Page 26 of Hard Rock Temptation
“I don’t care what you do and don’t want.” Her mouth twisted in a sour expression. “All those songs you write, accusing me of awful things. If you’re going to write about me and make me look like a bad mother, then some of the money you made off of it belongs to me.”
My hands trembled and my gut churned.
“The only person who makes you look bad is yourself,” Micah said through gritted teeth.
“You’ve always been so dramatic,” my mom said, and something inside me split open, hurt gushing out like a tsunami. She turned to me, ignoring Micah as if he weren’t even there. “You have nothing to complain about. There are people out there who have real problems. You’ve been a selfish, ungrateful brat ever since you fell in with this crowd.” Now she did pay attention to Micah, shooting him a dirty look. “You abandoned your family forthem.”
They’re my real family,I wanted to yell, but I held back.
I held back because I knew the consequences of going against her. All she needed to do was make one phone call. Panic clawed at my throat at the thought. One phone call and I might loseeverything. Myrealfamily might lose everything. I couldn’t take that risk.
Micah growled, balling his fists even harder, and I was beginning to really worry about the scene we might cause.
“Micah, let me talk to my mom for a second, okay?” I asked him.
He clenched his jaw. “No. I’m not leaving you alone with her.”
I put my hands on either side of his face and drew him down to me so I could whisper without my mom hearing.
“Just let me talk her down,” I told him. “She’s always mad about something. I can take care of it and make her go away, but she really hates you so I can’t do that with you here.”
Micah gave me a searching look with those dark eyes of his. I plastered on my usual bright smile to reassure him. He nodded reluctantly.
“I’m just going to be over here,” he said, then took exactly fifteen steps away, still staring down my mom. I supposed that was as much of a concession as I would get from him.
I turned to my mom, forcing myself to look her in the eyes. After years of trying to make myself as small as possible around her, it was hard. But I did my best.
“You can hate my band as much as you like, but Micah’s right,” I said. “They’re the reason you have a new house. New cars. And—” I gave her a pointed look, gesturing to her designer shoes, “—a new wardrobe, apparently. Is that why you’re bothering me again? Ran out of money?”
“Don’t take that tone with me,” she said sharply.
I felt compelled to apologize, like always, but I swallowed it down, summoning the courage to keep my head up and meet her gaze straight on.
“Just tell me how much,” I said.
“Not going to cry and whine this time?” she said snidely.
“I already know that if I do, you’ll just threaten me again,” I said.
“Ah, yes,” my mom sniffed. “That boy still doesn’t know what you did, does he?”
A sickening nausea rose up inside my stomach but I kept my mouth shut.
“Just deposit the same amount as last time,” she said. “You already know the account number.”
“Fine,” I said curtly. “If that’s all, you can go.”
She gave me another narrowed-eyed look and sniffed again as she got into her car. “After everything I sacrificed for you, this is the least you can do to repay me,” she threw out as her parting words.
I inhaled deeply after she finally drove off. It felt like the first real breath I’d taken since I’d first spotted her.
“Are you okay?” Warm arms wrapped around me. I leaned back against Micah’s chest and closed my eyes.
“I’ll be fine,” I told him.
“You’re shaking,” he said softly, ducking his head to rest the underside of his jaw against the top of my head. “Let me take you home.”
I peeled my eyes open.
