“You were just on a high of emotions.” Her voice is soft, soothing, and holds not an ounce of judgement.
Because that’s how mothers are.
“No.” I pull back and tap my chest, where the wound is. “I still wish I could go back in time and make her kill me properly. That way, I wouldn’t feel so fucking empty knowing I lost her for good.”
“Nonsense.” Dad leans against the doorway, arms crossed, probably having listened to the whole conversation. “There’s no such thing as losing someone for good if you put your head into it. I admit that I wanted that bloody mafia miss out of your life for daring to hurt you, and I threatened her to stay the hell away from you, by the way. But if you want her, go for it. I’ll back you up.”
“Aiden.” Mum wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. “How can you say that? If he goes to the States, her father will kill him.”
“Not if I have a say in it.” Dad raises a brow. “Let me ask you, Creigh. Do you want to go after her?”
I shake my head. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“We’re ill-fated.”
“Bullshit. You’re just letting fear of rejection get the better of you. I didn’t know I had a coward of a son.”
“Aiden!” Mum reprimands again.
“It’s not that—”
“Then what is it?” he cuts me off. “You expect me to believe you’re over her when you vehemently refused to press charges against her? You were barely speaking at the time, but you begged me not to bring her name up to the police. I won’t tell you what to do, but I’ll tell you this, son. If you let her go, someone else will swoop in and take her.”
Hot fire spreads in my chest with the lethality of an erupting volcano. That thought has been plaguing my waking and sleeping moments. Images of Annika with another man have left me mad and with a sense of trepidation. Especially since I overheard Cecily and Glyn say that she might be arranged to marry some mafia man, after all.
“I just…can’t forgive her parents. I won’t. I can’t. And I know how much she loves them.”
“And you’re scared she’ll choose them like she chose her brother?” Mum asks in a soft voice. At my nod, she strokes my cheek. “If that’s the choice she makes, then she doesn’t deserve you, baby.”
“What your mother said,” Dad agrees. “If she doesn’t recognize your worth or hurts you again, you’ll know her nature and that way, you’ll be able to move on. For good.”
I mull their words over in my head as a crazy and utterly twisted idea forms. One that I’m sure Dad will help with.
Because he cares about me.
And so does Mum.
“Thank you,” I whisper. “And I’m sorry if I made you doubt how important you are to me. I’m lucky to be your son.”
Mum holds both hands to her chest, tears glistening in her eyes. “Now you went and made me emotional. Be right back. I’ll bring biscuits; they must be ready.”
She passes by Dad, kisses him on the cheek, then disappears to get more of her creations.
Dad takes her place and grabs one of the weird-looking things she brought earlier.
“Mum made those,” I warn.
“And some of them have to be eaten or she’ll be sad.” He doesn’t even wince as he crunches on what should be a muffin. “She never wanted to learn to cook until she found out you love food so much. She tried hard to be accepted by you.” I grab a muffin, but Dad shakes his head. “You’re sick. I’ll eat them.”
“Don’t even try to be cool. I’m not that sick and I can handle these. After all, she made them for me.” I wince at the overly-cooked thing. “Have you heard the part where she fell in love with me at first sight? Something that didn’t happen with you or Eli?”
He narrows his eyes. “You get a pass for being sick.”
“That means I’m more important than you two.”
“Don’t push it. And quit channeling Eli or I’ll smack you. Sick or not.”
“I brought biscuits.” Mum rushes back in with half-burnt biscuits that look like murdered Smurfs.
Dad and I groan, but we eat every last bite.
And that idea from earlier? It’s becoming more of a reality with every passing second.
33
ANNIKA
It’s weird how time can go on while simultaneously remaining stuck in the same place.
That’s exactly how it’s felt ever since I was hauled back to the States.