come
Cian
“RoRo called. She said you owed her an update but you weren’t answering. I don’t know where Mom’s phone is so she called me.”
“I think your mom’s phone is still in her car at the nail salon. Nice color choice, by the way. I always like when I see Broncos colors.”
“It wasn’t for that.” She stares at her toes.
“I figured.” I pour out the stale coffee that’s hours old at this point and start a new pot. “I want to ask you something, but I need you to be honest with me, okay?”
“Okay.”
“No, like one hundred percent, lay-it-all-out-there honest. Will you do that?”
She scrunches her face, but it comes and goes quickly as she hefts herself onto a bar stool, one arm abandoning her in the attempt. “I guess.”
I lean on the island, forearms to the cold stone. “I want to marry your mom. I’ve wanted to marry her for most of my life. Since before you were born. I never thought I’d do this, but I want your blessing and I’m asking your permission to ask her.”
“Why?”
“Why do I want to marry her?”
“Why do you want my blessing?”
“Because you are the single greatest person in her life. Because she loves you more than breathing. Because if you say yes, she will too.”
Renée bites the inside of her lip and looks out the window.
“You’re killing me, Smalls.”
“Who’s Smalls?”
“We’ll fix that tonight.”
“Fix what?”
“You not knowing who Smalls is.”
“Okay,” she agrees.
“Okay to fixing the Smalls thing?”
“Yes, and okay to marrying my mom. She loves you. She deserves to have someone to love her like you do. And I’m going to college.”
“In like four years.” I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. The joy elbowing its way from my insides is palpable.
“Well, yeah.”
“That’s a ways off.”
She shrugs. “Still, it’s happening.”
“Where do you want to go?”
Another shrug, this time one shoulder. Two means no big deal. One, though… one means she’s stewing on something and isn’t ready to share.
