That causes a laugh to vibrate through her.
Her smile is really fucking pretty.
“She’s a traditional Southern belle and expected me to be too, but I wasn’t into the pageants or the sororities. I’m sure she’d assumed I’d get married to my college boyfriend and knocked up the second we graduated, and I don’t think she finds having a job or working at the dog shelter all that impressive. She expected me to live my life the way she did.”
“She sounds jealous.”
“She’s not jealous,” Stevie laughs. “She’s disappointed.”
“I don’t know, Stevie. It sounds like she got stuck doing some boring shit while you get to go live the life you want and do the things you love.”
“What I really want is not to have to fly anymore so I can spend all day every day with the pups.”
“Oh no. I need you to keep flying.” Bringing my beer to my lips, I take a swig. “Who else is going to get me everything I need on board?”
Stevie rolls her eyes. “Literally any other flight attendant on the airplane.”
“So, what did your mom say when you told her to fuck off?”
“Yeah, I didn’t do that.”
“And why not? You have no problem putting me in my place. Why does your mother get to walk all over you, and why did you let those girls in Nashville get away with it?”
She shyly pops her shoulders, keeping her eyes averted from mine.
“Stevie…” I coax.
She releases a deep, resigned exhale. “I don’t know. Sometimes when I don’t feel the greatest about myself, I let others treat me that way too.”
“You don’t let me treat you like that.” Not that I would.
“That’s because I always feel good around you.”
That makes my chest swell with pride. “People like that are going to treat you like you’re not enough or you’re not worthy, but that’s their own insecurities coming out. They’re bullies, and they’ll stop when you make them stop. If you start loving yourself, their words will no longer have meaning. You’ve got to start standing up for yourself, Stevie.”
She shoots me an understanding smile. “I’m working on it.”
Not so slyly, I scoot another inch closer to her on the step, but I’m still not touching her.
Not until she tells me she wants me to.
“How’s Rosie?”
Stevie’s face lights up. “She’s good. She misses you, though.”
“I’ll have to go see her soon.”
Her expression melts, her smile soft. “How was your Christmas?” Stevie finishes off her beer, setting the bottle down beside her.
“It was all right. I may have ruined it, though.”
Crossing her arms on her bent knees, she rests her cheek on them, facing me. “How so?”
“My dad is up there.” I motion upward. “And we don’t have the best relationship, but I just said some shit I’ve been keeping bottled up for a long time.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Searching her face, I hesitate. Not many people know this part of my life. I keep my circle small due to the fear that people will either take advantage, wanting to sell the story to the media, exposing the side to me that I don’t want people to know about, or just not like me for who I really am.
“Fuck it.” I chug the remainder of my beer, needing a little liquid courage. “My mom left us when I was sixteen for a man who made a shitload more money than my dad did. I have an older sister, Lindsey, who was away at college at the time, so it didn’t affect her in quite the same way it did me.”
I keep my eyes ahead of me, unable to look at Stevie in my vulnerability.
That is until she scoots closer to me, her thigh and shoulder touching mine. Her hand dangles between us, crossed over her knee.
I melt into her touch, noting absolutely no judgment on her face.
“My dad and I were close growing up, but when my mom left, he buried himself in work and with my sister off at school and my dad never home, it felt like he abandoned me in the same way my mom did. We’ve barely spoken to each other since.”
“Shit,” Stevie breathes out.
“And for the first time in twelve years, I just went off on him upstairs.”
“What did he say?”
“That he worked more because he was trying to make up for her leaving. But I never gave a fuck about how much money we had. I just wanted him around. I wanted him to love me.”