“I might wait a minute or two before going out there. The door wasn’t shut and even if it were, there’s no way anyone in the living room wouldn’t have heard us. And you know how important first impressions are…”
Chase steps back into his boxers before getting a new pair of jeans from the dresser. “As far as first impressions go, this one has to be the fucking best.”
Chase: I can’t be held responsible for distracting you at work. Brace yourself.
I smile down at my phone and wait for another picture to come through. I’m at work, and Chase is currently at the hospital visiting his nephews for the first time. One of the babies was a whole pound smaller than the other and needs to be on oxygen. Chase promised me over and over that he wasn’t just making shit up to make me feel better, and that both babies were given a good prognosis and should come home by the end of the week.
I admire the photo of Chase holding the newborn for a minute before replying.
Me: You look so hot with a baby in your arms.
Chase: Don’t get any crazy ideas now
Me: Heck no. Not for years and years and years and years.
I add a laughing emoji and send, then take another glance at the photo Chase sent. The bell on the door rings as someone enters the little shop, and I look up, startled by who I see walking in.
“Mom?”
“Hello, Sierra, darling.”
I raise an eyebrow. “What are you doing here?”
Mom blinks, long, false lashes coming together slowly. “Is it so out of the question I come and see you at work?”
“Uh, yeah. Is everyone okay?”
“Yes, yes, we’re all fine. I thought I’d come get a book to read by the pool.”
“Sure, Mom. You’re the only one here right now so why don’t you just tell me what you want.”
Mom looks at me, lips pursed, but gives up with a sigh. “I talked to your aunt Kelly today.”
My aunt Kelly is Lisa’s mom—my dad’s younger sister. “Is she okay?”
“Oh, yes, she’s fine. We’re going shopping later—that’s not the point. The point is she told me some startling news.”
My phone dings as another text from Chase comes through. I flip it over since I have a feeling I know what this is about.
“She told me about that man you’ve been dating…that Henson boy.”
The way she spits his name pisses me off. Instantly. He’s not good enough for her solely based on the fact his family doesn’t come from money.
“He’s been arrested before! What are you thinking, Sierra?”
“Mom, calm down.”
“I will not calm down! I’m worried about you, honey.” Her eyebrows push together and I see a rare real-mom moment where her emotions are visible through the layers of foundation and blush on her face. “Men like that are never good news.”
“Mom, Chase isn’t a bad guy. I promise you that.”
“But he’s been arrested over a dozen times.”
It takes effort to keep my face neutral and act like this is old news. “He’s not a bad person,” I state again.
“Your father and I talked, and we don’t like this.” She holds up a hand. “I understand you’re an adult and can do as you please, but know how worried this makes us. You’re my baby girl and I want to protect you.”
“He makes me really happy, and if you met him, you’d feel the same way I do. Well, not the same in the I-want-him-sexually way, but in the he’s-not-a-bad-guy way. Unless the whole bad-boy-yet-good-man thing turns you on.”
“This isn’t funny, Sierra. I wish you’d take things more seriously. You could do so much better, sweetheart. He’s a bartender who lives above a bar. What kind of future could he offer you?”
Anger flashes through me and I’m on my feet, leaning across the counter. “I do take things seriously! I spent the last year and a half in serious depression. And my future? I didn’t know I was even going to have one, let alone look forward to one until I met Chase.”
The color drains from my mother’s tan face. “I didn’t think—”
“No surprise there,” I snap, and all the things I’ve wanted to say to my mother over the years bubble to the surface. “That’s how it’s always been with me though.” I throw my hands up in defeat. “I’m not Sam. I don’t have a high-paying, prestigious job like Scott. And now I’m not dating someone you approve of and you automatically want me to cut him off before you even meet him.”
“It’s not just that, Sierra,” she starts.
“Then what is it? I know I’m not what you expected, Mom, and I’m still not sure if I should be sorry for that. My life hasn’t turned out like I thought it would, but I found someone who makes me happy, and I wish you’d give him a chance before coming in here and telling me that he’s not good enough.”
Silence falls over the both of us. “You’re right,” Mom finally says, voice strained. “Maybe he is a nice man. Maybe he does treat you well. That still doesn’t change the fact that he’s been taken away in handcuffs multiple times for assault. I’m worried about you, Sierra. And a lot of us feel that Chase shouldn’t be trusted.”
Assault? Chase? That doesn’t make sense. I put my head in my hands. A lot of us…That only means one thing. The Summer Hill gossip mill is alive and running with rumors of Chase’s arrests. That explains the stares we got at breakfast this morning. I thought it was just because of Jax.
“It doesn’t matter,” I say out loud to my mother as well as myself. “Whatever Chase did before doesn’t matter. He’s a good person, Mom, and I really care about him. He cares about me too, and if you’d give him a chance, you’d see what I see in him.”
Mom’s lips press together in a tight line, and wrinkles form around her pout. “Fine,” she finally says. “Bring him to dinner Sunday.”
“I will.” I sit back down on the stool behind the counter and let out a breath. Chase’s words echo in my mind, about how weird it is to always be in the same place with the same people. Maybe if I moved around like he did, I wouldn’t seek my family’s approval. I let my thoughts briefly wander to traveling the world with Chase, going from city to city, state to state, even to different countries.
“Don’t be late,” Mom says, needing to get the final word in.
“We won’t be.” I let out a breath, suddenly feeling sorry for my mother and her concern over the opinions of others. I’m sure a large part of this really is stemming from fear that I’m dating a bad person, but it’s not all of it.
Mom opens the door but doesn’t step outside. “Sierra,” she says, turning back toward me. “I love you. Someday, when you have kids, you’ll understand that you want nothing more than happiness for them. I want you to be happy. I hope Chase is who you say he is. And no, you’re nothing like your brother or sister, and I’ve always admired that about you. And wondered where you got your free spirit because it sure wasn’t from your father or me.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I say quietly. “I love you too.”