I let out a sigh. “Fine. I’ll do whatever I can,” I choked out, though the words pained me. It didn’t feel authentic to my true needs. I trusted my mom to be honest about her feelings for Joseph. I wanted their marriage to work because he genuinely seemed to make her happy. She was misguided, but…
“Oh thank you, baby. Maybe I’ll come and visit soon, yeah?”
“Okay,” I replied. “That would be great.”
Mom went on to ramble for a bit more, talking about her new house as if we hadn’t just had a huge fight. As if she hadn’t just asked me to compromise my morals and happiness for hers. As if she hadn’t just broken my heart—again.
“I love you, baby,” she cooed.
“Love you too.”
I hung up the phone and tossed it on the couch cushion beside me before cradling my head in my hands. How could she possibly do this? Why? Maybe I needed to drop out now and find a new place to live. I could still apply for scholarships. It might have been too late to switch now, but if I applied now, then maybe next semester I could go somewhere else. I needed to prepare for the worst. I couldn’t rely on the Beauregards’ generosity. Especially since Mom lied.
My phone started ringing, and I half expected to see my mom’s name on the screen, but instead, it was Hamilton. I’d never called him back earlier.
“Hello?” I croaked.
“Are you okay? I heard about the article, and my phone has been ringing nonstop for comment.”
I tried to be strong. I really did. “Hamilton?”
“Yeah, beautiful. Talk to me.”
“You don’t think I lied, do you? You don’t think I planned this with my mother…” My voice trailed off as I became overwhelmed with emotion. It suddenly occurred to me that Jack was right all along. He was right to look into my mother’s past and question her motives. It made me sick to my stomach to think about.
“I don’t think you have a fucking malicious bone in your body. Don’t cry. I don’t do good with the emotion shit.”
I started crying harder. Fuck, what was wrong with me? And why was I leaning on Hamilton? “When are you coming home?” I asked before quickly correcting myself. “Um. Little Mama misses you.”
I could hear his smile through his voice. “Oh, she does, does she?”
“Yeah. I suppose I wouldn’t mind seeing you either.”
“Two more days. You think Little Mama can handle two more days?”
I sniffled. “Yeah. I think so. I can’t believe Saint came to campus and hounded me. I’m really freaked out.”
“Wait,” Hamilton growled. “What? He came to your school?”
I clutched my phone. “Yeah. He just showed up and started asking me questions. He’s so gross. Jared scared him off, but—”
“What did he ask you?”
Hamilton’s abrupt question caught me off guard. “He asked if I knew,” I replied with a sigh. “He said a lot of shit.”
“Can you remember anything specific?” Hamilton asked.
“No. It was like he just wanted to taunt me.” I listened to the sound of ruffling on the other side of the phone. “Hamilton?” I asked.
“I’m coming home. Do not leave your apartment unless you have Little Mama, Jess, or—fuck—that asshole Jared with you. Okay? I don’t like that this bastard is hounding you. What about Joseph or Jack? Have they called? What are they doing about Saint?”
“I think they’re too busy dealing with my mom’s fake pregnancy. Hell, I’m sure Jack is going to call any minute and evict me from the apartment.” My stomach dropped. I knew all of this was too good to be true. “Shit. Where am I going to stay?” More tears started streaming down my cheek.
“Jack is not going to kick you out. I think he actually likes you in his own weird egomaniac way. You’re smart and ambitious. He lives for that shit. And if he does, Jess and I both have perfectly good couches for you to sleep on, unless of course you want to sleep in my bed. Actually, that sounds preferrable.” I started laughing, even though I didn’t feel amused. “Your door is locked, right? Is Jared with you?”
“I sent him home,” I replied while getting up to check my door again. I’d already made sure it was locked three times since coming home. I was thankful I had Little Mama here with me. “We kind of got into a fight before all of this, and I just needed some space.”
“Shit, Petal. You’ve had a terrible day.”
“Yeah. Combined with my mother threatening my tuition if I fuck everything up for her by spending time with you, it’s been a doozy.”
“She said that?” Hamilton asked, his voice deep and angry.
“Yep. Her marriage is hanging by a thread.”
“I’m calling my supervisor. Lock up. Don’t leave unless someone is with you, okay? I’ll see you soon.”
“Hamilton,” I breathed before unlocking and locking the door again. “You honestly don’t have to—”
“Shut up or I’ll bend you over my knee and spank your ass when I get home. You’re alone. Your mom is a total cunt. You’ve had a shitty day, and I don’t think you’ve ever had anyone that genuinely has taken care of you in your entire goddamn life, Vera. And if I’m being honest, I’ve never been the person someone called. Let me do this, okay? I’m freaking the fuck out right now. I don’t like that you’re scared. I don’t like that Jared was the one to save the day today. I don’t like feeling helpless. I care, okay? I care about you, and it’s twisting me up inside, so don’t argue. Just unlock the door when I show up, and let me hold you.”
My mouth popped open in shock. “Okay,” I whispered. “I’ll see you soon.”
“See you soon, Petal.”
16
Hamilton looked completely and utterly fucked, his hair glossy from traveling all day, and a shadow of facial hair covered his jaw. He was leaning against the doorjamb when I peered through the peephole to make sure that it was him on the other side.
“Open up, Petal. It’s me.”
Little Mama was wagging her tail at my side and whining to see Hamilton. With a steadying breath, I unlocked the door and twisted the knob.
“Fuckkkk,” he rasped at the sight of me. I was wearing tattered leggings and a cropped sweatshirt that showed off a sliver of my stomach. My hair was a mess of tangles and was still damp from the long shower I indulged in earlier.
“I’m literally in my pajamas. Stop acting like I answered the door in lingerie,” I said with a slow roll of my eyes before looking him up and down once more. His shirt was wrinkled. His jeans were tight. The scuffed boots on his feet looked masculine and eclectic.
“I’ll stop undressing you with my eyes when you stop undressing me with yours,” he teased before dropping his duffel bag and wrapping me up in a bone-crushing hug.
I hadn’t realized how much I needed this. The moment his arms wrapped around me, I felt some of the ice in my veins melt with white-hot emotion. My eyes burned with unshed tears. He felt like safety. I nuzzled against his chest while holding on to him for dear life. My body trembled from the warmth rolling off of him. I’d never been hugged like this before. “I’m so sorry, Vera. I didn’t want this for you.”