Page 76 of The Way You Are

I grimaced. “I’m expected to go. Not that I don’t want to support Cora. I do.”

“But you’d rather avoid your mother.”

Thinking back to our conversation today, I nodded.

“Do you want company?” He stuffed his hands into his pockets. His stance was casual, but his question wasn’t.

“I wasn’t sure you’d want to go.”

He tipped his head to the side. “That’s what good boyfriends do, don’t they?”

“I’m not sure I’ve dated any of those.” None of my exes would have been met with my parents’ approval, not that they would have gone anyway.

“I want to change that.”

I reached over to cover his hand with mine. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” I was beyond used to boyfriends saying it wasn’t their scene.

“I want to be there for you. Something tells me you need backup with your mother.”

“I do.” The problem was, he might need the support more than me once my mother got done with him. “I don’t know if I want to subject you to my mother. She can be a lot.”

His jaw tightened. “I’ve dealt with worse than her.”

“Are you talking about your mother?” I asked gently.

“And everyone who judged me for not having a mother present in my life.”

I swallowed down my pity, knowing Jake wouldn’t appreciate it. “I’d love to have you by my side, but don’t feel like you have to. My mom can be brutal.”

“She doesn’t approve of me?” Jake asked.

I laughed without any humor. “She doesn’t approve of me.”

His brow furrowed. “So that’s a yes.”

“You still up for going?”

He nodded. “I want to be there for you.”

I had a feeling this party would make or break our relationship. I hated giving my mother that kind of power, but unless I completely cut her out of my life, I had to deal with her.

“After this thing with your sister, maybe you should think of distancing yourself from her.”

“Trust me, I’ve had the same thoughts.”

“I always thought everyone else’s family situations were perfect. All I knew was that I didn’t have a mother who was present in my life, and when she was, she wasn’t worried about me. She only ever cared about herself.”

“I’m sorry, Jake.” I hated that for him.

“But I’m starting to realize everyone has their own troubles. Having a family doesn’t mean they’re perfect.”

I stood, rounding the table to hug him. His arms came around me, and nothing had ever felt so good. I brushed a hand over the stubble on his chin. I was falling in love with this man. Despite his history, or what my parents would think, he was perfect for me. “Thank you for supporting me.”

“I want to be what you need,” he said simply before lowering his head to kiss me.

But what if what I needed destroyed him?

Twenty

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