Page 188 of Anger

Trust.

Yeah, he thanked me for showing him I’ve got his back, but where the hell is he when I need someone watching mine?

“How have you been Amélie? I hear school is going well. Are you close to graduating?

Mom leads me into a tiny kitchen area while making small talk, her hands shaking like she’s afraid to touch me, even though she reaches out every so often like she’s fighting the urge to take me into a full hug.

Within the kitchen is a round breakfast table, the dark wood surface scarred by years of use. I take a seat and stare at those scars, wondering about what caused them.

In a way, they remind me of Damon, of myself and of Mom.

It takes effort to look up at Mom, to see the fear and nervousness floating around behind her careful expression. Kane said she was normal again.

Is this as normal as it gets?

“I’m good,” I finally answer, my voice low and my eyes tracking Kane and Damon walking into the kitchen behind where Mom is sitting. They don’t approach, and I’m not entirely sure why. If I had to guess, those two are afraid to interrupt this reunion I wasn’t planning and am definitely not prepared for.

My eyes lock with Damon’s amber stare and I take a breath as if it may calm down my heart.

Mom shifts in her seat, fidgets with a napkin on the table, and keeps her eyes on me. “And school?”

One thing about Mom that has always left me breathless is her beauty. Even aged, she’s timeless. Even crazy, there’s just something about her that sets her apart. I notice it again as I stare at her now, the worry lines on her forehead and the dark smudges under her eyes somehow adding character to a face that is practically perfect.

Every feature of her face is damn near symmetrical, the oval shape lending to a youthful appearance despite all she’s been through, the almond shape of her eyes are the perfect complement to high cheekbones and pale skin.

She looks so much healthier since I saw her last, and while it makes me happy to think Kane has been helping her, it hurts more to know it wasn’t until I left that she’s regained this much.

Staring at her, I remember what Damon told me about what happened to Mom and my heart breaks more.

Why would somebody take a woman so beautiful and steal her away to rip her apart?

Clearing my throat, I force a lie out that I hate telling her.

“School’s good. I should be graduating soon.”

A smile lifts the corner of her lips and I dread the pride I see in her expression.

“You’ve always been smarter than me,” she muses, her voice so soft it’s practically floating between us.

Reaching across the table, she barely touches my hand with her fingertips. Almost fearful, it’s like Mom thinks if she gets too close, something awful will happen to me, and it will be her fault.

Unable to stand it, I grasp onto her hand with mine, my fingers tightening down when she attempts to pull away.

“I miss you,” I admit, my eyes capturing hers like prisoners. I refuse to look away. “I love you.”

It’s all I can say—all I know to say—and yet it doesn’t feel like enough.

Mom tugs her hand free of mine, her head turning to find Kane. He steps forward immediately, a gentle smile gracing his strong features.

I have no idea who our father was, but he must have been handsome in some way. While I take after my mother, Kane has a darker complexion and black hair. His face is cut in such a way that his cheeks are shadowed beneath his eyes, his jaw a strong line that leads to a proud chin.

He’s always been my rock. Someone I know is as dangerous as Damon. But when it comes to Mom, Kane is the softest person I’ve ever met.

“Shouldn’t we offer them something?” Mom asks, her head turning more to notice Damon.

With her face turned away from me, I can’t see her expression, but Damon’s posture changes immediately, his relaxed shoulders drawing tense, his eyes flicking between my mother and across the small table at me.

He doesn’t need to say anything.

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