Rewind It Back (Windy City, #5)(130)

“Then I show up at your door and here we are, reliving it.”

She laughs and it sounds like there’s an edge of relief in it. “Here we are.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Oh God.” She shakes her head. “No, I’m sorry. I mean I knew Rio loved you then, but I clearly didn’t understand the extent of it. He’s loved you for most of his life, and I will forever be sorry that I’m the reason he lost you for so long.”

She squeezes my hand, and I realize then she’s still holding it, so I squeeze hers back.

“I don’t know that this will help that regret at all,” I say. “But I think about what the last six years would’ve looked like if things happened differently. And I don’t know. In a way, it was a good thing that going to Chicago with him back then was no longer an option. I would’ve been torn between two places at once. The strange silver lining of it all is while my dad needed me, there was nowhere else I wanted to be. Of course, I wish I didn’t lose that time with Rio, but life had a funny way of working itself out in the end.”

“Now, don’t try to make me feel better about it.”

I huff a laugh. “I’m not. I’m just saying, it’s hard to regret the past when he and I are right back to where we were always meant to be. We just had to take a little detour to get there.”

She studies me from across the table. “You’ve always loved him, haven’t you?”

“Always. He’s good and kind. And he’s good to me, which I know is because he grew up learning to be good to you.”

She’s quiet for a long moment before she finally says, “I missed you, Hallie girl.”

“I missed you too.”

“Can I give you a hug?”

My smile blooms in an instant. “I’d love that.”

She stands the same time I do, rounding the table to hug me.

“I’m so sorry,” she repeats, holding on to me.

“I know. And I know you’re not my actual mom, but you always treated me as if you were. And I’m sorry that I hurt you.”

She exhales a long breath, and I do the same.

It feels like the final weight is lifted.

We unwrap ourselves after a long while, but she holds me at arm’s length. “Do you have anywhere you need to be tonight?”

“No. I only came here for you. My flight doesn’t leave until the morning.”

“Would you stay for dinner? If you’re up for it, I mean. I’d really love to hear about your life.”

“Yeah.” I can’t hold back my smile. “I’d love that.”





Chapter 43


Rio


Using my key, I unlock the front door of the house I grew up in.

But before I open it, I do my best to tamp down the anger that’s simmering in my veins.

Once I landed in Boston, I got a second text from my mom, asking if I knew what Hallie’s mother had said to her all those years ago when she accidentally caught our parents together. Of course I had no fucking clue, but now that I do, I can say with certainty, I’ve never actually felt hatred for a person up until now.

How fucking dare she put the burden of her choices on Hallie’s shoulders. How dare she use the person her daughter cared for most as a ploy to scare her into keeping that secret.

Shit. I’m getting amped up again, just as I was the whole drive over here, but I do my best to swallow it down as I step inside. Thankfully, when I catch Hallie’s eye as she’s turning around from the couch to find me dropping my bag in the entryway, that anger all but disappears.

Her jaw goes slack, and her hazel eyes widen in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

She stands, rounding the coffee table to meet me, practically slamming into my chest. It’s the best hit I’ve ever taken, and I instantly wrap her in a hug. Hallie has always been this grounding force in my life, and that’s no different now.

I exhale, holding her tighter. “I was at the airport, about to catch an early flight back to Chicago to surprise you for your birthday when I found out you weren’t there. Luckily, there was a flight to Boston that still had room for me.” I glance back into the living room. “Thanks for texting me, Ma.”

She looks over the couch with a knowing smile on her lips.

I’m still in a bit of disbelief from the first message that landed on my phone while I was about to go through security at the airport, telling me that Hallie was in Boston and that she and my mom had talked through some things.

I went to a desk agent and booked a new flight right then.

Hallie rests her chin on my chest as she looks up at me and a bit more of that sickening feeling dissipates. More centered. More grounded.

“You were coming home early for my birthday?” she asks.

“Hell yeah, I was. It’s my favorite day of the year.”

She huffs a laugh as I push her hair out of her face.

“You okay?”

Her smile is sweet and genuine as she nods to tell me yes.

“Ma,” I call out. “You good?”

She throws a thumb up in the air, which I can see over the back of the couch. “I’m good.”

I do a double-take between them again. Part of me wasn’t sure what I was going to walk into. From the text my mom sent me while I was at the airport, I knew the two of them had talked, but I wasn’t sure what that talk looked like. Was there screaming involved? Crying? Did my mother break anything? Don’t get me wrong, I love the woman, but her Italian blood runs hot. I didn’t exactly expect to walk in and find the two of them sitting on the couch watching The Great British Bake Off together.